Re: Saddam on TV
The whole show is intented to foment an iraqi sunni shiite civil war so that the other hesitant parties come in as peace keepers because as it stands the americans without an iraqi civil war will lose.Michael Hoover [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 07/01/04 7:50 PM I saw Hussein on TV this mornKen.most significant feature of hussein's appearance in court was u.s. flagin corner of room, media made big deal of u.s. military personnel'retreating' after bringing himin but i've not seen anyone allude even in passing to u.s. flag...hussein's trial at this time (on u.s. tv, no less) is for bush campaign(yeah, yeah, i know the interim gov't wanted to expedite things, blah,blah, blah)...michael hoover--Please Note:Due to Florida's very broad public records law, most written communications to or from College employeesregarding College business are public records, available to the public and media upon request.Therefore, this e-mail communication may be subject to public disclosure. Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Address AutoComplete - You start. We finish.
China and the American consumer
NY Times Magazine, July 4, 2004 The Chinese Century By TED C. FISHMAN (clip) The China Savings No politician declares it. There is no Association of Big Box Store Customers beating the drum. But, as nearly any shopping trip in America will teach you, China saves American consumers enormous amounts of money. The worry that Chinese producers are hurting American businesses and eliminating American jobs misrepresents the problem -- at least geographically. While the U.S. trade deficit with China is growing, most of the goods from China, between 60 and 75 percent of them, simply would have been imported in past years from other countries. Still, because the China price forces manufacturers the world over to drop their own prices, the jobs that have not moved have been shaken up all the same, in the U.S. and in other countries. In Mexico, for example, which has lost nearly half a million manufacturing jobs and 500 maquiladora manufacturers, workers earn four times what their Chinese counterparts do. So for Mexican factories to stay competitive, they must get by with fewer hands or smaller profits. Americans who would demonize China also have a local problem: the China price is a boon to American consumers. Gary Hufbauer, a senior fellow at the Institute for International Economics, has done some rough math that shows how. ''From time immemorial,'' Hufbauer says, ''most American and Japanese businesses have been reluctant to move their manufacturing to new locales unless they can save at least 10 to 20 percent with the move.'' For the $152 billion worth of goods coming in from China last year, those savings have already been realized. The multiplier effect on the rest of the world's manufacturers, however, dwarfs the savings that come directly from China. Hufbauer figures some $500 billion in goods come from countries that are China's low-wage competitors, and another $450 billion in goods come from China's American and Japanese competitors. That means savings on nearly a trillion dollars of goods. If the savings on that non-Chinese trillion dollars' worth of trade are just 3 to 5 percent, rather than the 20 percent the Chinese can deliver, Hufbauer calculates further savings starting at $500 for the average American household. And people who spend more, get more back. Have a drawer full of $3 T-shirts, a DVD player in every room, a Christmas tree annually encircled with piles of toys? You probably have tons more stuff -- and additional savings -- thanks to the China price. This inexorable downward pressure on prices now shows up even when the prices of raw materials rise, costs that in the past were hurriedly passed on to consumers. The Chinese industrial boom has, for example, pushed up the cost of copper, aluminum, nickel, plastics and nearly every other important industrial commodity. Chinese demand has caused the price of steel to rise 20 percent this past spring. (China is now the world's top steel producer, by the way, while the U.K. has dropped out of the top 10.) Nevertheless, the price of cars, which reflect nearly the entire commodity index, has been weak. In April, cotton climbed to its highest price at this time of year in seven seasons, but the price of clothing declined. American firms can find it hard to compete. ''China hits domestic U.S. manufacturers twice,'' Oded Shenkar says. ''They drive down the price of goods, but they drive up the price of raw materials. It's a wholly different environment.'' And yet it's a good one for Americans too. The efficiencies forced on the market by Chinese factories also hold U.S. inflation in check. Lower inflation means the Federal Reserve can keep interest rates low, making money more freely available for investment in new and stronger industries. Chinese competition forces American businesses -- Signicast, for example -- to use capital as efficiently as possible. And to run their plants full tilt. And to find ways to save on labor costs. The Americans who lost manufacturing jobs over the last three years, and the millions more who are expected to see their white-collar jobs migrate overseas, may have not only China to blame, but also the very economic benefits that China has provided for them. And that's to say nothing of what happens once the Chinese countryside, thinned of its oversupply of farmers, turns into efficient farms. Already the Chinese have their eyes on cash crops. Though it has only recently begun exporting apple juice, China already produces seven times as many apples as the U.S., enough to cause a depression in the price of apple juice worldwide. Whole apples for exports are individually wrapped by hand in a foam sock. Given the country's wealth of manual labor, it can assert dominance in crops that must be tended by hand. In a stable China, where its great resource, its people, are allowed to work and spend money in a reasonably well functioning market economy, the growing place of China in a global economy cannot be legislated away with
Re: Sowell and the big lie.
