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MY LAI VET SAYS: HERE IT COMES AGAIN IN IRAQ Tony Swindell recalls "Butcher's Brigade" in '69; says "gooks" have now become "ragheads", every adult male is an "insurgent" ... atrocities against Iraqi civilians are soon going to explode in America's face; US Government's courtroom jihads against terror stumble. Alexander Cockburn on Lodi case where Feds paid $250,000 to man who "saw" world's three top terrorists at mosque. As neocons and Israel lobby howl for US to bomb Teheran, an Iranian outlines simple path to peace. CounterPunch Online is read by millions of viewers each month! But remember, we are funded solely by the subscribers to the print edition of CounterPunch. Please support this website by buying a subscription to our newsletter, which contains fresh material you won't find anywhere else, or by making a donation for the online edition. Remember contributions are tax-deductible. Click here to make a donation. If you find our site useful please: Subscribe Now! |
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Today's Stories May Day, 2006 Alexander Cockburn Website of the
Day April 29 / 30, 2006 Peter Linebaugh Ralph Nader Robert Bryce Rev. William
Alberts Lee Sustar John Chuckman Eric Ruder Seth Sandronsky Ron Jacobs Ben Tripp Fred Gardner Don Monkerud Tommy Stevenson Lettrist International Contratiempo St. Clair, Vest
and D'Antoni Poets' Basement
April 28, 2006 James Ridgeway Ramzy Baroud Sarah Knopp William S. Lind Werther April 27, 2006 Winslow T. Wheeler Robert Fisk Juan Santos Robert Jensen Dave Lindorff Jose Pertierra
April 26,2006 Robin Philpot Sherry Wolf Pratyush Chandra Joshua Frank Gary
Leupp Bill
Quigley
April 25, 2006 Gary
Leupp Paul
Craig Roberts Linda
S. Heard Ralph
Nader Mike
Whitney Michael
Donnelly Sharon
Smith Website
of the Day
April 24, 2006 Tim
Wise John
Stanton Dave
Lindorff Steve
Shore Amadou
Deme Mickey
Z. Ralph Nader Alexander
Cockburn Website
of the Day
April 22/23, 2006 Jeffrey
St. Clair Jeff
Halper Jeff
Klein Thomas
P. Healy David
Underhill Lee
Sustar Deb
Reich John
Chuckman Fred
Gardner Julian
Edney Seth
Sandronsky Brynne
Keith-Jennings Dave
Lindorff Catherine
Ann Cullen and Harry Browne Bill
Pahnelas Jim
French Ron
Jacobs David
Krieger Jeffrey
St. Clair Poets'
Basement Website
of the Weekend
April 21, 2006 Jonathan
Cook Lawrence
R. Velvel Evelyn
Pringle Christopher
Brauchli Pratyush
Chandra Michael
George Smith Missy
Comley Beattie Sarah
Hines Website
of the Day
April 20, 2006 Chris
Kutalik Gary
Leupp Joshua
Frank Diane
Christian William
S. Lind Ramzy
Baroud Justin
E.H. Smith
April 19, 2006 P.
Sainath Norman
Solomon Anthony
Papa Mike
Ferner Stanley
Heller Rifundazione Christopher
Reed Alexander
Cockburn Website
of the Day April 18, 2006 Paul
Craig Roberts Eric
Wingerter Juan
Santos Greg
Weiher Sam
Bahour Behzad
Yaghmaian Website
of the Day
April 17, 2006 Kevin Zeese Uri Avnery Norman Solomon John Ross Laila al-Haddad Jeffrey Blankfort Website of the Day
April 15 / 16, 2006 Jeffrey
St. Clair Ralph
Nader Thaddeus
Hoffmeister Kevin
Prosen / Dave Zirin Thomas
P. Healy Kristoffer
Larsson Fred
Gardner Edwin
Krales Brian
Cloughley John
Holt Seth
Sandronsky Rafael
Renteria Michael
Ortiz Hill William
A. Cook Gideon
Levy Andrew
Wimmer Madis
Senner Michael
Kuehl Mark
Scaramella Nate
Mezmer Jesse
Walker Poets'
Basement Website
of the Weekend
April 14, 2006 Col.
