Tuesday, May 29, 2007

The Third Estate Sunday Review

Tuesday! Hope everyone had a great weekend. I told C.I. Saturday night, "If you do an Iraq snapshot Monday, I'll be blogging Monday." That killed the Monday snapshot. (C.I. wanted people to take time off -- though C.I. never does.) So I hope you had a great weekend. I hope you thought of ways to resist the illegal war. I hope you didn't try to be stupid.

Here's stupid:

I have a not -so- secret addiction. American Idol. My colleagues know I've watched every week, all of 19, checking out all of the theme nights --with my Motown hero Smokey Robinson, rocker Bon Jovi, country singer Martina McBride, Tony Bennett, and the two evenings which raised more than $70 million to end poverty in Africa and at home.

That's Katrina vanden Heuvel, a supposed political writer, on the day Congress caved, writing of the very important, earth shaking recollections she had of American Idol. That's called making yourself useless. I noted it in "The faux who are our foes" Thursday and listed this sort of crap as one of the foes that keeps the illegal war going. Katrina vanden Heuvel came back from her own long weekend (longer than mine, I helped at The Third Estate Sunday Review this weekend) and disappeared the post from her blog Editor's Cut. So we're making sure that when Google loses its cached version, it's still here for everyone to remember.

Okay, we've discussed this week's trash. Now let's discuss the good: The Third Estate Sunday Review:

Truest statement of the week -- this is Dalia Hashad and C.I. and I picked it. (Everyone readily agreed.)

Truest statement of the week II -- This was a long edition (we worked on some stuff for future editions) and Dona was asking if anyone had any idea for short pieces. Ava and C.I. had this. (They always have stuff. The rest of us are just like "Huh?" near the end. Ava and C.I. are tired -- and Ava will let Jim know it -- but they can carry on. I don't know how they do it.) (Dona too but she'll tell you it's all the cigarettes she's smoking.)

A Note to Our Readers -- Jim's note. I don't think I'm going to beat you buddy. But you forgot to explain "kvetch!" :D Jim used that instead of another word. That was because the session took so late and C.I. said, as the final edits were being done, "I do not have the time to notify members about objectionable words." So we watched the language this edition. I love Jim's notes, by the way.

Editorial: The Party of Stella Toddler -- I think it was Ava or C.I. who came up with Stella Toddler and the Democratic Party. Ty was really tired and Jim was doing some character (Ed?) to him. (Ed's Eunice's husband, I think.) That's from The Carol Burnett Show. And we knew we had to do an editorial on the Democratic Party but we didn't know have a handle on it or a way to make it fresh and I am pretty sure that Ava and C.I. said "Stella Toddler" and then the other said "Stella Toddler is the Democratic Party!" Dona was the first one to get what they were talking about and then Jess did. I think it works really good.

TV: Friendly faces aren't who we meet -- "What would it be like to be a pretty woman standing next to Angelie Jolie? I think I know." That was Wally's comment when Jim finished reading Ava and C.I.'s TV commentary to all of us. :D Yeah, those two are amazing. And they're going to do a sitcom probably this weekend. This took a lot out of them (and they hate it -- they always hate what they write). But this is amazing. Jess said we should get them to sleep during the editions and just use them for the TV commentaries and Ava said that a trait of their commentaries is that she and C.I. are exhausted when they write them.


Chrissy Explains It All (finally) -- Christopher Phelps explains how Bernardine Dohrn destroyed his teenage years. I wonder if she knows! (I doubt she'd care. No one should. He's a drama queen.) I really love this and Ava was joking about how they are exhausted on the TV things, but it's also true. Because this was going to be a straight forward piece, and they (Ava and C.I.) started adding humor to it around the third draft, then Wally, Cedric and me were horning in on that and pretty soon we were all trying to get a funny line going.

Still sad after all these months -- Jim loves Paul Simon. The title's from a Paul Simon song (Dad likes it but he doesn't love it) "Still Crazy After All These Years." I think Paul Simon is Jim's favorite male artist from before he was born. Jim can quote every thing Paul Simon has ever written. I'm going to start calling him "Jim Simon." :D This is a straight forward piece and this is how the Chris Phelps piece was supposed to play out and did in the first two drafts.


Mailbag -- I loved this mailbag and I really loved all that Cedric, Jim and Dona contributed. Jim usually just plays moderator. If you ever wish you got more from Jim (you should), read this. Jess is also a very good bud of mine (as is Ty, Cedric and Wally) (and Betty! and Dona and Rebecca and Kat -- bud's don't just have to be guys!). I meant what I said in that about how I did blame Ralph Nader. I was stupid. But people need to get that a lot of people put that out there and somebody like me hears it and everyone's saying it so it must be true!

And from the world of music . . . -- I love this. It wasn't working and Dona and Jim were both about to kill it. We trashed the four or five drafts we had and went for a humorous approach. (Killing it would have meant the final version would have gone into the print edition but not online.)

Dennis Kucinich addresses Iraq's oil -- Ma wanted this included. She wanted to talk to Jess and C.I. first. Jess is a Green and she wanted to be sure she wasn't asking anything he was uncomfortable with and she knows C.I.'s not endorsing so she wanted to be sure C.I. was comfortable with it. They'll do anything for my mother! :D Seriously, they were happy to do it for her but they didn't have a problem with doing it. They thought it was important too.

Highlights -- this was done by Wally, Elaine, Rebecca, Cedric, Betty and me.

Here's the credits for who worke don the edition:

The Third Estate Sunday Review's Dona, Jess, Ty, Ava and Jim,
Rebecca of Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude,
Betty of Thomas Friedman Is a Great Man,
C.I. of The Common Ills and The Third Estate Sunday Review,
Kat of Kat's Korner (of The Common Ills),Cedric of Cedric's Big Mix,
Mike of Mikey Likes It!,
Elaine of Like Maria Said Paz,
and Wally of The Daily Jot

And Dallas! He hunts down links, listens to the drafts, makes suggestions and a lot more. Now here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot" and that's it for me tonight:

Tuesday, May 29, 2007. Chaos and violence continue, the US military announces 10 deaths, the peace movement gets mainstream media coverage (so you know something bad has happened) and we love our Canadian Dahr Jamail . . . Wait. Dahr Jamail's not Canadian! He is to Jane Perlez. All this and more.

But starting out with the violence.

Bombings?


CNN reports "at least 38" Iraqis dead in two Baghdad car bombings. CBS and AP note that the death toll from the two bombings reached forty. Reuters notes the count has risen to 41 with 109 more wounded. AP notes that the first bombing "occurred about 1 p.m. in an area filled with bus stops and shops".


Shootings?


Reuters reports two police officers were shot dead in Shirqat (three wounded).


Corpses?

Reuters reports that 21 corpses were discovered in Baquba and 4 in Suwayra.


Today the US military announced: "While conducting a combat security patrol in the southern section of the Iraqi capital, two Multi-National Division-Baghdad Soldiers were killed when an improvised explosive device detonated May 28." And they announced: "Six Task Force Lightning Soldiers were killed when explosions occurred near their vehicles while conducting operations in Diyala Province, Monday." And they announced: "Two Task Force Lightning Soldiers were killed when a helicopter went down in Diyala Province, May 28." The last two announcements are connected.


CNN reports that after "a U.S. helicopter was shot down" -- killing the two -- the six died as they rushed "to the helicopter crash site [and] were hit by exploding roadside bombs, killing six soldiers and injuring three". The ten announced deaths bring the current ICCC count to 3467 US service members killed in Iraq since the start of the illegal war and brings the month of May death toll to 116 -- and May's not over yet. With 116 announced deaths, May is the deadliest month thus far of 2006. 116 is also more than were announced dead in any single month of 2006. 116 is also more than were announced dead in any single month of 2006. You have to drop back to November and April of 2004 (137 and 135) to find months with higher totals. May 2007, not yet over, is already the third deadliest month for US service members.

Also today, the UK Defence Ministry announced: "It is with deep regret that the Ministry of Defence must confirm that a soldier serving in the 1st Battalion the Royal Anglican Regiment was killed on the morning of Monday 28 May 2007, in Helmand Province, southern Afghanistan." This should bring to 150 the number of UK soldiers killed in Iraq since the start of the illegal war. In addition the BBC reports that "four bodyguards from security company GardaWorld and a finance expert" -- all Britons -- were kidnapped in Baghdad today. The contractors have an unexpected cheerleader. In a snapshot earlier this month, we noted British War Cheerleader Andrew White. Deborah Haynes and Stephen Farrell (Times of London) report that White has e-mailed the paper an "urgent prayer request" stating "Four of our security guards have been kidnapped along with one other British client. They were taken from the Ministry of Finance, which is Shia controlled." "Our," Canon White? White sometimes plays the "our" card and sometimes plays the "I am here in the Green Zone to lead St George's Church . . . except when I'm at my home in England or jet setting for meetings or on a book tour or . . " Today, White writes of "our" contractors. On Sunday, Michael Smith (Times of London), who broke the news on the Downing Street Memos, reported that prime minister heir-to-be Gordon Brown has has alarmed "senior army officers" who fret that "Brown is preparing to speed up the pull-out to draw a symbolic line under the Blair era." On Sunday, Steve Fainaru and Saad al-Izzi (Washington Post) reported on the mercenaries Blackwater who "shot and killed an Iraqi driver Thursday" and will face no legal fall out because that's the way it's set up. Pray for them to Canon White?