David B. Shemano wrote: Melvin P. writes: On affirmative action he would be run out of the podium and forced to understand the real meaning of traditional American justice. The poor would most certainly string him up and I would not object. As Godwin's Law approaches, I am done with the thread. a long time ago on usenet, someone proposed a sort of self-referential corollary to goodwin's law: any attempt to avoid a response, through the invocation of godwin's law, in itself satisfies the antecedent of the law, and the consequent applies. ;-) --ravi
The American Tradition
From Yakuza: Japan's Criminal Underworld by David E. Kaplan and Alec Dubro: There was one case in which Japanese rightists and American intelligence werer caught red-handed [sic!]. This was the Kaji affair, which began in late 1951. A leftist writer named Wataru Kaji was kidnapped by G-2 and handed over to the newly ensconced CIABut Kaji was held incommunicado formore than a year by the CIA and was allegedly subjected to torture.When the affair came to light, the Japanese were outraged because Kaji's detention lasted past April 1952, when Japanese sovereignty was restored. The press also discovered the existence of a Japanese espionage group that had aided the Americans in the kidnapping... p.47 Speaking ofprecedents to Iraq, ghost prisons, and the sort of stability the US brings with occupation.. "...But few understand that Americans were hiring mobsters in Japan as well in a secret war against the left that began as early as 1946. At its helm stood Major General Charles Willoughby, MacArthur's intelligence chiefWilloughby and his trusted aides in G-2 worked to directly repress the left,and to indirectly repress it, by aiding and financing rightist thugs or yakuza to do the job . [Willoughby's] mentor, General MacArthure referred to him as 'my lovable Fascist.' Willoughby had functioned under MacArthur in Manila, and there became close to the Falangist Spaniards who supported Franco." _ p.45 Tell me again about the terrible consequences to stability if the US immediately quits Iraq? Where and when in history has US occupation everadvanced the prospects for emancipation? Not after the "great," "noble," "patriotic," "just" war against "fascism," obviously. And if not then, when exactly? I only bring this up because there is this issue of accountability-- you advocate something, you have to account for the consequences in the same forum where you advanced your position.
Re: Skewering Fahrenheit 9/11
[EMAIL PROTECTED] 07/02/04 11:08 AM Counterpunch, July 2, 2004 Moore's Fahrenheit 911 Mocking the Moral Crisis of Capitalism By DOUGLAS VALENTINE They wept! They roared with laughter! At inappropriate times they applauded, the politically correct, white middle class audience at the Academy Theatre in avante guard Northampton, MA, home of Smith College, and many fine restaurants. But, then again, Michael Moore was preaching to the choir, wasn't he? And that's the first of two big problems with Fahrenheit 911. The other big problem is this frivolous film's utter futility. first problem with above article: venue environment that author viewed film, get out some man, go see film in mass. equivalents of kissimmee fl, ocala, fl, eustis, fl (places where film is playing, towns where no films like this ever play)... second problem with above article: it makes all easy criticisms of moore's work (at least he had sense - with one lapse into schtick of trying to get people to do things they don't want to do, in this case, get members of congress to enlist their children to go to iraq, this type of scene has really become annoying in moore's films)... so what does article leave readers with, self-congratulatory air of author who is able to see michael moore for what he 'really' is, like wow... michael hoover -- Please Note: Due to Florida's very broad public records law, most written communications to or from College employees regarding College business are public records, available to the public and media upon request. Therefore, this e-mail communication may be subject to public disclosure.
