As reported on Democracy Now! this morning, Big Dick has dicktated conservative think tanks to begin greasing our lust for more blood.
Suddenly no longer sated by their gluttonous rush from all the candy they've mucked down in the madness and mayhem of their 7-11 takeover, and fearless in front of store surveillance cameras, the thirst welling up from all the chips, peanuts and pork rinds consumed by Big Dick and his Little Bush (in Iraq), they now turn our attention to the beer cooler (Iran).
And so, it's back to the same old games of politics and jockeying for public favor between the two branches of the same party while the war goes on and thousands of Iraqis and Americans die, as enthusiasm wanes for Iraq, lust grows for the next distraction--Iranians!
And as we learn from the Little Bush's newly released biography, Dead Certain, Bush reveals, "I do tears."
But take comfort, because as Little Bush also relates, "I've got God's shoulder to cry on. And I cry a lot. I do a lot of crying in this job. I'll bet I've shed more tears than you can count, as president. I'll shed more tomorrow." (Note to GI's in Iraq: Make you feel better? ~gag)
Meanwhile, at Big Dick's direction, Newt Gringrich goes forth, greasing us with speeches on why we need to attack Iran next as the Pentagon's plan to bomb the shit out of Iran is revealed. It's just a hint of the multi-fronted assault priming our lust for more bloodletting.
*****************
Yesterday, as I was watching Democracy Now, I was drawn into Amy Goodman's interview with Curtis Muhammad, a New Orleans resident and long time activist speaking about Katrina and its aftermath. Muhammad was an organizer with SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committe) in the 60's and is cofounder of Community Labor United. A few of things he said hit the nail on the head for me. Here then, are a couple of them:
"I think we've got to discover how they control us, how they keep us acting like reformists and liberals, how they keep us from taking risks. I mean, it's amazing, with all this devastation and the thousands of people they killed intentionally -- and we knew they did it -- ain't nobody really mad, ain't nobody went crazy and blew up something, set something on fire. I’m not advocating it, but it's just ironic that it ain't happened. How is this possible? How is it possible that people who lead radical organizations, their greatest solution is how to lobby the state or the Congress or the senator or the…?
"You know, I hate to say this, but I really think...the greatest periods of history in America -- is when everybody was in trouble.."
(Muhammad then went on to mention periods in American history like the post Civil War era of reconstruction and the Great Depression of the '30's.)
"Something has to happen to remind human beings that we can all suffer, every last one of us -- ...because those have been the periods when we most did the best as human beings in this country. So something catastrophic has to happen inside of America that affects the entire mass to wake up our humanity, to pay attention to those who are the most oppressed."
(Because at any moment the most oppressed can be any of us, Dada adds.)
"I think we've got to discover how they control us, how they keep us acting like reformists and liberals, how they keep us from taking risks. I mean, it's amazing, with all this devastation and the thousands of people they killed intentionally -- and we knew they did it -- ain't nobody really mad, ain't nobody went crazy and blew up something, set something on fire. I’m not advocating it, but it's just ironic that it ain't happened. How is this possible? How is it possible that people who lead radical organizations, their greatest solution is how to lobby the state or the Congress or the senator or the…?
"You know, I hate to say this, but I really think...the greatest periods of history in America -- is when everybody was in trouble.."
(Muhammad then went on to mention periods in American history like the post Civil War era of reconstruction and the Great Depression of the '30's.)
"Something has to happen to remind human beings that we can all suffer, every last one of us -- ...because those have been the periods when we most did the best as human beings in this country. So something catastrophic has to happen inside of America that affects the entire mass to wake up our humanity, to pay attention to those who are the most oppressed."
(Because at any moment the most oppressed can be any of us, Dada adds.)