In other kidnappings, CBS and AP report that 40 Iraqis were kidnapped in Samarra. Strangely, no word on whether Canon White has sent out e-mails expressing shock over this kidnapping or referring to them as "our" people.


Meanwhile, the refugee crisis in Iraq (approximately 4 million when you put together internal refugees with external refugees) receives attention from Katherine Zdepf (New York Times)reports on the realities for many female refugees -- prostitution. Zdepf zooms in on the 16-year-old daughter of Umm Hiba who now works "at a nightclub along a highway known for prostituion."



Staying with the New York Times, Jane Perlez who did some fine work on the tsunami (end of 2004, start of 2005) apparently decided today to illustrate Laura Nyro's "Money" ("I found the system and I lost the pearl"). That's the best logical explanation for "An Assault in Iraq, a Stage Hit in London" which mangles every known fact in the supposed search of a play review. Fallujah is playing London and that may be one of the few things Perlez gets 100% correct. She describes Dahr Jamail as "a freelance Canadian journalist." Is that for comic effect? Jamail grew up in Houston, Texas is a Lebenese-American who was born in the US. Jamail's reporting from Iraq is used for one of the character's lines. We don't have time to go over all of Perlez' errors. We will ask did Perlez measure US v. British sentiment with a dipstick when determining "deeper" and when was she last in the US? And we will note that she's surprised "The Guardian, a liberal daily" did not care for the play while even the Telegraph of London (conservative) did. The Guardian is the bible of Tony Blair and New Labour, buy a clue Perlez. Blair is a war monger and the Guardian of London works overtime to avoid pointing that out (just like it ignored the Downing Street Memos). She notes allegations of napalm use in Falluja "never substantiated." Napalm was used in Iraq. The US State Department and the Pentagon both admitted to it being used early on in the illegal war. The charge of napalm, remember Perlez is assigned to London, came, in England, from the Sunday Mirror, not "left-wing critics" as Perlez wants US readers to believe. Sunday Mirror political editor Paul Gilfeather wrote, on November 28, 2004, "US troops are secretly using outlawed napalm gas to wipe out remaining insurgents in and around Fallujah. News that President George W. Bush has sanctioned the use of napalm, a deadly cocktail of polystyrene and jet fuel banned by the United Nations in 1980, will stun governments around the world. And last night Tony Blair was dragged into the row as furious Labour MPs demanded he face the Commons over it. Reports claim that innocent civilians have died in napalm attacks, which turn victims into human fireballs as the gel bonds flames to flesh." Now maybe Perlez would prefer to argue that was all from the white phosphorus which, for the record, her paper didn't report in real time, denied when Democracy Now! reported it and then Scott Shane out with the big mop to yet again clean up. If Perlez was starting out at the paper, this article and all of its errors (big and small) would probably mean she'd be cleaning her desk right about now.


Turning to peace news, Iraq Veterans Against the War continued bringing the war home last weekend:

NYC Operation First Casualty a Success!

"By reenacting what we've been through in Iraq we hope to inspire more of our fellow Americans to act to end the war now," said IVAW member Adam Kokesh. Actual veterans of the conflict in Iraq played their part of American service members, dramatically interacting with non-veteran supporters playing civilians. In full uniform IVAW members performed searches, detentions, squad patrol, and crowd control operations in locations that included Central Park, Times Square, Union Square and Grand Army Plaza...
Click here to see photos of this action.
Read more of this item -->-->
Click here for more IVAW Updates

Amy Goodman (Democracy Now!) noted, "In New York City, members of Iraq Veterans Against the War re-enacted scenes from occupied Iraq in a series of street theater actions. The veterans wore camouflage fatigues and pointed imaginary guns at a crowd of protesters playing Iraqi civilians" and that the University of Massachusetts-Amherst Friday found students and faculty booing, holding signs and protesting Andrew Card, former White House chief of staff, who got a honory degree in . . . There is audio of this but it's hard to make out due to the loud booing so let's all just assume Card was awarded an honorary doctorate in War Crimes. He certainly earned it.


Meanwhile Joshua Key's The Deserter's Tale has won another strong review for Key's story of serving Iraq and what led him to realize the war was illegal, self-check out and move his family to Candad. Ying Lee (Berkeley Daily Planet) who notes the difference between earlier wars and this one (as well as his own experience growing up in Shanghai during the Japanese occupationg): "Now we have the details, a book, a deserter's story as told to a Canadian journalist and writer. It is a simple story told simply: of how our soldiers in Iraq (and Afghanistan I would suppose) are trained, what they do as an occupying army, and how war affects them."



There is a growing movement of war resistance within the US military that includes Joshua Key, Ehren Watada, Terri Johnson, Camilo Mejia, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Augstin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder , Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman, Kevin Lee, Joshua Key, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing, Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Jeremy Hinzman, Stephen Funk, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell, Jimmy Massey, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake and Kevin Benderman. In total, forty US war resisters in Canada have applied for asylum.




Information on war resistance within the military can be found at Center on Conscience & War, The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline, and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters.



Now for the topic that everyone's talking about in the press, Cindy Sheehan has stepped away. (This is also the thing that is the biggest topic in e-mails from members. I am pressed for time but I will try to note all subjects Martha and Shirley told me were in the e-mails. Also note, some of this was covered yesterday.) In an article that's gotten more attention from the mainstream media than any she's written before, Sheehan observes that "when I started to hold the Democratic Party to the same standards that I held the Republican Party, support for my cause started to erode and the 'left' started labeling me with the same slurs that the right used. I guess no one paid attention to me when I said that the issue of peace and people dying for no reason is not a matter of 'right or left,' but 'right and wrong.' . . . The most devastating conclusion that I reached this morning, however, was that Casey did indeed die for nothing. His precious lifeblood drained out in a country far away from his family who loves him, killed by his own country which is beholden to and run by a war machine that even controls what we think. I have tired every since he died to make his sacrifice meaningful. Casey died for a country which cares more about who will be the next American Idol than how many people will be killed in the next few months while Democrats and Republicans play politics with human lives."


More about American Idol than about the dying? Couldn't be, right? Except of course Katrina vanden Heuvel -- who does not edit & publish Teen Beat nor TV Guide but who does edit & publish The Nation -- spent last week -- in her position as the woman who runs the largest circulated political weekly -- gushing over American Idol. If you check in at her blog Editor's Cut, you won't find it. Did Ruth get it wrong? Did Mike dream it up? No.


Apparently even the Peace Resister is capable of some shame or at least wanting to rewrite history. The post, which originally appeared at her Editors Cut no longer shows up. However, it ran May 24, 2007 -- the day, as Mike pointed out, when most of the left were up in arms over Congress caving on Iraq. On that day, the most important thing to Katrina vanden Heuvel, alleged editor and publisher of a political weekly, was to gush: "I have a not-so-secret addiction. American Idol. My colleagues know I've watched every week, all of 19, checking out all of the theme nights . .." Trina addressed how strange it was for the non-60s teen Katrina to cite Smokey Robinson (well, he was a womanizer) and ignore Diana Ross but we all know that, under vanden Heuvel, The Nation loves to ignore women. Regarding that embarassing post, Trina wrote: "Knock-knock, is there a grown up home? Judging by her post, no there's not. Just a little girl trying to look cool and failed because as the Washington Post noted yesterday, American Idol had six million less viewers than the year before. Woops! It's as though she bought a pair of blue jeans to fit in only to find out that she bought the wrong brand! Maybe next time she can just try acting her age."


While Laura Flanders used space and time that Thursday to urge people in the US to call their Reps and Senators and demand that they not cave, Katrina vanden Heuvel winded down her (now vanished but click here for Google) ode to American Idol with: "I'm pushing this, I know. But, hell, the Idol season is over -- so why not?" Why not? Why not? Because you're not a TV critic. Because you're not 15. Because you're a grown woman who supposedly edits and publishes a politically weekly. Because it is painful to watch you embarrass yourself. Because "Idol Chatter" is beneath the publisher of The Nation, whomever occupies that position. Because Matthew Rothschild, the editor of The Progressive, spent the same day writing about the cave, not some crappy TV reality show. And because -- though no one would know it to read most issues of The Nation -- and illegal war is dragging on.

Cindy Sheehan notes: "This is my resignation letter as the 'face' of the American anti-war movement." Sheehan notes the very real attacks on her and notes that has included some at Democratic Underground. Nikki Stone 1 (Democratic Underground) has written "I support Cindy Sheehan" and the bulk commenting on this thread are in strong agreement. Attacks came from all sorts of supposed friends (Skinner, lead administrator at DU, has a statement up). But let's get real about the attacks. "You have Cindy Sheehan running around, a symbol of the peace movement. A symbol of what? Who is she? Who nominated her to be the spokesperson? She did one brave thing. I'm all for what Cindy Sheehan did last August. But people say, 'She sacrificed so much.' She didn't sacrifice anything." That lovely statement was made (or snorted) by the pig Scott Ritter when speaking to Colorado Springs Indy (an alternative weekly) in 2006. From his stye, he snorted that and he snorted a lot more. For some reason, Ritter is built up as a hero by some 'left' types.