Facing South - 6/30/2004
F A C I N G S O U T H A progressive Southern news report June 30, 2004 * Issue 82 _ INSTITUTE INDEX * Iraq: Loot and Run Amount of U.S. money allotted for reconstruction project in Iraq, in billions: $18.6 Number of projects promised in Iraq: 2,300 Number of projects actually underway: 140 Percent of reconstruction money spent to date that has gone to security: 25 Amount taken from drinking water projects to pay for U.S. Embassy in Iraq, in millions: $184 Amount wasted due to overcharges in Iraq contracts, according to a recent Congressional report, in billions: $1 Value of Iraq oil revenues that are missing, in billions: $20 Cost of trucks Halliburton Co. instructed drivers to abandon if they got a flat tire: $85,000 Amount spent to house 100 Halliburton employees in five-star hotel in Iraq for three months in Iraq, in millions: $1 Amount spent on housing 400 soldiers in Iraq in tents for one year: $200,000 Sources on file at the Institute for Southern Studies. _ DATELINE: THE SOUTH * Top Stories Around the Region FAHRENHEIT 9/11 A BIG HIT IN N.C. MILITARY TOWN Michael Moore's left-sided documentary criticizing the Bush administration's war on terrorism, Fahrenheit 9/11, sold out two showings its first night last Friday in the military town of Fayetteville, N.C., home of Fort Bragg. Nearly 1,000 more tickets sold over the weekend -- as many as 75% from military families, according to the theater showing the film. (Fayetteville Observer, 6/29) http://www.fayettevillenc.com/story.php?Template=localStory=6429101 HALLIBURTON CHARGED WITH INFLATING WAR COSTS Houston-based Halliburton Co. paid high-priced bills for common items, such as soda, laundry and hotels, in Iraq and Kuwait and then passed the inflated costs along to taxpayers, according to several former Halliburton employees and a Pentagon internal audit. (Knight Ridder, 6/15) http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2001956410_halliburton15.html TAXPAYERS SUBSIDIZING WAL-MART GROWTH State and local governments have given Arkansas-based Wal-Mart -- the biggest retail employer in the world -- over $1 billion in taxpayer-funded give-aways. Over 90% of the company's retail and distribution centers have received such incentives as free or reduced-priced land, tax breaks, and employee recruitment and training grants. (Joplin Globe, 6/13) http://www.joplinglobe.com/story.php?story_id=116727c=87 ADVOCATES SAY FLORIDA FELON LIST RIDDLED WITH ERRORS The state of Florida has released a list of over 48,000 supposed ex-felons -- disproportionately African-American -- who are to be barred from voting in November. But an independent voting rights group -- which had to sue to make the list public -- says that as many as 25,000 may be wrongfully on the list, having been granted clemency or pardons. (Miami Herald, 6/29 -- reg. req'd) http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/politics/9034893.htm?1c YOUNGER FLORIDA CUBANS CHALLENGE OLDER HARD-LINERS A growing number of Cuban-Americans reject the hard-line perspective that has dominated Cuban policy in Miami and Washington for more than four decades. Younger Cuban-Americans are joining more-recent arrivals and former hard-liners who have undergone changes of heart in moderating the political dialogue in Miami, and opposing recent Bush Administration measures that further isolate the country. (Orlando Sentinel, 6/21) http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/news/nation/8975398.htm TEXAS NATIVE WINS GREEN PARTY PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION Texas attorney and former chair of the Texas Green Party won the Green Party nomination for president at their nominating convention last weekend. Cobb says the Party's strategy is twofold: beat Bush, and build the Greens. (Fox News, 6/29) http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,124073,00.html -- Please Note: Due to Florida's very broad public records law, most written communications to or from College employees regarding College business are public records, available to the public and media upon request. Therefore, this e-mail communication may be subject to public disclosure.
Re: Skewering Fahrenheit 9/11
[EMAIL PROTECTED] 07/04/04 12:18 PM first problem with above article: venue environment that author viewed film, get out some man, go see film in mass. equivalents of kissimmee fl, ocala, fl, eustis, fl (places where film is playing, towns where no films like this ever play)... FAHRENHEIT 9/11 A BIG HIT IN N.C. MILITARY TOWN Michael Moore's left-sided documentary criticizing the Bush administration's war on terrorism, Fahrenheit 9/11, sold out two showings its first night last Friday in the military town of Fayetteville, N.C., home of Fort Bragg. Nearly 1,000 more tickets sold over the weekend -- as many as 75% from military families, according to the theater showing the film. (Fayetteville Observer, 6/29) http://www.fayettevillenc.com/story.php?Template=localStory=6429101 -- Please Note: Due to Florida's very broad public records law, most written communications to or from College employees regarding College business are public records, available to the public and media upon request. Therefore, this e-mail communication may be subject to public disclosure.