*****************
And here's where one of my increasingly endangered comments comes in:
Today, I joined Mrs. Dada in downtown El Paso for yet another demonstration. Anticipating it would be just another of so many endless protests that ended up at the downtown plaza to hear a couple of speakers--this one about reopening an ASARCO copper refinery that closed in 1999 when copper prices fell, leaving west El Paso a super fund clean-up site from years of pouring lead and arsenic into our air and soil--I was stunned to learn I was marching with a group talking about the possibility of mass arrests. That's because they planned to access the offices of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and demand to be heard.
I was so impressed that a small group of people were so damned upset they were talking of going to jail over this issue of whether or not to let ASARCO reopen their pollution operation.
One of the things they wanted most from TCEQ was for the final hearing on this be actually held locally, here in El Paso, instead of Austin, where citizens who would ultimately breathe the shit ASARCO will once more spew if allowed to reopen could be heard. They managed to get their demand entered into the TECQ record.
On this evening's local news covering this story, I learned that TECQ--despite where the final hearing is heard--does not need allow public input. And, as we learned earlier this summer, all the petitions and e-mails against ASARCO's El Paso reopening will not influence the commision's decision on what the citizens want.
The fact that TECQ can state that publicly and the public can lay down, roll over and take that is just more indication of what Curtis Muhammad said. We really, really need something to happen to awaken all Americans of how blatant those who have control feel emboldened to be.
But Mrs. Dada and I didn't stick around with the demonstrators. We left before the police arrived. That's because I needed to get home. I had a 2:00 appointment to shoot billiards with my neighbor.
Today, I joined Mrs. Dada in downtown El Paso for yet another demonstration. Anticipating it would be just another of so many endless protests that ended up at the downtown plaza to hear a couple of speakers--this one about reopening an ASARCO copper refinery that closed in 1999 when copper prices fell, leaving west El Paso a super fund clean-up site from years of pouring lead and arsenic into our air and soil--I was stunned to learn I was marching with a group talking about the possibility of mass arrests. That's because they planned to access the offices of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and demand to be heard.
I was so impressed that a small group of people were so damned upset they were talking of going to jail over this issue of whether or not to let ASARCO reopen their pollution operation.
One of the things they wanted most from TCEQ was for the final hearing on this be actually held locally, here in El Paso, instead of Austin, where citizens who would ultimately breathe the shit ASARCO will once more spew if allowed to reopen could be heard. They managed to get their demand entered into the TECQ record.
On this evening's local news covering this story, I learned that TECQ--despite where the final hearing is heard--does not need allow public input. And, as we learned earlier this summer, all the petitions and e-mails against ASARCO's El Paso reopening will not influence the commision's decision on what the citizens want.
The fact that TECQ can state that publicly and the public can lay down, roll over and take that is just more indication of what Curtis Muhammad said. We really, really need something to happen to awaken all Americans of how blatant those who have control feel emboldened to be.
But Mrs. Dada and I didn't stick around with the demonstrators. We left before the police arrived. That's because I needed to get home. I had a 2:00 appointment to shoot billiards with my neighbor.
7 comments:
ADL launches Campaign to promote US war on Iran
One of the primary points of the recent Mearsheimer-Walt book "The Israel Lobby" [1] is that the lobby frequently pushes for policies and actions that not only are not in the best interests of the United States, but often not really in the long term interests of Israel either. As though on a mission to prove the point, the Anti-Defamation League – an integral component of the Mearsheimer/Walt defined Israel Lobby – has announced a public relations campaign to promote a U.S. attack on Iran.
Although the vast majority of Americans are opposed to a U.S. attack on Iran [2] – a fact that has been a problem for many leaders of the Israel Lobby [3] – roughly 71% of Israelis actively support the idea of the U.S. attacking Iran [4]. This fact, coupled with the fact that a "nuclear Iran" has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the ADL ostensible mission of fighting anti-Semitism in the United States, completely reaffirms the Mearsheimer/Walt contention that the ADL is part and parcel of the Israel lobby and all its proclamations should be viewed in that context.