Apparently heroic is having the mainstream media report that you, over 40 years old, were twice arrested for trying to arrange meet ups with underage girls? That is the reality of the Scott Ritter (and when CNN offered him the opportunity to explain the first arrest, he refused to do so). Here's another reality of Scott Ritter: Katrina vanden Heuvel keeps publishing him. In the magazine and via Nation Books, she publishes Ritter who does not move books. Now you may, as some wrongly do, assume Ritter is a lefty. Until 2004, Ritter admits he voted Republican every time -- which he will no doubt return to doing in 2008 but how 'nice' of The Nation to give a twice busted Republican an outlet.

Now here's how polite society worked once upon a time, when someone was reported to have been twice busted for pedophilia, that was really it for them. They didn't get write ups, they didn't pen op-eds. They weren't invited on programs to chat. But for some reason, Pig Ritter is seen as a voice the 'left' needs to adopt. Scott Ritter was allowed to repeatedly attack Cindy Sheehan on his joint-tour in 2006 (The Sky is Falling Tour -- DVD set retails for $19.99 unless you're going for the NC-17 version) and everyone looked the other way and most of the press (big and small) just chuckled. That's why he felt brave enough to issue the nonsense in an interview proper (and one that didn't require him to be handcuffed -- how novel that must have been for him).

The peace movement needs to be inclusive, no question, but that doesn't translate as: "Because we have the Peace Mom, we need to have the Pedophile Man." That's not inclusion, that's stupidity on ever level (including legal liabilities should anything happen to an underage female). We washed our hands of him a long time ago in this community. He is "pig" when noted here for any reason. His name is being mentioned here (for the first time since he went public in attacking Sheehan) only because there are some who seem unable to believe it could be true. Well it is. And it's equally true that you need to ask your outlets why they have repeatedly featured a man who will not explain his criminal busts and allows to stand the mainstream media's reporting that they were for attempting to hook up with young (underage) girls online. It is amazing that the same independent media that wants to scream 'crackpot' and 'crazy' to make sure they are not associated with certain groups is perfectly happy to break bread with a pedophile. Repeatedly.

The Nation managed to cover Sheehan (in print) once -- a (bad) cover story including Cindy Sheehan in the summer of 2005 yet, somehow, The Progressive was able to feature Cindy Sheehan's writing this year (April 2007 issue). And while Katrina vanden Heuvel wants to jaw bone today about "imagining" possibilities -- quick, get thee to the new age retreat! -- it's Matthew Rothschild who yet again has to play grown up and note Sheehan's announcement: "We all owe Cindy Sheehan a huge debt of gratitude for all that she has contributed. I wish her happiness and comfort and relaxation and love and laughter in her days ahead. And I look forward to joining hands with her again somewhere down the road."

Today on Democracy Now!, Amy Goodman noted, "And we have Cindy Sheehan, in this Memorial Day letter, saying she's going home and that, well, she expected the attack from the Republicans. It was the Democrats that hurt her the most as she criticized them." Norman Solomon noted, "Well, she's undergone and shouldered, of course, a huge burden on so many levels of human existance". Solomon was on to discuss War Made Easy, not the book, the documentary which Sean Penn narrates and is available on DVD. Like the book (this isn't a PowerPoint presentation passing as a documentary -- this is an actual documentary) it is based upon, War Made Easy traces the ways war is sold, the way propaganda is used and the willingness of big media to 'enlist'.











iraq

joshua key

matthew rothschild

iraq veterans against the war

amy goodman

democracy now

norman solomon

the washington post

cindy sheehan

the new york times

ruths report

trinas kitchen

mikey likes it

katrina vanden heuvel

the world today just nuts
Posted by at

Friday, May 25, 2007

Law and Disorder: Mumia, Cuban Five

Michael Ratner gave the intro for the show. I'm not remembering that happening before but maybe I didn't pay attention before? He sketched out what the segments were going to cover and then it was time for the theme and usual introductions.

I want to note Dalia Hashad first off. She and Ratner were speaking at the beginning. He explained that she's now in DC (Amnesty International). They were discussing the Democrats selling out on the Constitution and habeas corpus and how the most Dems would offer was if Ratner could get support on the Armed Service Committee, they might vote for it. They goe the votes but the Dems at large didn't re was no support for it. Dems sold out. That could be a headline but what would be the point in running the same headline day after day?

June 26th day of action sponsored by Amnesty. This will be in DC but if you can't be there, it will kick off a week of action across the country.

Dalia said, "People don't have the sense in this country really where we're heading. What this means is that the administration is really trying to reign in the ability to pick up anybody off the street, detain them, never let them see a court, disappear forever from your family, your friends, I mean this particularly targets people who are non-citizens but they've really tried to extend this power to citizens, to all people -- they want the power to put everyone in jail without ever letting them have a day in court just based on the president's say so which is an extremely frightening thing." Then she and Michael began talking about Jose Padilla and everything that's been done to him, all the laws broken, remember, he is a citizen. He could be you, could be me, could be 'we.' (Dad's CDs were in the car and C.I. put on the Beatles. Hence "could be you, could be me, could be we." My nod to John Lennon. :D)

Now here's my gripe. This event/action needs to be promoted but go to Amnesty's homepage and you're instead taken to their report. It's an important report but I think you can do a link on the main page. If you're trying to get people aware of this week of action and it's next month (and May's almost over), you need to see that right away. You need to see it period. I've just surfed their website and can't find it. I called Ava and she said, "It's not up?" She looked herself and then told me to go to the ACLU where she could find information on it.

I'm posting it in full (thanks to Ava for finding something on it) including links:

Day of Action to Restore Law and Justice - June 26, 2007
This summer, the ACLU is calling on all its members and concerned citizens from across the country, to storm Washington, D.C. in a Day of Action, to tell Congress to restore habeas corpus and all our constitutional rights.
The Bush administration has trampled the Constitution and abandoned American values and the rule of law -- and so far Congress has failed to act. We're at a turning point, and Americans must take action to restore habeas, end government-sponsored torture, and uphold the fairness and freedom that define us.
On June 26, 2007 you can join thousands of activists for a rally, a public demonstration and an opportunity to meet face-to-face with lawmakers. With your help, we will send our message directly to Congress: We demand that they restore all the rights and freedoms lost over the last six years, particularly the due process rights stripped by the Military Commissions Act 2006.
In the words of ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero, "We have always been proud that America stands for the values of due process and fairness, but those values were severely damaged when President Bush signed the Military Commissions Act. Habeas must be restored and the ACLU will keep the pressure on Congress to remedy this injustice. Our nation's reputation and principles are on the line."
The ACLU is joining with Amnesty International, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, the National Religious Campaign Against Torture and other groups in this historic Day of Action. Please add your presence and your voice to the effort, and urge friends, family and colleagues to do the same.
Find out how to get involved at www.juneaction.org. See you in D.C. this summer!
JOIN US IN D.C. Sign up to be part of the event in D.C. >>
ADD YOUR VOICE Sign the petition to Restore Our Constitutional Rights >>
TELL FRIENDS Ask friends to join us on June 26th and sign the petition >>
LEARN MORE The Military Commissions Act and the Threat to Habeas Corpus >>

Okay, C.I. had included Dalia's comments about the war czar in the snapshot but that's lost (I'll explain in a bit) but she was talking about how the war czar told the Finanical Times, before he was war czar, that he didn't think the 'surge' was a good idea. And she and Michael talked about how empirial the title sounded and how clueless the administration was. Dalia then noted that it's now war "coordinator. Makes it sound like an after school job." :D

There were nonstop problems with the snapshot today. An early attempt wouldn't hit The Common Ills when it was e-mailed. Repeatedly e-mailed. C.I. finally, after multiple problems, began doing it on the laptop while I was driving C.I. to the airport. If any (or all) of the 20 plus early snapshots hit the site (today, tomorrow or Sunday), you'll see Dalia's quote. If not, C.I. will probably note it in the next snapshot (which may be Monday or may be Tuesday). C.I. was finishing the snapshot in the airport and it was way late and C.I. kept getting kicked out of Blogger/Blogspot (or the browser would shut down). So that's one of the things that didn't make it back into the snapshot.

The next segment of was a rally against the release of Terrorist Louis Posada who took part in the bombing of a plane in the 70s and snuck into this country and the government looked the other way until there was an outcry. Then he was arrested and he just got released by a judge (a really dumb judge). So Ramsey Clark was speaking about that and about accountablity and how we needed to be accountable as a people and we needed to demand that Posada is tried ("you can't give sancturary to mass murderers") and how we needed to be accountable and deal with the biggest problem in the US by impeaching the Bully Boy. This was a rally and Heidi Boghosian also spoke.

"The National Lawyers Guild wants to thank the A.N.S.W.E.R. coalition," she opened for bringing the Posada issue to the country's attention. If you've missed it at The Third Estate Sunday Review in various roundtables, there's a tendency of some people to slam A.N.S.W.E.R. and to try to draw a line between themselves and the org to prove how 'respectable' they are. So, even though I always liked Heidi before, I really admire her for opening with that. She's a real fighter and a real truth teller which I would have said before but I really want to stress now. Good for Heidi. She pointed out that "Bush shuts his eyes when it comes to US sponsored terrorism" and how Posada is being given a pass even under the US' own terrorism laws, even under our extradition treaties. By doing this "we are telling the Cubans that your lives have no value." She also spoke of the Cuban Five. They're being held in prison. They came to this country to spy and monitor terrorist activity, they turned over their information to the FBI, and then they ended up arrested. These people were not terrorists. But they're held in prison and lied about. "Mr. President, who is against terrorism and who is for it?"