Re: Skewering Fahrenheit 9/11
Michael Hoover wrote: first problem with above article: venue environment that author viewed film, get out some man, go see film in mass. equivalents of kissimmee fl, ocala, fl, eustis, fl (places where film is playing, towns where no films like this ever play)... I saw it in Danvers, Mass., on a visit to the in-laws. Not exactly Kissimmee, I don't think, but a long way from Northampton, too. Though there were some members of the choir in the audience, most weren't. And the reaction was vocal, emotional, and quite positive. Visiting my father in suburban NJ yesterday, we overheard a sweet gray-haired lady in a chain steakhouse urging fellow diners to see the movie. She was wearing a powder-blue suit, not a George Bush, war criminal t-shirt. so what does article leave readers with, self-congratulatory air of author who is able to see michael moore for what he 'really' is, like wow... michael hoover It leaves readers like me with the feeling that Valentine is repackaging cheap envy as a critique. Doug
Re: JULY 4, the Vision of Marx and the Theory of the American Revolution -2
The Revolution of 1776 was big by any estimate. The Revolution of 1776 ushered in something new in human history . . . a whole new epoch of political revolution under the banner of national liberation. National liberation meant more than "me and my country" being liberated from "you and your country" because it happened in a very distinct economic and social context. 1776 was big. 1776 birthed what would be called the national liberation movement and this process of national liberation went on for another two hundred years. It reached its peak with the tidal waves ofnational liberation uprisings between 1940s through 1970s. It should come as no surprise than many Americans have always supported national liberation throughout the world as a lofty and noble goal and this includedAmerican resistance to the reckless and criminal war against the Vietnamese. More complicated reasons are involved in why a section of our bourgeoisie has always fought against the closed colonial system that prevented their investment of finance into all areas of the world. Nevertheless, 1776 inspired a vision because it was a new thing in history. The French bourgeoisie and the British bourgeoisie had a revolution to free themselves from the feudal estate system and its political restraints that were based on serf and master and a system of privilege when you did not have to proceed anything . . . but rather has force and connections with owners of landed property. America was different. America was founded as a capitalist colony. This meant that it was owned by England and its supreme purpose in life was to ship goods and resources back to the mother country - the Crown. For the first time in history a revolutionary colonial revolt was bound up with the revolution against feudalism, because the American bourgeoisie wanted freedom from feudal England. The United States is perhaps the only country in the world, most certainly in the Western Hemisphere, that was never tainted with feudal economic relations. Canada was, Mexico was and everything else south of the border was tainted. To say the revolution of 1776 was a national democratic revolution is not enough. To say there was not feudal economic relations is not enough. 1776 was an agrarian bourgeois democratic revolution and all the agrarian classes more than less are destined to disintegrate in the face of the advance of modern industrial. The vision of 1776 could only be advanced when the foundation for the industrial bourgeoisie had been laid and they assumed power. People fight for ideas. People fight for their vision even when they cannot achieve their vision. Each time they gain a little bit more as society develops the economic legs to make a noble vision attainable. As technology develops and the mighty forces of production expands a new generation recast the old vision in their image based on what they conceive as possible. The clearest thinking people in 1776 understood that unless national liberation emancipated the slaves they would have to fight the revolution over again to achieve the vision put forth. George Washington was the largest slave holder at the time and Jefferson ... well we know his history and the difference between his vision and real life as a slave master. In this sense, the Civil War was a continuation of 1776. In the same sense we can see in the growing revolution today that the subjective side of the social process - how people actually think things out, is inexplicably connected to the vision proclaimed by the Civil War or the "Second Edition" of the American revolution. This vision could not and was not achieved. The vision was mass democracy or a nation - not a union of people or distinct ethnic groups, conceived in liberty and justice for all. What is democracy? Democracy is the rule of the people and such rule must rest upon the ability of the people to choice freely. That, in turn means independence or individual freedom. Independence and individual freedom rests upon a person's secure access and control over the necessities of life. If I depend on someone else for food, shelter and clothing, then I am a person's slave. If I am compelled to do that person's bidding to secure the necessities of life, then I am that person slave no matter how democratic and subtle the command is. The ideas of Jefferson democracy rest on this understanding. Hence, the demand for independence provided by the small family farm and land ownership. The Revolution did not achieve Jeffersonian democracy, nor did the Civil War. History seems to keep repeating itself on a higher and spiraling level and the social movements keep demanding the same thing under changing conditions and each time the demands of the vision of 1776 advances the revolutionary process. In this sense there is a chain of demands from one revolution to the next, culminating in the outbreak of warfare.