Today's press release by the ADL says in part:
"Over the next few weeks and months, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) will roll out a public awareness and advocacy campaign aimed at focusing attention on the gathering threat of a nuclear-armed Iran to Israel, the Middle East and the world. With the slogan, 'No Nuclear Iran,' the campaign focuses on Iran's clear and present threat to Israel, America and the global community through high-profile eye-catching posters, advertisements in national and community newspapers, and other awareness initiatives using e-mail and the Internet to spread the word." [5]
Although the press release, and thus presumably the campaign itself, does not explicitly call for a U.S. attack on Iran, Abraham Foxman and the ADL are already on record calling for "a military response" to Iran's alleged nuclear weapons program. [6] Despite the fact that there remains absolutely no tangible evidence that Iran's nuclear program is military in nature [7], Israel simply won't accept the facts of the situation or the complete lack of evidence as a counter-point to its unfounded assumptions. [8] The entire case for an Iranian nuclear weapons program is based on the "common sense" argument; namely with Iran being almost completely surrounded by nuclear powers (U.S. in Iraq & Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Russia, and Israel) they would be foolish not to develop their own nuclear weapons program. That is the extent of the case.
Nevertheless, the ADL campaign: "has three key objectives:
> Moving the Iranian issue to the top of the agenda for the Jewish community as both a political and social justice issue of the utmost urgency;
> Making the broader public aware of what a nuclear-armed Iran will mean for all of us and why its drive toward a nuclear weapon capability must be stopped;
> Alerting and educating the U.S. and international communities to specific actions, including stronger sanctions, that may be taken to deter Iranian nuclear proliferation." [9]
Such a campaign cannot possibly have any other purpose than to mislead the American public into thinking that there is some purpose or justification for a U.S. attack on Iran. The Oxford Research Group, which correctly predicted the outcome of the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq, has issued a comprehensive briefing that concludes:
"An attack on Iranian nuclear infrastructure would signal the start of a protracted military confrontation that would probably grow to involve Iraq, Israel and Lebanon, as well as the USA and Iran. The report concludes that a military response to the current crisis in relations with Iran is a particularly dangerous option and should not be considered further. Alternative approaches must be sought, however difficult these may be." [10]
In fact, just as Mearsheimer and Walt suggest, an attack on Iran may very well not prove to be in Israel's best interest either, despite Israeli public opinion. Even discarding the supposed nuclear threat, Iran has other means of striking Israel:
"The Qatari newspaper Al Watan on Sunday quoted diplomatic sources in Damascus as saying that Iran has marked 600 targets in Israel for missile strikes in case it is attacked. The report said the targets are within reach of Iranian missiles and would be completely destroyed if Israel should attack Iran or participate in an American attack on the country. Iran's warning refers to talk in Israel and the United States of a possible military strike to prevent the Islamic republic from attaining nuclear capability." [11]
The new ADL campaign must be seen as a validation of the Mearsheimer/Walt contention that the Israel lobby is dominated by extreme right-wing ideologues that do not represent the best interests of Americans in general – obviously including the majority of Jewish-Americans – and probably doesn't represent Israel's best interest either.
Just say "No!" to a U.S. attack on Iran – and American groups like the ADL that are actively promoting one.
Admin of "Why Would the U.S. Attack Iran?"
http://www.whyattackiran.com/
Notes:
[1] John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt, "The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy," 2007, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, http://www.israellobbybook.com/
[2] For a collection of recent polls, see: PollingReport.Com http://www.pollingreport.com/iran.htm
[3] James D. Besser, "Jewish Leaders Caught In Iran Bind," The Jewish Week, 31 August 2007, http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/newscontent.php3?artid=14460
[4] Aluf Benn, "Poll: 71% of Israelis want the U.S. to strike Iran if talks fail," Ha'aretz, 18 May 2007, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/860903.html
[5] ADL Press Release, "ADL Campaign Says 'No' to Nuclear Iran," Anti-Defamation League Website, 5 September 2007, http://www.adl.org/PresRele/Mise_00/5124_00.htm
[6] "Declarations by the international community that Iran cannot be allowed to possess nuclear weapons must be made credible by action. Pressure must be brought to bear on Iran in every way possible in order to convince Tehran to give up on its nuclear program — and if all else fails, a military response must remain an option."