Heidi then reported from outside the Philadelphia courtroom where Mumia's appeal was held. She interviewed Zachary Wolf (National Lawyers Guild) who I liked a lot better than the guest Amy Goodman had on about this. (Ego tripping. And Mumia can't really afford that in spokespersons who should be getting the word out.) Wolf agreed that the three judge panel seemed sympathetic to Mumia. Obviously, Mumia didn't receive a fair trial. I think he's innocent and you may disagree but I don't think anyone can argue that he got a fair trial. The judge in that trial was heard using the n-word and talking about frying him. Wolf talked about the efforts to exclude African-American jurors. She then interviewed Judith Ritter who was another attorney for Mumia. They talked about how they have to wait for a decision and it might be months or it might be sooner. "They were very, very well prepared and they knew the record very well," Ritter said of the three judge panel.

Clark Kissinger echoed the comments about the judge's preperation. And he said he felt "relatively hopeful" that Mumia would "win on this." Heidi asked him to explain the jury form issue. That's where the judge threw it out and gave another one that led jurors to believe that "to list a mitigating circumstance you had to be in universal agreement" when you didn't have to be. Heidi spoke to others including Lynne Stewart who wasn't identified but I recognized her voice. She said, "The most it would mean was it would be sent back for a new trial." Stewart cited a lot of legal principles and seemed really on the ball so she may end up being the one who's estimate turns out being right.

I really liked Heidi's speeches and her reporting. Dalia's done reporting before too and that was fun to hear as well.

Here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"

Friday, May 25, 2007. Chaos and violence continue, 63% of Americans favor withdrawal from Iraq in the latest poll (even if the New York Times buries that fact), in Shreveport a self-check out is arrested (the fourth for the year), the US military announces more deaths of US service members with May already being the second highest month for American troops deaths, and more.Yesterday, both houses of the US Congress demonstrated how quickly they can act . . . when anything stands in the way of their own vacation. Amy Goodman (Democracy Now!) notes today, "Congress has approved nearly $100 billion dollars in war spending through September without a timeline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq." Goodman notes the final House vote was 280 for and 142 against and the final Senate vote was 80 in favor and 14 against. In addition, Democracy Now! provided clips of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi -- who demonstrated that sneering at science and academics isn't solely a GOP thing as she used the ridiculously low figure of "over 100,000 Iraqis" dead when the study conducted by the British medical journal The Lancet placed the figure, last year, at over 655,000 -- and House Minority Leader John Boehner -- who demonstrated he could stay "on message" ("terrorists!") even while sobbing like a guest on the daytime TV circuit speaking of their 'personal' battle with an addiction -- Boehner apparently being addicted to illegal war, mass killing, and fantasy. Evelyn Pringle (CounterPunch) observes, "Congress has demonstrated its unconditional love for the Bush administration by handing the war profiteers another $100 billion worth of good reasons to keep the war in Iraq rolling along at full-throttle. [. . . ] And the statements in speeches made by members of Congress while debating the bills don't mean anything because 95% of Americans never hear those speeches. Honest politicians should be out screaming to any reporter who will listen to educate Americans about where the hundreds of billions of tax dollars have ended up. This war is 100 times worse than Viet Nam. At least with Viet Nam, the war profits were not being funneled over the backs of our dead soldiers in plain sight directly into the bank accounts of current and former members of the administrations in power at the time. Nor were they being funneled to the family bank accounts of the Presidents who were in office during the Viet Nam war." The BBC notes that, following the grandstanding of Congress and the Bully Boy, "Hours later, the US military reported the deaths of five soldiers in Iraq." Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid laughably announced of the bill that fully funds the illegal war and makes the Democrats equal partners in Bully Boy's illegal war, "The days of blank cheques and green lights for his failed policy are over." By which Reid appears to mean that the US Congress has instead handed Bully Boy a debit card and asked kindly that he please not visit the ATMs too often.The Democrats full bodied, naked embrace of the illegal war comes at a time when the American people turn ever more against the illegal war. The public began turning against the war in 2005 and, since then, the opinion has only hardened. A CBS poll this week found that 76% of Americans polled felt "the war is going badly" -- an increase of ten percent -- and 61% maintain that the US "should have stayed out" of Iraq. A CBS poll? Well the New York Times has finally agreed to allow their names back on the joint polling and somehow managed to avoid all the media critics who must have been sleeping while CBS issued one poll after another on Iraq the last few months while the paper of little record appeared to suddenly be poll shy. Though they weren't called out on that, they should have been. The poll is, indeed, a joint-poll by CBS and the New York Times -- as were the recent polls billed just as CBS polls because the paper really didn't want to cover the American public's ever growing opposition to the illegal war. But they've put their names back on the poll. And gladly run it . . . under the headline "Poll Shows View of Iraq War Is Most Negative Since Start" . . . on page A16 of today's paper. To no one's surprise at the paper, Janet Elder avoids it like a plague so it's left for Dalia Sussman to write it up. The paper hasn't been in the news business for over a century, it's in the management business and Sussman's happy to do her part. Which is how her ridiculous write up can avoid the issue of withdrawal which the poll found [PDF format warning for the link] 63% of Americans favor (32% wanted no timetable for withdrawal -- Bully Boy's approval rating was 30%). 63% of Americans favorite withdrawal from Iraq? Sounds like a front page headline. (Sussman doesn't even note it in her laughable write up until paragraph nine where it's noted for two sentences and then never built upon or mentioned again.)Not only isn't it a headline, the Times (again) buries the poll deep inside the paper. When they refused to run with the joint-polling over the previous months, questions should have been asked but possibly people don't actually read the Times anymore, they just visit links? Though this poll doesn't make the front page, another does, on immigration. (The Times is working overtime to sell the Congressional efforts to strip immigrants of their rights -- including immigrants that are American citizens because they were born in the United States.) 63% of Americans say a timetable needs to be set for Iraq withdrawal and the Times publishes that on the same day that the Congress votes to continue funding the illegal war and drops any mention of withdrawal. The poll's not news? 76% saying the illegal war is "going badly" and 61% say the US never should have invaded Iraq and Congress elects to do nothing but it's not news?Well why not? 3 American soldiers went missing two Saturdays ago -- in an attack that killed 4 others and 1 Iraqi translator, and the paper didn't front page that until seven days after it happened. One of the 3 has now been declared dead and the paper's not interested in front paging that either. (The search continues for the 2 still missing.) However, Michael Gordon's unsourced speculation that Moqtada al-Sadr was in Iran is front page news -- despite the fact that it has no named "American official" source to it, despite the fact that it doesn't include the news that al-Sadr spoke in Kufa today (calling for US troops to leave Iraq). Our Rona Barrett of the Grey Lady leaps to the front page with a story proclaiming al-Sadr has been in Iran despite the fact that, as the BBC noted today, "This was never confirmed."Exactly whom is Gordo working for because, for a reporter, he appears to miss a great deal? Last week, one of the world's oldest think tanks, Chatham House, issued another report. As expected, the same mainstream media that ignored the previous report (taking Tony Blair to task for getting in bed with the United States and becoming nothing but a lackey to the Bully Boy) foamed over the mouth on this one (including Gordo's own paper -- maybe he can't read?)
The PDF format report "Accepting Realities in Iraq" included a heading entitled "Muqtada al-Sadr cannot be ignored" -- a position Gordo appears to share. However, Chatham House argued that due to his base, popularity and influence, al-Sadr cannot be ignored and strong efforts should be made to bring him into the political process. (Yesterday's news that puppet of the occupation, Nouri al-Maliki was replacing the six ministers from al-Sadr's camp who had resigned would indicate that al-Maliki also hasn't read the report.) This at a time when Gareth Porter (IPS) reports that al-Sadr (a Shi'ite cleric) appears to have strong support from the Sunni resistance with the binding factor being their joint demand for US forces out of Iraq. Porter is offering an analysis and building on (and crediting) work done by Sudarsan Raghavan (Washington Post) at the start of this week. Also at the start of the week, Patrick Cockburn (Independent of London via CounterPunch) broke the news that in 2004, the US military attempted to assassinate al-Sadr in Najaf which, surprisingly?, never made it into the New York Times.But then, so much of the violence doesn't -- the real 'hidden violence' despite the Times' laughable claims last Saturday.Bombings?While the US military attempts to divide Baghdad by 'walls' (over the objections of the puppet of the occupation), some Iraqis attempt to divide the capital by bombing bridges. Laith Hammoudi (McClatchy Newspapers) notes the latest bombing -- "the bridge linking Al Adil and Al Khadraa neighborhoods in west Baghad" -- as well Baghdad mortar attacks that killed 4 people (15 wounded), and a Baghdad explosion that killed 1 person, a car bombing in Muqdadiyah that killed 4 police officers (6 civilians wounded).


Shootings?
Laith Hammoudi (McClatchy Newspapers) reports that three farmers were shot dead in "the orchards of Um Al Romman village". Reuters notes that a tribal sheik was shot dead in Falluja.



Corpses?