Re: Skewering Fahrenheit 9/11
I saw F911 in Torrance, CA, where I live. It's home to the oil industry, the military/aerospace industry, two mega malls, many medium-sized malls, an infinite number of mini-malls, and every chain store you'd ever want. Quite suburban, with all sorts of middle-class housing (and American flags, not just this weekend). The theater sold out on a Wednesday night, while the audience was very happy with the movie. I didn't do a poll, but there were at least two family pairs of fathers taking their daughters to see the truth about Iraq. (Of course, in LA, a daughter of an old guy might be a paramour or a trophy wife, but that wasn't true in these cases.) jd -Original Message- From: PEN-L list on behalf of Doug Henwood Sent: Sun 7/4/2004 9:30 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: Subject: Re: [PEN-L] Skewering Fahrenheit 9/11 Michael Hoover wrote: first problem with above article: venue environment that author viewed film, get out some man, go see film in mass. equivalents of kissimmee fl, ocala, fl, eustis, fl (places where film is playing, towns where no films like this ever play)... I saw it in Danvers, Mass., on a visit to the in-laws. Not exactly Kissimmee, I don't think, but a long way from Northampton, too. Though there were some members of the choir in the audience, most weren't. And the reaction was vocal, emotional, and quite positive. Visiting my father in suburban NJ yesterday, we overheard a sweet gray-haired lady in a chain steakhouse urging fellow diners to see the movie. She was wearing a powder-blue suit, not a George Bush, war criminal t-shirt. so what does article leave readers with, self-congratulatory air of author who is able to see michael moore for what he 'really' is, like wow... michael hoover It leaves readers like me with the feeling that Valentine is repackaging cheap envy as a critique. Doug
Re: [Fwd: RE: [Marxism] Kerry: no drivers licenses for illegals]
---Please Note: Due to Florida's very broad public records law, most written communications to or from College employees regarding College business are public records, available to the public and media upon request. Therefore, this e-mail communication may be subject to public disclosure. [EMAIL PROTECTED] 07/03/04 10:06 PM Original Message Subject: RE: [Marxism] Kerry: no drivers licenses for illegals Date: Sat, 3 Jul 2004 21:51:55 -0400 From: Jose G. Perez [EMAIL PROTECTED] Until very recently, virtually no state mixed immigration matters with driver's licenses. Among other things, the Democrats snuck into the Immigration bill measures to transform state-issued drivers licenses into a national ID card/internal passport. The way it was instrumented was a) requiring fingerprinting and b) requiring a verified social security number to get drivers licenses. José Driver's license changes By Skip Cauthorn, [EMAIL PROTECTED] June 30, 2004 Starting Thursday, those wishing to obtain a Tennessee driver's license will have to go through the inconvenience of providing an original birth certificate and several other documents to be eligible. The change is one of many new state laws to become effective Thursday. Those who have renewed a Tennessee license at least once in the past will not be affected by the change. However, those who didn't first obtain a license prior to January of 2001, should be ready to produce several pieces of information including an official birth certificate (no photocopies) or passport, two proofs of identity, two proofs of residency and a Social Security number. Those without a Social Security number will have to sign an affidavit stating they have never had one. Under the new law, driver's licenses will not be issued to those who aren't a legal citizen or permanent resident. Instead anyone who can't prove their status will be issued a driver's certificate. The law's first effective date was May 29, when the issuance of driver's licenses to those who couldn't prove citizenship was discontinued. Those that fell into this category since May 29 may pick up a driver's certificate, a state issued document not to be used as identification, as early as Thursday. Gov. Phil Bredesen, whose administration presented the legislation to the General Assembly months ago, says the law is necessary in addressing Homeland Security concerns despite an inconvenience to motorists. I would love to have an answer that really is convenient for everybody [but] the Homeland Security aspect of that * really trumped all the other issues, said Bredesen Monday. I certainly understand it's an inconvenience for some people; it's an inconvenience for everybody who has to bring a copy of a birth certificate to get the licenses. * But I think it's an important move to get us to be * from one of the loosest states to one of the tightest states. The new law is the latest in what has been a controversial issue since the General Assembly passed legislation in 2001 allowing those without Social Security numbers to obtain a Tennessee driver license. At the time the state Department of Safety supported the law saying it was safer to allow illegal aliens the ability to obtain a license, as they would have to pass all standard testing. Opponents of the measure argued that non-citizens shouldn't be allowed a license and criticized the long lines that resulted at testing stations. Those who obtained a license since Jan. 1, 2001, and can't prove citizenship or permanent residency, must upon expiration exchange their license for the new certificate. A recent Department of Safety figure set the number of motorists without Social Security numbers who had obtained a license since 2001 at more than 45,600. Department of Safety spokesperson Beth Denton says the department has been preparing and training for the change.