Abraham Foxman, "Take Tehran at Its Word," The Forward, 4 November 2005, reproduced online by the ADL at: http://www.adl.org/ADL_Opinions/Anti_Semitism_Arab/Forward_110405.htm
[7] Atul Aneja, "IAEA says no evidence of Iranian Nuclear Weapons plan," The Hindu, 2 March 2006, Reproduced online by Global Research at http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?c..viewArticle&code=ANE20060302&articleId=2055
[8] AFP/Reuters, "Israel 'not fooled' by Iranian nuclear assurances," ABC News, 27 August 2006, http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2006/08/27/1725073.htm
[9] ADL Press Release, "ADL Campaign Says 'No' to Nuclear Iran," Anti-Defamation League Website, 5 September 2007, http://www.adl.org/PresRele/Mise_00/5124_00.htm
[10] Paul Rogers, "Iran: Consequences of a War," February 2006, Oxford Research Group, http://www.oxfordresearchgroup.org.uk/publications/briefing_papers/iranconsequences.php
[11] Yoev Stern, Barak Ravid, and Yossi Melman, "Report: Iran has 600 targets for missile strike in Israel if attacked," Ha'aretz, 15 July 2007, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/881985.html
I was so impressed that a small group of people were so damned upset they were talking of going to jail over this issue of whether or not to let ASARCO reopen their pollution operation.
I hope the people of El Paso are successful at keeping ASARCO closed. My father taught at UTEP for 35 years. I was raised on the Westside. And I'm sure that ASARCO was a big contributor to my parents' rapidly declining health--probably my struggle with adult asthma, as well.
Hell- Why worry about Iran's Nukes? Apparently the US Air Force just accidentally few live nuke warheads from N. Dakota to Louisiana last week.
So you screw up and break a treaty here & there...
It's always something!
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/09/05/loose.nukes/index.html?iref=newssearch
anonymous: While probably not the best possible venue, thanks for sharing your doctoral thesis here on Dada's!
Frog: This whole ASARCO reopening review process stinks and has only fed my growing sarcasms. I hope I'm wrong, but I suspect the local citizens dedicating themselves to the fight against this are being railroaded into the past when once more they'll get to experience that nostalgic taste and sting of sulfur in their nostrils, mouths and lungs with the dawn of each new morning.
As I said jokingly to a demonstrator during Wed.'s march/protest, "Oh, you are "Something has to happen to remind human beings that we can all suffer, sooo moving soon!" She and her husband live up on Rim and have been spearheading the resistance. They have vowed to leave the city if ASARCO reopens.
Yes, I breathed that shit whilst scaling the hills of the UTEP campus between classes in the 70's, couldn't believe it, and, I'm sure, am unhealthier for it.
And Mrs. Dada wonders if your father was the kind soul who allowed her to proceed with her final many, many years ago after oversleeping and arriving very late to take it. (If so, she got the chance to thank him in recent times after re-encountering him after all these years.)
got democracy: While I know this doesn't apply to you (you have enough rage for 10 people, 50 or more!), you're rant against nukes over Nebraska is a microminder of Curtis Muhammad's theorem "Something has to happen to remind human beings that we can all suffer." QED Thanks
My apologies...I try to proofread my comments before posting them...but reading over this last one, there exists mistakes--my fault...careless proofreading which leaves people scratching their heads thinking, "What the hell is he talking about?" no doubt. ....And you would be right to think that....and for that I am sorry.
Proofread? I though Editor Sam was in charge of that! I'll take the "rage x 50" remark as a compliment. ; >
hmmm, I was thinking delayed (or perhaps anticipatory) "ASARCO" side effects? or ... oh, I know! your mind was still on your billiards game, so you were knocking around phrases, much like those little multi-colored balls that don't always fall into the proper pockets. Editor Sam must've taken an extra long labor day holiday, and when the boss is away ...
Post a Comment