Laith Hammoudi (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 20 corpses discovered in Baghdad. Reuters notes two corpses were discovered in Latifiya.
Reuters also notes the following announced deaths of US service members in Iraq (all announced today): 2 US soldiers killed by a roadside bomb in Baghdad (Thursday), 1 US soldier killed in Nineveh Province by a roadside bomb (Thursday), 1 US soldier killed by a Baghdad roadside bomb (Tuesday), 1 US soldier killed by in Salahaddin Province by a roadside bomb (Thursday), and 1 US Soldier killed by gunfire (Thursday) in Diyala Province. The six deaths add to a mounting count for the month which ICCC calculates to currently be 93 for the month thus far. Only April has had more US military fatalities with 104 and, of course, May still has six days left in it. ICCC's count for the total number of US service members who have died in Iraq since the start of the illegal war stands at 3444.
Among the victims of violence are women though they remain the true hidden victims. Kasia Anderson (TruthDig) interviews Yanar Mohammed (Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq) and asks early on the obvious (though usually unasked) question, "How did the onset of the Iraq war change things for Iraqi women, specifically?" Mohammed replies, "Well, although people on this part of the world think that Iraqi women are liberated, actually, we have lost all of the achievements or all the status that we used to have. It is no longer safe to leave your house and get groceries. We're not speaking here about a young woman trying to reach the university, because that is beginning to get too difficult. We're not speaking here about women who are trying to go back and forth to work and even those of my friends who do that already because they have to--many of the police at work are being killed for sectarian reasons. So, you have to witness all sorts of atrocities just going back and forth to work, and if there is this new [policy] of Sunni and Shiite, checking all the IDs of people, you leave the house and you do not guarantee that you come back safe. [. . .] Well, the myth of democracy has killed already half a million Iraqis, and if it were giving us real democracy, where people are represented according to their political affiliations or their economic understanding or their social justice affiliations, that would have been understood. But the way Iraqis are represented is according to their religion and their ethnicities. It is as if the U.S. administration is trying to tell the whole world that Iraqis are not entitled to political understanding or political activity. The political formula that was forwarded to us is a total insult for a part of the world where the politics are very much thriving and all kinds of politics--with the dawn of the war, thousands of political parties have registered. And they all wanted to be competing, or let's say running into democracy, but who was empowered, who was supported? It's mostly the religious and mostly the ethnic groups, and the women's groups? The U.S. administration wasn't really interested to speak to, let's say, free women's groups. They preferred to bring decorative factors to the parliament, where they look like women, but they all voted for a constitution that is against women. And the constitution at this moment has imposed Shariah law upon us, when in the times before the war we had more of a secular constitution that respected women’s rights. So, it's one more thing lost for this war."
Yanar Mohammed mentioned university students. On Tuesday, the Ibn Al Haitham college faced a mortar attack in Baghdad that left at least 4 students dead and at least 25 wounded while, same day, an attack, in Baghdad, on a mini-bus claimed the lives of 9 students (including two female students). On Wednesday, Baghdad's National Theater was attacked with mortarts leaving at least one person wounded. The theater is where college students and recent college graduates have mounted a new play, The Intensive Care Unit, which castmember Rita Casber described to Ernesto Londono (Washington Post) as "Our play is a miniature of our reality. It conveys the reality the people in Iraq are subjected to." Londono noted that Casber is the sole woman in the cast and late to the cast -- she joined only after death threats (over the 'crime' of wearing a tank top on stage) forced the original actress to leave the production.On the subject of schools, Alive in Baghdad intervews students at the girls' school in Baghdad, Safina Middle School. The link is not currently working, we'll quote the students next week. Last month, Alive in Baghdad interviewed Hameeda al-Bassam who works a private library in Baghdad and spoke of the difficulties she encounters traveling, in her wheelchair, through checkpoints and scenes of violence to arrive at work. She spoke of inside the library as one of the few places where the chaos and violence has yet to emerge and noted, with regret, that due to the violence she has had to curtail her work week. Please note that the videos have audio and an English translation at the bottom which can serve as closed captioning.Also on the subject of women in Iraq, the AP reported yesterday that Clenard M. Simmons was given a 30 year sentence after pleading guilty (April 5th) "to four counts of abusive sexual contact and one count of aggravated sexual abuse for five attacks from February 2004 to May 2005" which took place at Fort Hood as well as while he was stationed in Iraq and the victims were five female US service members. The AP noted that "Simmons attacked the soldiers in their barracks, groping and threatening them."Though frequently ignored and swept under the rug, women serving in Iraq are under very real attack from those serving with them. For more on this, see Jane Hoppen's "Women in the Military: Who's Got Your Back?," Cheryl Lindsey Seelhoff's "The Rape of the 'Hadji Girl'," andAllison Tobey's "Serving in the Rape Zone" (Off Our Backs); Traci Hukill's "A Peculiar Version of Friendly Fire: Female Troops Face Double Danger" (The Progressive); and "Women and the military" (The Third Estate Sunday Review). And always look to what happened to Suzanne Swift. Swift went to Iraq wanting to serve her country (US) and quickly discovered that those above her expected her to serve them. Repeated attempts to stop the abuse and harassment resulted in no action (unless a course in how Swift could learn not to 'invite' harassment is considered 'action' -- anyone thinking it is should have their head examined). Swift self-checked out. As Sara Rich, Swift's mother, has noted, Swift wasn't against the illegal war. Swift wasn't saying, "I will not go back because I'm against the war." She checked out because when the military refuses to discipline their own, you have to take the situation into your own hands. To not do so would be 'inviting' harassment. There's not a (rational) woman alive who should be able to question Swift's decision to self-check out. She was abused, she was harassed, she was the victim of command rape, and the military did nothing. She went through channels and rather than disciplining the ones breaking the code of conduct (and exhibiting criminal behaviors) the military's 'answer' was to 'teach' Swift how not to 'invite' criminal acts upon her person. (Which is similar to the US military's refusal to punish those enlisted males who regularly attack women serving when the women go to take a shower. Instead of coming down hard and sending a strong message that the crime of rape is not tolerated in the US military, the military elects to caution women to 'buddy up' and never visit the latrines alone.) So Swift self-checked out, the smartest thing she could have done and no (rational) woman would say otherwise.Swift is now against the war and the treatment she experienced (laughably known as military 'justice') went a long way towards opening her eyes. In a climate that regularly rails against the military banning YouTube and blog postings, you might think the gag order imposed upon Swift would raise some righteous indignation but websites have largely been silent. Swift's mother, Sara Rich, is not gagged and Melissa Sanders (Socialst Alternative) interviews her -- Rich explains that her daughter's been extended in the military through January 2009 and, in response to a question about the "sexualized violence against female soldiers," rightly notes,"We're teaching guys about 18 to kill, and that killing's ok, before they are even allowed to legally drink. If you do that, I mean, who's going to tell them that raping isn't ok?"Along with Sanders' article, more information can be found at Suzanne Swift's website. (Which her mother runs and the military has no control over Sara Rich.)

Turning to the issue of war resisters, The Shreveport Times reports that Jackie Leroy Moore was arrested in Shreveport today for self-checking out and that he is the fourth self-check out to be arrested in Shreveport this year. Though the military continues to undercount the number of enlisted choosing to self-check out (undercounts for the press, they know the privately held number), this is part of the growing resistance within the military to the illegal war. "It now appears that if this war in Iraq is to end, it will be our soldiers who will have to bring it about," observes Albert Petraca (JuneauEmpire). "Nowadays, our soldiers also know this war is lost. Thankfully, soldiers have begun to take matters into their own hands. From U.S. Army 1st Lt. Ehren Watada's refusing deployment to Iraq, to the appeal for redress now circulating among active-duty personnel, to Iraq Veterans Against the War's recent decision to support resisters, we are seeing the initial stirrings of what will likely grow into a movement of soldiers in revolt. The Defense Department recently admitted that at least 3,196 troops deserted in 2006, with an 8 percent increase already in the first quarter of 2007. Plummeting enlistment standards are unlikely to fill this void. The life-altering decisions made by these brave men and women are, in many ways, even more difficult than those made by former resisters. Today's volunteer soldier, unlike Vietnam-era draftees, is too often callously scolded by the mostly comfortable for having freely signed a recruitment contract and, therefore, must suffer the consequences. This judgmental attitude reveals a profound disrespect for service men and women who answered their country's call based on a belief that their government spoke truthfully about weapons of mass destruction and Iraqi links to 9/11. We now know that the pretense used to play on their genuine feelings of duty was little more than a pack of lies."
Watada is part of growing movement of resistance within the US military that also includes Joshua Key, Terri Johnson, Camilo Mejia, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Augstin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder , Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman, Kevin Lee, Joshua Key, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing, Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Jeremy Hinzman, Stephen Funk, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell, Jimmy Massey, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake and Kevin Benderman. In total, forty US war resisters in Canada have applied for asylum.



Information on war resistance within the military can be found at Center on Conscience & War, The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline, and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters.


Heads up, the latest Bill Moyers Journal begins airing in some markets tonight (PBS -- each station can determine when they air an episode) and features Maxine Hong-Kingston. (Transcripts and video will go up at Bill Moyers Journal.)