New Tennessee Driver License Law
[EMAIL PROTECTED] 07/03/04 10:06 PM Original Message Subject: RE: [Marxism] Kerry: no drivers licenses for illegals Date: Sat, 3 Jul 2004 21:51:55 -0400 From: Jose G. Perez Until very recently, virtually no state mixed immigration matters with driver's licenses. Among other things, the Democrats snuck into the Immigration bill measures to transform state-issued drivers licenses into a national ID card/internal passport. The way it was instrumented was a) requiring fingerprinting and b) requiring a verified social security number to get drivers licenses. José Driver's license changes By Skip Cauthorn, [EMAIL PROTECTED] June 30, 2004 Starting Thursday, those wishing to obtain a Tennessee driver's license will have to go through the inconvenience of providing an original birth certificate and several other documents to be eligible. The change is one of many new state laws to become effective Thursday. Those who have renewed a Tennessee license at least once in the past will not be affected by the change. However, those who didn't first obtain a license prior to January of 2001, should be ready to produce several pieces of information including an official birth certificate (no photocopies) or passport, two proofs of identity, two proofs of residency and a Social Security number. Those without a Social Security number will have to sign an affidavit stating they have never had one. Under the new law, driver's licenses will not be issued to those who aren't a legal citizen or permanent resident. Instead anyone who can't prove their status will be issued a driver's certificate. The law's first effective date was May 29, when the issuance of driver's licenses to those who couldn't prove citizenship was discontinued. Those that fell into this category since May 29 may pick up a driver's certificate, a state issued document not to be used as identification, as early as Thursday. Gov. Phil Bredesen, whose administration presented the legislation to the General Assembly months ago, says the law is necessary in addressing Homeland Security concerns despite an inconvenience to motorists. I would love to have an answer that really is convenient for everybody [but] the Homeland Security aspect of that * really trumped all the other issues, said Bredesen Monday. I certainly understand it's an inconvenience for some people; it's an inconvenience for everybody who has to bring a copy of a birth certificate to get the licenses. * But I think it's an important move to get us to be * from one of the loosest states to one of the tightest states. The new law is the latest in what has been a controversial issue since the General Assembly passed legislation in 2001 allowing those without Social Security numbers to obtain a Tennessee driver license. At the time the state Department of Safety supported the law saying it was safer to allow illegal aliens the ability to obtain a license, as they would have to pass all standard testing. Opponents of the measure argued that non-citizens shouldn't be allowed a license and criticized the long lines that resulted at testing stations. Those who obtained a license since Jan. 1, 2001, and can't prove citizenship or permanent residency, must upon expiration exchange their license for the new certificate. A recent Department of Safety figure set the number of motorists without Social Security numbers who had obtained a license since 2001 at more than 45,600. Department of Safety spokesperson Beth Denton says the department has been preparing and training for the change. -- Please Note: Due to Florida's very broad public records law, most written communications to or from College employees regarding College business are public records, available to the public and media upon request. Therefore, this e-mail communication may be subject to public disclosure.
Re: the Democratic Leadership Council wing of the Green party
[EMAIL PROTECTED] 07/02/04 7:44 PM On Nader's site, a major push is for impeachment of the current Resident. in Chief. In my mind this is the only viable defensive action available to the American people at the moment. When Bush gets his second term, even that avenue will be gone -- in his mind (which hears God telling him to go to war), Bush will have been given permission to do whatever he wants. And his is the closest stuck-up finger to nuclear holocaust. Dan Scanlan recall that late henry gonzalez (dem congressman from west texas) filed numerous articles of impeachment against bush the first... while you've not intended it, above comment re. bush second term could be seen by some as reason to vote for kerry (or any dem at all)... michael -- Please Note: Due to Florida's very broad public records law, most written communications to or from College employees regarding College business are public records, available to the public and media upon request. Therefore, this e-mail communication may be subject to public disclosure.
FW: Today's Papers: it's official!