Dan Smith Saul
Landau Stan
Cox Kevin
Zeese Brian
McKinlay Howard
Meyers Ishmael
Reed Website
of the Day
April 13, 2006 CounterPunch
News Service Norman
Solomon Stanley
Heller Jeff
Birkenstein Evelyn
J. Pringle Michael
Donnelly Kamran
Matin Website
of the Day
April 12, 2006 Vijay
Prashad Alan
Maass Dave
Lindorff Ron
Jacobs Ramzy
Baroud Randall
Dodd Missy
Comley Beattie P. Sainath Website
of the Day
April 11, 2006 Al
Krebs Lawrence
R. Velvel Sonia
Nettinin Willliam
S. Lind Robert
Ovetz Pratyush
Chandra Grant
F. Smith Laray
Polk Francis
Boyle José
Pertierra Website
of the Day
April 10, 2006 Ralph
Nader Heather
Gray Uri
Avnery Joshua
Frank Seth
Sandronsky Michael
Leonardi Evelyn
Pringle Tom
Kerr Lucinda
Marshall Website
of the Day April 7 -9, 2006 Alexander
Cockburn Jeffrey
St. Clair Patrick
Cockburn David
Vest Dave
Lindorff Gary
Leupp Elaine
Cassel Saul
Landau James
Ridgeway Ron
Jacobs John
Walsh Ramzy
Baroud Christopher
Brauchli Todd
Chretien Jonathan
Scott John
Bomar Michele
Brand Ronan
Sheehan Mickey
Z. Don
Monkerud Michael
Dickinson Website
of the Weekend
April 6, 2006 John
Ross Dave
Lindorff Don
Monkerud Robert
McDonald Boris
Kagarlitsky Remi
Kanazi Niranjan
Ramakrishnan Robert
Fisk
April 5, 2006 Dick
J. Reavis Mark
Brenner Brian
Cloughley Jozef
Hand-Boniakowski Matt
Vidal Juan
Santos Alan
Maass JoAnn
Wypijewski Website
of the Day
April 4, 2006 Jackson
Thoreau Gary
Corseri Dave
Lindorff Paul
Craig Roberts Norman
Solomon Michael
Carmichael Winslow
T. Wheeler Ingmar
Lee Michael
Neumann Website
of the Day
April 3, 2006 Saul
Landau Richard
Thieme Timothy
B. Tyson Omar
Barghouti Iwasaki
Atsuko Julian
Edney Roger
Morris
April 1 / 2, 2006 Alexander
Cockburn Ralph
Nader Dave
Zirin David
Underhill Earl
Ofari Hutchinson Dave
Lindorff P.
Sainath Fred
Gardner Clancy
Chassay Heather
Gray Greg
Moses John
Chuckman Ron
Jacobs Jeffrey
St. Clair Poets'
Basement Website
of the Weekend
Subscribe Online
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May
Day Edition The War's Liberal EnablersRummy's Not the Only One Who Should Go By MICHAEL DONNELLY Accountability is no longer creeping, but racing up on the Bush gang. No, not the shuffling of the decks chairs --- the "transfer" of Karl Rove; Scott McClellan's Snow job replacement; or even Scooter's spilling the beans on the deliberate misleading of the Plame Grand Jury. Nope. It's the big brass Rummyache that's got the roaches scurrying. If Rummy goes, who would make decisions for the Decider-in-chief? All this is quite entertaining and offers hope, but it also brings up: where's the equivalent to the Generals' accountability call on the other side? Who's holding the failed Peace Movement's feet to the fire? Where's the call for replacement of its inept, ossified misleadership? Can it actually be that the same folks who always claim that the military is "hide-bound and incapable of change" have less insight and less accountability? Yes. And Yes.