Finally, independent journalist John Pilger is on a speaking tour with his new book Freedom Next Time and his documentary Breaking the Silence: Truth and Lies in the War on Terror (which looks at DC, Afghanistan and Iraq). June 7th, he will discuss his book with Amy Goodman at The New School, Tishman Auditorium, 66 West 12th Street, beginning at 7:00 pm (doors open at 6:15). Admission is $5 per person and students (with ID) can attend for free. Pilger will sign copies of his book afterwards and Amy Goodman will sign copies of her latest book (written with her brother David Goodman) Static. "For ticket information, contact (212) 229-5488 or boxoffice@newschool.edu. For media inquiries, contact (212) 209-5407 or ruth@nationbooks.org For more information, click here or e-mail pilgerny@gmail.com."
June 11th, Pilger will be in Los Angeles at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center (244 S. San Pedro St.) and will discuss his book and show his documentary beginning at 7:00 pm (doors open at 6:00 pm). The price of admission to the even is five dollars. "Directions, maps, and parking info at: http://www.jaccc.org/directions.htmPresented by The Center for Economic Research and Social Change, and The Nation Institute, with support from the Wallace Global Fund. For ticket information, call or visit the JACCC. Box office: 213-680-3700 (Box Office Hours: Monday - Saturday: Noon - 5 pm)For media inquiries, contact (212) 209-5407 or ruth@nationbooks.org For more information, email pilger.la@gmail.com."


June 13th finds him in San Francisco showing his film and discussing his book at Yerba Beuna Center for Arts (beginning at 7:00 pm, doors open at 6:00 pm) and the price of admission is $15 general and $5 for students. "Presented by The Center for Economic Research and Social Change, The Nation Institute, and KPFA, with support from the Wallace Global Fund. For ticket information, call 415-978-2787 or order online at http://www.ybca.org/. In person tickets at YBCA Box office located inside the Galleries and Forum Building, 701 Mission Street at Third. (Hours: Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat & Sun: noon - 5 pm; Thu: noon - 8 pm.) For media inquiries, contact (212) 209-5407 or ruth@nationbooks.org For more information, email pilgersf@gmail.com."


From San Francisco, he moves on to Chicago for the 2007 Socialism conference. At 11:30 am Saturday June 16th, he and Anthony Arnove will participate in a conversation, audience dialogue and book signing (Arnove is the author most recently of IRAQ: The Logic of Withdrawal) and that evening (still June 16th) at 7:30 Pilger will be at Chicago Crowne Plaza O'Hare (5440 North River Road, Rosemont, IL 60018) as part of a panel of international activists. To attend the conference, the fee is $85. For Saturday and Sunday only, the price is $70. To attend only one session, the cost is ten dollars. "Presented by The Center for Economic Research and Social Change, The Nation Institute, with support from the Wallace Global Fund. Co-sponsors: Obrera Socialista, Socialist Worker, International Socialist Review, and Haymarket Books. For ticket information, call 773-583-8665 or e-mail info@socialismconference.org For media inquiries, contact (212) 209-5407 or ruth@nationbooks.org. For more information, email info@socialismconference.org."


The Socialism 2007 conference will take place in Chicago from June 14-17. Along with Pilger and Arnove, others participating will include Dahr Jamail, Laura Flanders, Kelly Dougherty, Joshua Frank, Amy Goodman, Sharon Smith, Dave Zirin, Camilo Mejia, Jeremy Scahill, Jeffrey St. Clair and many others.




























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Thursday, May 24, 2007

The faux who are our foes

Thursday and what a day. For the record, WalkOn.org (formerly MoveOn.org) is as much responsible for this crap as are the Democrats. They refused to push for Barbara Lee's proposal. They rushed to support the weakest measure. And right now they're getting a lot of press as an "anti-war" group which they are not. They are a Democrat front group and in a matter of weeks they will be telling their 500 or so members, who sign up repeatedly with different e-mail accounts giving the impression that they have millions of members, how great Steny or some other sell out Dem is because they are a sell out organization.

That's why the 'press' like the laughable dirtbags at Politico (who apparently weren't liked before they split from the Washington Post) prop WalkOn up as an anti-war group. They hold no one accountable. They do nothing but candle light vigils where the war cannot be questioned. They are useless and having been stabbed in the back by Congress today, it's time for the peace movement to refuse to play the game and hail WalkOn as "anti-war."

They would not distribute Danny Schechter's WMD documentary. They were all for a weak ass movie on Iraq that really didn't do anything but blather, blather and make no strong points at all. But Danny Schechter directs a real documentary -- as opposed to a voting ad -- and they run from it. This was after the 2004 elections when WalkOn decided to walk on, if not run, from the illegal war. WalkOn exists to elect Democrats and to get America to walk on away from real issues. They are not a peace group.

They are a group of dumb asses and they have done enough damage to the peace movement.

This is from Norman Solomon's "Deadly Illusions, Rest in Peace:"

Unfortunately -- and unnecessarily -- for years now the Internet powerhouse MoveOn.org has often functioned as a virtual appendage of the national Democratic Party. That close relationship has largely squandered MoveOn's opportunities to help build strong deep independent activism for the long haul. And, on crucial issues of the Iraq war, MoveOn has failed to back the positions of such gutsy progressive visionaries as Reps. Barbara Lee, Lynn Woolsey and Maxine Waters.

Now you can read Solomon, you can read John Stauber, you can read Joshua Frank or John Walsh or whomever you want or all (I recommend read all) but the reality is that WalkOn has failed intentionally because they are not against the war and it's past time that peace activists stop propping that weak ass group up. I listened to a radio program this week for the first time (most readers know the one I mean, and no C.I. will not be highlighting that guest) because I was interested in what some of the guests had to say. Camilo? Great speaking. There was another guest who did a good job. Jeff Paterson, I think. But the jerk? He even disagreed with the host who had called out WalkOn. The jerk started offering all these lame excuses about how they were 'strategic' and 'pragmatic' and the reality is that they are bullshit. And if you want to make excuses for WalkOn all these years later than you are bullshit too.

If you want to end the illegal war, stop supporting the front groups for a party that refuses to find a spine. They are prolonging the illegal war and when you take part in the myth that they are an "anti-war" group, you prolong the illegal war as well.

Wise up, as Aimee Mann sings.

And while we're at it, let's quit supporting the Peace Resister as well. On the day of the vote in the House, the dumb ass, peace resisting Katrina vanden Heuvel chooses to write about . . . American Idol. She confesses that she's an addict to reality shows. (Yes, C.I. told us that awhile back in a blind item.) Not being a whore to reality shows, I've never watched what Ava and C.I. have dubbed the high school talent show. But I do know that most who do watch that crap (there was an article on it the other day -- in the Arts section!) consider this to be the worst season of the show ever. So Katrina vanden Heuvel's not even smart enough to write about fluff that is hot. She's just a dumb ass, peace resisting, war prolonging idiot who has destroyed The Nation. On the day that the House goes on record as ignoring the will of the people, vanden Heuvel, writing for a political magazine, as its editor and its publisher, thinks the thing to write about is American Idol. It's called "distraction." And that's all she's offered while helming The Nation. She comes off like a dumb, little girl who lacked a brain to make it so she decided to sleep with her professors to get through college and once that was taken care of used her family money to buy herself a job as a 'journalist' so she could run really bad centrist writing by her friends and destroy the country's oldest political journal of the left. She is a huge embarrassment.

The illegal war has gone on long enough and it is past time that we stop shoring up the useless who will not do anything to end the illegal war. It is past time that those more comfortable hob-knobing with the Council of Foreign Relations were told "ENOUGH!" and we stopped treating them as if they were independent voices or, in some instances, even capable of deep thoughts. Maybe their spouses forgot to program them? Who knows but they're unable to think on their own and the result is crap like The Nation which, while an illegal war wages for over four years now, thinks the thing to do, as a political left magazine, is run pieces by Katrina's friends at the centrist Council for Foreign Relations on a variety of other subjects. Look there's Cuba! Look there's food! Look there's Hurrican Katrina (for the 4th time)! Look there's education! Look there's book! Look it's the Mommy Manifesto (which my mother gave the best slap down to). It's always something but even when the topic is serious, the writing isn't possibly because little girls who have to buy their way in or put out with their professors to get a grade aren't capable of thinking too deeply?

I know C.I. personally likes Katrina but if you missed Elaine's "Katrina vanden Heuvel stabs her mag in the back" -- go read it. I think the entire community has had enough with a little girl who wanted to buy her way onto the playing field but never wanted to work hard so she surrounds herself with men (who can't write but can repeat just what she wants to hear) who will echo her shallow thoughts. It's one reason why that dopey cruise (elitist and ridiculous at a time of war) couldn't get most of the name columnists to agree to sign up.

Beau sent me her dopey piece on American Idol and he wondered, "Is she trying to poach on Ava and C.I.'s territory?" If so, bring it on, lazy minded. She lacks the critical and analytical abilities of either Ava or C.I. as well as their humor. (And Elaine was just pointing out last night that C.I. scored in the top 10 percent -- I don't remember how high up in the 10 -- on analytical for whatever test you have to take to get into grad school. So bring it on, dumb ass Katrina, bring it on.) She's a pedestrian writer. I don't claim to be brilliant. But even I can do a better job than Katrina vanden Heuvel -- mainly because I'm not trying to pretend to be something I'm not.

When I read Beau's e-mail, I called Elaine and said I was going to rip into vanden Heuvel and she told me C.I. wouldn't be mad. I hope that's true. I know C.I.'s never been mad at me before even when we've disagreed. But this is what I think of the useless Katrina vanden Heuvel who spent how many years as the country was falling apart writing that dumb ass Friday column "Sweet Victory" with her Alexander Cockburn-hating assistant? That must have been real cute, the way they'd bond over his little jokes about Cockburn who actually does have a following and is an actual journalist.