from 7/3/04: From: Today's Papers [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] A front-page piece in the Los Angeles Times http://g.msn.com/0NL62004/5314 says an unclassified, 542-page internal Army report http://g.msn.com/0NL62004/5315 on the Iraq invasion criticizes an unreliable supply chain that kept needed tank parts, food, and ammunition from reaching soldiers in the war's early stages. The paper reefers the report's most news-worthy tidbit--that the Army stage-managed the toppling of the giant Saddam Hussein statue http://g.msn.com/0NL62004/5316 in central Baghdad. A Marine colonel first decided to knock over the statue, then asked some Iraqis for help using a loudspeaker. The report says a Marine vehicle then pulled the statue down with a chain, but not before a psychological operations team managed to pack the vehicle with cheering Iraqi children. jd
Re: China and the American consumer
A lot of this would be changed if China let the renminbi float (i.e., rise). The predictions at the end seem similar to those made about Japan awhile back (e.g., in Michael Crichton's RISING SUN) before the Japanese miracle popped. jd -Original Message- From: PEN-L list on behalf of Louis Proyect Sent: Sun 7/4/2004 7:21 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: Subject: [PEN-L] China and the American consumer NY Times Magazine, July 4, 2004 The Chinese Century By TED C. FISHMAN (clip) The China Savings No politician declares it. There is no Association of Big Box Store Customers beating the drum. But, as nearly any shopping trip in America will teach you, China saves American consumers enormous amounts of money. The worry that Chinese producers are hurting American businesses and eliminating American jobs misrepresents the problem -- at least geographically. While the U.S. trade deficit with China is growing, most of the goods from China, between 60 and 75 percent of them, simply would have been imported in past years from other countries. Still, because the China price forces manufacturers the world over to drop their own prices, the jobs that have not moved have been shaken up all the same, in the U.S. and in other countries. In Mexico, for example, which has lost nearly half a million manufacturing jobs and 500 maquiladora manufacturers, workers earn four times what their Chinese counterparts do. So for Mexican factories to stay competitive, they must get by with fewer hands or smaller profits. Americans who would demonize China also have a local problem: the China price is a boon to American consumers. Gary Hufbauer, a senior fellow at the Institute for International Economics, has done some rough math that shows how. ''From time immemorial,'' Hufbauer says, ''most American and Japanese businesses have been reluctant to move their manufacturing to new locales unless they can save at least 10 to 20 percent with the move.'' For the $152 billion worth of goods coming in from China last year, those savings have already been realized. The multiplier effect on the rest of the world's manufacturers, however, dwarfs the savings that come directly from China. Hufbauer figures some $500 billion in goods come from countries that are China's low-wage competitors, and another $450 billion in goods come from China's American and Japanese competitors. That means savings on nearly a trillion dollars of goods. If the savings on that non-Chinese trillion dollars' worth of trade are just 3 to 5 percent, rather than the 20 percent the Chinese can deliver, Hufbauer calculates further savings starting at $500 for the average American household. And people who spend more, get more back. Have a drawer full of $3 T-shirts, a DVD player in every room, a Christmas tree annually encircled with piles of toys? You probably have tons more stuff -- and additional savings -- thanks to the China price. This inexorable downward pressure on prices now shows up even when the prices of raw materials rise, costs that in the past were hurriedly passed on to consumers. The Chinese industrial boom has, for example, pushed up the cost of copper, aluminum, nickel, plastics and nearly every other important industrial commodity. Chinese demand has caused the price of steel to rise 20 percent this past spring. (China is now the world's top steel producer, by the way, while the U.K. has dropped out of the top 10.) Nevertheless, the price of cars, which reflect nearly the entire commodity index, has been weak. In April, cotton climbed to its highest price at this time of year in seven seasons, but the price of clothing declined. American firms can find it hard to compete. ''China hits domestic U.S. manufacturers twice,'' Oded Shenkar says. ''They drive down the price of goods, but they drive up the price of raw materials. It's a wholly different environment.'' And yet it's a good one for Americans too. The efficiencies forced on the market by Chinese factories also hold U.S. inflation in check. Lower inflation means the Federal Reserve can keep interest rates low, making money more freely available for investment in new and stronger industries. Chinese competition forces American businesses -- Signicast, for example -- to use capital as efficiently as possible. And to run their plants full tilt. And to find
Re: Skewering Fahrenheit 9/11
it's previewing in London this evening, and you can't get tickets for love or money (I believe; to be honest I've only really tried offering money) dd -Original Message- From: PEN-L list [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Doug Henwood Sent: 04 July 2004 17:30 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Skewering Fahrenheit 9/11 Michael Hoover wrote: first problem with above article: venue environment that author viewed film, get out some man, go see film in mass. equivalents of kissimmee fl, ocala, fl, eustis, fl (places where film is playing, towns where no films like this ever play)... I saw it in Danvers, Mass., on a visit to the in-laws. Not exactly Kissimmee, I don't think, but a long way from Northampton, too. Though there were some members of the choir in the audience, most weren't. And the reaction was vocal, emotional, and quite positive. Visiting my father in suburban NJ yesterday, we overheard a sweet gray-haired lady in a chain steakhouse urging fellow diners to see the movie. She was wearing a powder-blue suit, not a George Bush, war criminal t-shirt. so what does article leave readers with, self-congratulatory air of author who is able to see michael moore for what he 'really' is, like wow... michael hoover It leaves readers like me with the feeling that Valentine is repackaging cheap envy as a critique. Doug