The ABB Delusion After producing an Open Letter to Sen. John Kerry prior to the 2004 election that laid out all the relevant issues, United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ - the paymaster cartel of Peace groups) quickly took his No for an answer and endorsed the disastrous ABB gambit. {Perhaps a factor was that over 100 of the groups under the UFPJ umbrella received money from the foundations controlled by Teresa Heinz (Kerry)? Money from Heinz and George Soros led to Global Exchange's role in starting both UFPJ and Code Pink.} Ignore for a moment that UFPJ has always been woeful at addressing the Elephant in the Living Room --- the Mother of All Issues; the Israeli occupation of Palestine (a condition of the funders?) and how that puts the larger movement on the sidelines before the game is ever begun. Just how could the ABB inanity ever see the light of day, given that, at the time, polls showed that over 52% of Americans already opposed the illegal war and occupation? And Kerry was one of its main supporters. By the time of the ABB capitulation, Kerry was already on record calling for "winning the war" and calling for "40,000 additional troops" to do the job. In one ludicrous endorsement, the Peace Movement went from a body that righteously turned out millions in the streets before the war - to a partisan non-entity. Given the chance to rise to the occasion and declare the illegal war just that and declare that any candidate who supported the war would not enjoy the political support of the Peace Movement; instead, the Peace Movement allowed the entire issue to disappear from the debate. Equally unconscionable was the movement's betrayal of Ralph Nader, the major anti-war candidate; even attacking him with lies about how his run would be "give us four more years of Bush." Yet, a Gallup/USA Today poll at the time showed that 52% of Nader's voters would vote for Bush if Nader was not on the ballot, 44% would vote for Kerry if Nader was not on the ballot. Early ABB advocate, The Nation magazine's Nation Institute opined in the face of such polls, "If Nader was not on the ballot in key battleground states, three times as many of his backers in battleground states would vote for Kerry as for Bush." The Nation was equally devious when it wrote its Open Letter to Ralph Nader - a transparent pro-ABB swipe, "The odds of this becoming a race between Bush and Bush Lite are almost nil." "Nil" in this case turned out to be a "sure thing." The war-mongering Night of the Generals Kerry coronation (Democratic Party Convention) was the "in-your-face" slam dunk response of the Movement's darllng. And, somehow, folks like Noam Chomsky, Troy Duster, Barbara Ehrenreich, Jim Hightower, David Corten, Michael Lerner, Manning Marable, Frances Fox Piven, Studs Terkel, Eddie Vedder, Cornel West, Howard Zinn, Medea Benjamin, Michael Moore, Phil Donohue, Tim Robbins, who should have known better, jumped on the ABB bandwagon, signing on to yet another Open Letter. This time it was to the public urging support for ABB, saying, "For people seeking progressive social change in the United States, removing George W. Bush from office should be the top priority in the 2004 presidential election. Progressive votes for John Kerry in swing states may prove decisive in attaining this vital goal."
That Was Then. Is It Any Better Now? OK. So the "progressive" celebrities were full of it. But, what about the paid professionals at the helms of all those UFPJ groups - neutered by pro-Democrat sentiments, funding imperatives, ties to Israel, wishful thinking or other illogical reasons? There appears to be no soul-searching and honorable resignations from this pack of over-the-hill self-promoters. So, where's the equivalent of the Rummy Generals? Who is stepping up to demand accountability? The Nation has been calling for Rumsfeld's head since at least its April 21, 2003 issue. Air America is abuzz with such calls and mockery for the "Heckuva job, Rummy" stance of the Decider. Yet, again, why no calls for fresh blood at the top of the Peace Movement? It's a very sad day when the Peace Movement leadership gets away unscathed with endorsing a war-monger; deceitfully attacking an anti-war candidate; eliminating the most important issue from an election year debate, etc. Ironically, at a time when opposition to the war mounts daily, with over 60% consistently polling against the war, the Peace Movement presence has been mostly invisible. Having capitulated when it mattered back in 2004, the Movement is having quite the time getting the soufflé to rise again. And, at every turn, it harkens back to the brain-dead misleadership. Had Cindy Sheehan not jump-started the dead vehicle, one would think that no one cares at all. And, now that she's no longer in the headlines, it's back to invisible as far as Peace activism opposition. During the Vietnam War, huge peace rallies were a matter of course. The Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam turned out 600,000 in Washington DC alone and millions in cities all across America on Oct. 15, 1969. May 9, 1970, over 100,000 returned to DC to protest. On April 24, 1971, over 500,000 protesters