I've had it with her and my favorite moment of Law and Disorder, a show I always enjoy, remains when Stanley Abramwotiz called out the "vanden Heuvel" crowd. Go Stanley! I'll write about Law and Disorder tomorrow but tonight I just wanted to get all of this off my chest and say, "We are prolonging the war when we act like enemies are friends." The Peace Resister is our enemy. She is in charge of a magazine that will not print one article on war resisters (Ehren Watada was a sidebar to the article that called him a coward). A magazine that ignored Abeer until Alexander Cockburn got the 14-year-old's name into the magazine.

I'm sick of it, I'm sick of its refusal to stand up for what's right, to call out the illegal war, to cover the illegal war. I'm sick of it and all the others who make a point to allow the war to drag on by their apathy and silence. I'm sick of those who drop Iraq for months at a time and then when polling shows how big of an issue it is, rush in to tell us what we need to do or to tell us how students are apathetic or whatever other crap they want to shove off on us.

Here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"

Thursday, May 24, 2007. Chaos and violence continue, the 3 US soldiers missing for nearly 2 weeks drops down to 2 missing, the US military announces the deaths of more service members, the military attempts to punish soldiers who speak out, and the craven and cowardly Democrats get another round of headlines.


One day shy of two weeks since 3 US soldiers went missing in Iraq, Garrett Therolf and Louis Sahagun (Los Angeles Times) report that the U.S. military confirmed the corpse discovered in the Euphrates yesterday was one of the 3 missing soliders, Joseph J. Anzack Jr. Jeremiah Marquez (AP) notes that Byron Fouty and Alex Jimenez remain missing and, "According to a U.S. military official, a second body was found in the area near where Anzack's body was discovered. The official, who requested anonymity because the information has not yet been released, said there was no indication yet whether the body was another of the missing soldiers." Therolf and Sahagun reported "that there were two other bodies in the river, also clad in U.S. military uniforms" according to an unnamed Iraqi officer.

Fall out continues for the Democratic leadership in the US Congress' decision to cave and give Bully Boy everything he asked for in the war supplemental. Laura Flanders (Common Dreams) tells of spending time yesterday with the mother whose son is in the National Guard and told her, "I was counting on the Democrats to stop this war". [Reminder, RadioNation with Laura Flanders moves to a Sunday broadcast this Sunday, 1:00 pm EST.] Corporate Crime Reporter (CounterPunch) announces, "Behold the spineless Democratic Party. On Iraq, no deadlines. On trade, no enforceable worker protections. In the face of withering pressure from the oil industry, the Democrats in the House, led by Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Michigan), have reportedly castrated their own legislation." BuzzFlash editorializes, "Since the 2006 elections, the Dem honchos have been speaking loudly and carrying a little stick. They claim that they don't have the votes to override a veto. But they do have the votes to keep passing a bill that Bush will veto, effectively bringing the war in Iraq to a close because funding will run out. They can end the war in Iraq, but are scared of being labeled with 'losing the war.' And this is a scarlet letter that they fear cannot be worn in a superpower nation that sees itself as the entitled righteous victor in any war that it starts, no matter how faulty the premise or counterproductive to our real national security that war may be. So the death continues, of young men and women -- many who are patroitic enough to believe that the lies told to them by the Bush Administration are true." United for Peace & Justice notes that "instead of standing up for what's right, the Democratic leadership has caved in to Bush. They are giving him a check for $100 billion to continue and futher EXPAND the war. That surge they all claimed they don't like? The money for it is in this bill." John Nichols (via Common Dreams) argues that "the willingness of Pelosi and Reid to advance a measure that does not include a withdrawal timeline allows Bush to conduct the war as he chooses for much if not all of the remainder of his presidency. This failure to abide by the will of the people who elected Democrats to end the war will haunt Pelosi, Reid and their party -- not to mention the United States and the battered shell that is Iraq." Recalling the Democratic leadership remarks leading up to Bully Boy's veto, Robert Parry (Consortium News) reminds, "The Democrats didn't help themselves when they started their 'negotiations' with the White House by announcing that they would eventually give Bush a bill that was acceptable to him. That's a bit like going into a car dealership, declaring that you intend to pay the full sticker price and then trying to bargain. Knowing that the Democrats planned to fold . . . Bush could confidently veto the first war spending bill". Matthew Rothschild (The Progressive) addresses the nonsense noting, "There is not even a timetable for withdrawal, just 18 benchmarks that the President himself can waive. What an abdication! What a capitulation! Even as U.S. soldiers are increasingly bogged down in Baghdad, even as the death tool of our troops zoomed past the 3,400 mark, the Democratic compromisers in Congress could not find enough spinal fluid to stand tall against Bush and the inevitable you-don't-support-the-troops ads that they fear so much." Dave Lindorff (CounterPunch) declares, "The Iraq War is now fully a Democratic War. The hand-off is complete, just as the handoff of the Democratic Vietnam War was handed off to Richard Nixon and the Republicans in 1968. . . . Voters remember: It's not what candidates say; it's what they actually do, or don't do." Jeff Cohen (Common Dreams) observed, "The shared pretense of the White House and Democratic leaders is that funding the Iraq occupation is somehow a program on behalf of the troops. Like a subsidy for family farmers. . . . As Military Families Speak Out says: 'Funding the war is not supporting our troops. The way to support our troops is to bring them home now and take care of them when they get here'."

US House Rep and 2008 presidential contender Dennis Kucinich explained to Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez (Democracy Now!) this morning, "We shouldn't be offering any legislation at all. We should just simply tell the president we're not going to fund the war. And this idea about funding the war to 'help the troops' is absurd. Want to help the troops? Bring them home." US House Rep Lynn Woolsey states, "The American public voted Democrats into power for one simple reason -- the trusted us to act boldly to hold this President accountable and to bring our troops home. So far we are failing the very trust that they have placed in us. But more importantly, every day that we allow this occupation to continue we are failing our brave young men and women who are serving honorably and professionally in Iraq. And we are failing their families here at home, who, while struggling to keep their lives and families together, are forced to worry whether their loved ones will come home alive, and if so in what condition." Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) make it clear, "There are only a couple [of] ways Congress can end this bloody, unwinnable occupation in Iraq. These do NOT include the approach of the Democratic leaders. That's been a failure -- as they now stand ready to give Bush $95 billion more war funding through an Iraq Supplemental bill that no longer has any timelines for troop withdrawal."

The deadlines and 'benchmarks' were never enforceable. They were never binding. The Bully Boy could waive them, he could reclassify ever US service member in Iraq "military police" and thereby keep them in Iraq without missing the 'deadlines' of the Pelosi-Reid measure that was sent up to the White House and vetoed. If you think real hard, you'll remember a Party Hack that told Dems in Congress (in the House) opposed to the weak Pelosi-Reid measure that they had to "accept the congressional world as it is right now".
But those trying to call reality out on the nonsense bill were told (a) they were wrong and (b) the Dems would stick by this measure no matter what (one Party Hack swore the answer to a veto lay in the "conference report" that "we" would take care of). A few did call the nonsense out, Laura Flanders, Howard Zinn, Black Agenda Report, Alexander Cockburn, Matthew Rothschild, Robert Knight (of Flashpoints Radio -- and include Dennis Bernstein, host of the same show, as well) . . . But it's a really small list. The rest either went along with the lie, stuck their head in the sand or, in the case of The Nation, attempted to write an editorial -- a p.o.v. piece -- from various perspectives to avoid calling the nonsense out.

But everyone was supposed to hold their tongues because this was the best, this was the only way that everyone could be on board and something could be done, hold your nose and accept it. Too many did. And now too many learn that when you act like a cheerleader instead of demanding real action, the Democratic compromise (and it's always a Democratic compromise) will be even weaker. Instead of cooing, "You can do it, Democrats, you can do it," the people would have been better served rejecting the weak measures. That might have forced the Dems to do more with their first proposal and, when it was compromise time, we might have seen them put forward the bill they went with last time. The Democrats will always compromise -- partly because they like to see themselves as "adults" (or, in the age of Oprah, "healers") and partly because they still can't quite believe that triangulation isn't a winning strategy.

Bill Van Auken (WSWS) reports, "Behind the media reports of a showdown between Democrats and Republicans over the Iraq war, what in reality appears to be emerging in Washington is a bipartisan consensus on a strategy that would continue the US occupation of the oil-rich country for many years to come." But not everyone's displeased. AP reports Bully Boy's practically panting over the gift the Democrats have handed him, saying that it "reflects a consensus" -- to which the reporters should have shot back, "Spell it."

Norman Solomon (CounterPunch) notes that there is a very long struggle ahead to end the illegal war and cautions: "When considering what to demand now, it's helpful to put the current moment in historical perspective. The same basic arguments for keeping U.S. forces in Iraq have long been presented by reigning politicians and key media outlets as self-evident wisdom. A cover story in Time magazine laid down the prevailing line: 'Foreing policy luminaries from both parties say a precipitous U.S. withdrawal would cripple American credibility, doom reform in the Arab world and turn Iraq into a playground for terrorists and the armies of neighboring states like Iran and Syria.' That was in April -- 2004."

Speaking with Kris Welch on KPFA's Living Room today, Medea Benjamin (CODEPINK) stated, "We haven't bought the Democrats line from day one that they were trying to stop the war and we've been trying to hold them accountable" and reminded of US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, "The first policy that she put out on the first 100 hours didn't even include the word 'Iraq' in it." (Also appearing to discuss Congress' capitulation on Iraq were Tina Richards and David Swanson.)


War resisters continue trying to end the illegal war. On Monday, Carol Brouillet interviewed Camilo Mejia for Questioning War-Organizing Resistance on WeThePeopleRadioNetwork.com. They addressed his newly published book, Road from Ar Ramaid: The Private Rebellion of Staff Sergeant Mejia (The New Press), the abuse he saw in Iraq and his own court-martial. Camilo Mejia: "The judge basically agreed with the prosection that it is not there job to second guess the commander in chief. And they did not want to hear about the war crimes or the violations of Geneva on the ground in Iraq. So they basically brought down the entire case to the question of whether I got back on the plane or not but they didn't look at the reasoning behind it. They did not examine the claims of war crimes or anything. And this is something that's happening more and more, Carol. Like for instance in the case of Lt. Watada that's precisely what happened. You know the prosecution wanted to prosecute Lt. Watada for saying that he did not want to participate in an illegal war but they did not want to put the war on trial so that's why they declared a mistrail because they could not go to court and look at all these issues without looking at the legality of the war. They could not examine his statements without actually verifying the veracity or without somehow one way or another putting the war on trial."

Ehren Watada was the first officer to publicly refuse to deploy to the Iraq war. An attempted court-martial in February ended -- over defense objection -- in a mistrial. Last Friday, the defense learned that an appeals court, Army Court of Appeals, granted a stay.

Watada and Mejia are part of growing movement of resistance within the US military that also includes Joshua Key, Terri Johnson, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Augstin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder , Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman, Kevin Lee, Joshua Key, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing, Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Jeremy Hinzman, Stephen Funk, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell, Jimmy Massey, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake and Kevin Benderman. In total, forty US war resisters in Canada have applied for asylum.

Information on war resistance within the military can be found at Center on Conscience & War, The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline, and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters. And of course, there's
Iraq Veterans Against the War.

Yesterday, we noted the case of Adam Kokesh who was honorably discharged in 2006 but whose actions to end the illegal war now has the military threatening him with a change in discharge status. (More information can be found at kokesh.blogspot.com.) Iraq Veterans Against the War's Kelly Dougherty has a letter posted at Veterans for Peace:

I am writing to let you know about an urgent issue that is affecting several of our IVAW members. Adam Kokesh and Liam Madden are both very active members and former Marines. Because of their outspoken opposition to the war, the Marine Corps is threatening to revoke their honorable discharges and change them to other than honorable. We cannot allow this suppression of free speech to occur! Adam and Liam need our help to pay for legal defense and travel to their hearings. Adam just found out his hearing is in Kansas City on June 4th, less than two weeks away! Attached below is a letter from Adam, describing his situation and asking for your help. Besides financial contributions, we also need people who are in the Kansas City area to gather support for Adam before his June 4th hearing. Please contact me at Kelly@ivaw.org if you are in the area and would like to find out how you can help. I will keep you updated on both Adam and Liam's cases as they unfold.
Thank you so much for your time and support, it really means everything to our veterans who dare to speak the truth.
In Peace,
Kelly Dougherty
Former Sergeant Army National Guard
Executive Director
Iraq Veterans Against the War


The US Congress wasn't the only political body in the news today. BBC reports that puppet of the occupation Nouri al-Maliki has announced six new nominations for "cabinet ministers to replace supporters of the radical Shia cleric, Moqtada al-Sadr, who resigned last month." Those paying attention this time last year may remember that al-Malilki missed the Constitutionally mandated deadline to put together a cabinet -- which should have kicked the puppt out of 'leadership' right then. Whether his latest six will be approved or not will be determined in a parliamentary vote Sunday. Meanwhile, the violence continued.

Bombings?

Jenan Hussein (McClatchy Newspapers) reports a Baghdad mortar attack killed 1 person and left three more wounded, 6 Iraqis were wounded by an IED while driving in their car in Ad Dawr, while a bombing in Al-Sharkhat killed a "man and woman" and left an additional woman wounded. AFP reports a bombing at a Falluja funeral that killed at least 25: "Fallujah residents told AFP by telephone that the bomb there targeted mourners paying their respects to Ali Ahmed Zuwail, the nephew of tribal leader Abdel Razeq al-Issawi, who was shot dead on Wednesday." Garrett Theolf (Los Angeles Times) spells the nephew's name Alawi Ahmed Zuwaid and notes he was shot "in front of his house" and was "suspected of cooperating with American forces in reconstruction projects, family and friends said." Reuters reports the Falluja death toll climbed to 27 and that there are at least 30 wounded, a Baghdad car bombing killed 1 Iraqi solilder and left two more njured, a Baghdad bomber ("wearing an explosive vest") killed himslef and one passenger on a mini-bus (5 wounded). a Baghdad bombing that killed 2 people and left 15 more wounded and a roadside bombing in Sulaiman Bek that claimed the lives of 6 police officers and wounded six more.

Shootings?

Reuters reports an attack on a mini-bus in Baghdad in which 11 passengers were shot dead and an attack in Khan Bani Saad where 6 people were shot dead. Jenan Hussein (McClatachy Newspapers) reports an attack in Kirkuk left 6 Iraqis shot dead, and, in Baghdad, one Iraqi civilian was shot dead by US forces and another was wounded.

Corpses?

Jenan Hussein (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 22 corpses discovered in Baghdad.
Reuters reports 3 corpses discovered in Baquba.

Today the US military announced: "Two Soldiers assigned to Multi National Force-West were killed May 23 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar Province." AFP's count for the total number of US service members killed in the illegal war is 3,436. ICCC's count is currently 3434.

Finally, independent journalist John Pilger is on a speaking tour with his new book Freedom Next Time and his documentary Breaking the Silence: Truth and Lies in the War on Terror (which looks at DC, Afghanistan and Iraq). June 7th, he will discuss his book with Amy Goodman at The New School, Tishman Auditorium, 66 West 12th Street, beginning at 7:00 pm (doors open at 6:15). Admission is $5 per person and students (with ID) can attend for free. Pilger will sign copies of his book afterwards and Amy Goodman will sign copies of her latest book (written with her brother David Goodman) Static. "For ticket information, contact (212) 229-5488 or boxoffice@newschool.edu. For media inquiries, contact (212) 209-5407 or ruth@nationbooks.org For more information, click here or e-mail pilgerny@gmail.com."

June 11th, Pilger will be in Los Angeles at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center (244 S. San Pedro St.) and will discuss his book and show his documentary beginning at 7:00 pm (doors open at 6:00 pm). The price of admission to the even is five dollars. "Directions, maps, and parking info at: http://www.jaccc.org/directions.htmPresented by The Center for Economic Research and Social Change, and The Nation Institute, with support from the Wallace Global Fund. For ticket information, call or visit the JACCC. Box office: 213-680-3700 (Box Office Hours: Monday - Saturday: Noon - 5 pm)For media inquiries, contact (212) 209-5407 or ruth@nationbooks.org For more information, email pilger.la@gmail.com."

June 13th finds him in San Francisco showing his film and discussing his book at Yerba Beuna Center for Arts (beginning at 7:00 pm, doors open at 6:00 pm) and the price of admission is $15 general and $5 for students. "Presented by The Center for Economic Research and Social Change, The Nation Institute, and KPFA, with support from the Wallace Global Fund. For ticket information, call 415-978-2787 or order online at http://www.ybca.org/. In person tickets at YBCA Box office located inside the Galleries and Forum Building, 701 Mission Street at Third. (Hours: Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat & Sun: noon - 5 pm; Thu: noon - 8 pm.) For media inquiries, contact (212) 209-5407 or ruth@nationbooks.org For more information, email pilgersf@gmail.com."

From San Francisco, he moves on to Chicago for the 2007 Socialism conference. At 11:30 am Saturday June 16th, he and Anthony Arnove will participate in a conversation, audience dialogue and book signing (Arnove is the author most recently of IRAQ: The Logic of Withdrawal) and that evening (still June 16th) at 7:30 Pilger will be at Chicago Crowne Plaza O'Hare (5440 North River Road, Rosemont, IL 60018) as part of a panel of international activists. To attend the conference, the fee is $85. For Saturday and Sunday only, the price is $70. To attend only one session, the cost is ten dollars. "Presented by The Center for Economic Research and Social Change, The Nation Institute, with support from the Wallace Global Fund. Co-sponsors: Obrera Socialista, Socialist Worker, International Socialist Review, and Haymarket Books. For ticket information, call 773-583-8665 or e-mail info@socialismconference.org For media inquiries, contact (212) 209-5407 or ruth@nationbooks.org. For more information, email info@socialismconference.org."

The Socialism 2007 conference will take place in Chicago from June 14-17. Along with Pilger and Arnove, others participating will include Dahr Jamail, Laura Flanders, Kelly Dougherty, Joshua Frank, Amy Goodman, Sharon Smith, Dave Zirin, Camilo Mejia, Jeremy Scahill, Jeffrey St. Clair and many others.























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