descended on DC. On May 3, 1971, over 10,000 were arrested in DC while attempting to shut down the government over the war. Despite all this, Congress failed to cut funding for the war until a 1975 - year after the last US troops were withdrawn! Despite this history and recent pro-war voting patterns, UFPJ continues to hold to the wishful theory that their Democratic Party allies will step up and bring about an end to this latest misadventure. Three major rallies against the Iraq insanity have been pulled off, despite UFPJ's best efforts to derail them: October 25, 2003 saw 100,000 in Washington; March 20, 2004 100,000 in New York City and a September 24 demonstration saw more than 300,000 march in Washington. In each case, the call was issued by A.N.S.W.E.R. (Act Now to End War and Stop Racism). In each case, UFPJ first refused to go along with a united front, even threatening parallel demos. UFPJ's dedication to the Israeli Elephant in the Living Room was and still is the main cause of its balking. A.N.S.W.E.R. sought to link the Palestinian occupation issue with greater US Middle East policy and UFPJ's political strategy relies solely on the fantasy of their pro-Israel Democrats eventual coming around. Ultimately UFPJ itself came around and like their Democrat allies jumped to the head of the parade --- even claiming total credit. During Bush the Elder's Iraq war of 1990-1991, the UFPJ leadership broke with the larger movement and actually held rallies calling for sanctions --- again at the behest of their Democrat allies; even hoisting banners that read "Economic Sanctions Not War." UFPJ got the war and its wish. The resulting sanctions have been cited as responsible for the deaths of over 500,000 Iraqi children under age five and some million Iraqis overall. Way too late, the UFPJ leaders came around and opposed the deadly sanctions. Though, as with the Bush lack of accepting responsibility they decry, they saw no need to resign over the deadly policy they promoted. On Saturday, April 29th, UFPJ and others held a rally in New York and turned out 300,000 against the current war. Despite UFPJ's continued pro-Israel leanings, this rally took on the prospective Iran attacks, as well. (Though, somehow NOW's pro-choice banners dominated press footage.) Saturday's rally is dwarfed two days later by the millions neophyte immigrant rights activists turned out on May Day across the country. Less than two months into their effort, these activists are already far further along at addressing their issues than the long-established Peace Movement is after three years of illegal war.
Where Are the Youth? It's not just the lack of consistency regarding Israel's belligerence and its dedication to the Democratic Party that diminishes the Peace Movement's effectiveness. The old guard at the UFPJ convention last year even voted down a proposal from the very youth most at risk. That proposal would have committed UFPJ resources to dogging recruitment centers and recruiters on high school and college campuses. Somehow, that was deemed "too provocative" and unworthy! Is it any wonder that UFPJ skews to an average age somewhere over 40? And, just as Bush would have the public swallow the very same lies all over again re: Iran; the UFPJ wing of the Peace Movement is gearing up for yet another unquestioning, pro-war Democrat endorsement in 2008. In election year 2006, we have yet to hear any clarion call, or even a peep, from the movement elders (and, yes, "elders" is the correct term) calling for opposition to every one of the Democrat war hawks now up for reelection. (Oh, they'll gladly do it for the Republicans) Historians will find this lack of accountability in the Peace Movement as a major cause for the prolongation of the Iraq war and quite possibly the reason Bush and/or his successor was able to also attack Iran. Only by cleaning house at the top and bringing in a much younger leadership can the Movement mitigate this historical judgment and begin to regain credibility after the unending free pass given Israel and the ABB stand-down. NOTE: You'll notice I do not use the term "Anti-War Movement." Partly, as one can easily see in the Palestine issue, the movement is not such as a matter of unwavering principle. But, also, I strongly believe that folks have the right to be called whatever they desire to be called. And, though in many ways it is a distinction without a difference, Peace Movement is the shaky coalition's chosen term. MICHAEL DONNELLY is a Vietnam-era Conscientious Objector
and veteran of many (far too many) anti-war efforts. He can be
reached at pahtoo@aol.com
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from CounterPunch Books! The Case Against Israel By Michael Neumann Grand Theft Pentagon: Tales of Greed and Profiteering in the War on Terror by Jeffrey St. Clair Sick of sit-on-the-Fence speakers, tongue-tied and timid? CounterPunch Editors Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St Clair are available to speak forcefully on ALL the burning issues, as are other CounterPunchers seasoned in stump oratory. Call CounterPunch Speakers Bureau, 1-800-840-3683. Or email beckyg@counterpunch.org. |