Re: Simon and Garfunkel
Barrister Shemano writes: ... Let's imagine the crew does all their work. They set up the special sound and light systems, etc. However, Simon and Garfunkel get into a fight and refuse to perform, so the show is cancelled and all ticket are refunded. The next night, Simon and Garfunkel reunite. The crew, pissed off, refuses to do any work. So Simon and Garfunkel go on stage, Simon plugs his guitar into the existent sound system, and notwithstanding the lack of special lighting, a backup band, etc., the two of them perform for 18,000 people who pay $2.7 million. I am not sure what my questions are. In what sense is the crew producing surplus value? What value did they produce on night one? What exactly is the value that is being created? Isn't all the value, for all practical purposes, being created by Simon and Garfunkel? Isn't the crews' value purely contextual and unrelated to their labor per se? This production process took two days. The crew produced the SV on the first day, but it was only _realized_ on the second. SG produced some of it on the second day, but they also claimed more than they produced. The fact that they were able to claim more than they produced (their monopoly power) is indicated that they were able to cancel the first day simply because of a spat -- and then allow the realization of the surplus-value on the second day. (This assumes that there are lots of people who would be willing to pay to hear their music.) It's possible that the produced SV could have gone to waste, i.e., if SG's spat had continued. In that case, the SV would not have been realized. jd
Re: China and the American consumer
- Original Message - From: Devine, James [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, July 04, 2004 10:47 AM Subject: Re: [PEN-L] China and the American consumer A lot of this would be changed if China let the renminbi float (i.e., rise). The predictions at the end seem similar to those made about Japan awhile back (e.g., in Michael Crichton's RISING SUN) before the Japanese miracle popped. jd -- The article itself, like those articles about 20 years ago, have a lot of the old yellow peril theme. The Chinese economy is about as uneven, ragged, stumbling as you can get and still be upright. Agriculture has been decimated-- and there is no contradiction between internal decimation and increased exports, in fact as the same past 20 years have shown, the two go hand in hand. Infrastructure as a whole is unable to sustain the explosion of projects and non-performing debt levels will begin another explosive increase. Ah yes, the competition from the east-- with the supposed benefit to American consumers more than offset by the workers both in China and the US.
Re: Simon and Garfunkel
Yeah, but what if a terrorist hijacks Simon and Garfunkel's private jet and crashes into the stage after it was set up, killing the nauseating pair, and forcing a refund.. And suppose the concert insurance doesn't cover terrorist acts of god, then what... should the government step and subsidize the concert givers? compensate the victims families? Should it? Or should it let the market handle the matters-- according to the well known American traditions of fair play and non-cosmic justice-- the type practiced at Gitmo, and in Baghdad, or Sing-Sing? And what about the burn victims? Who should pay for that? Hey these are really important questions, and the fact that Marxists don't take them seriously shows how ill-suited Marxism really is to modern living. - Original Message - From: Devine, James [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, July 04, 2004 11:09 AM Subject: Re: [PEN-L] Simon and Garfunkel Barrister Shemano writes: ... Let's imagine the crew does all their work. They set up the special sound and light systems, etc. However, Simon and Garfunkel get into a fight and refuse to perform, so the show is cancelled and all ticket are refunded. The next night, Simon and Garfunkel reunite. The crew, pissed off, refuses to do any work. So Simon and Garfunkel go on stage, Simon plugs his guitar into the existent sound system, and notwithstanding the lack of special lighting, a backup band, etc., the two of them perform for 18,000 people who pay $2.7 million. I am not sure what my questions are. In what sense is the crew producing surplus value? What value did they produce on night one? What exactly is the value that is being created? Isn't all the value, for all practical purposes, being created by Simon and Garfunkel? Isn't the crews' value purely contextual and unrelated to their labor per se? This production process took two days. The crew produced the SV on the first day, but it was only _realized_ on the second. SG produced some of it on the second day, but they also claimed more than they produced. The fact that they were able to claim more than they produced (their monopoly power) is indicated that they were able to cancel the first day simply because of a spat -- and then allow the realization of the surplus-value on the second day. (This assumes that there are lots of people who would be willing to pay to hear their music.) It's possible that the produced SV could have gone to waste, i.e., if SG's spat had continued. In that case, the SV would not have been realized. jd
Re: the Democratic Leadership Council wing of the Green party
[EMAIL PROTECTED] 07/02/04 7:44 PM On Nader's site, a major push is for impeachment of the current Resident. in Chief. In my mind this is the only viable defensive action available to the American people at the moment. When Bush gets his second term, even that avenue will be gone -- in his mind (which hears God telling him to go to war), Bush will have been given permission to do whatever he wants. And his is the closest stuck-up finger to nuclear holocaust. Dan Scanlan recall that late henry gonzalez (dem congressman from west texas) filed numerous articles of impeachment against bush the first... while you've not intended it, above comment re. bush second term could be seen by some as reason to vote for kerry (or any dem at all)... michael Aye, there's the rub. I've been writing the Kucinich campaign/congressional office nearly every day to urge him to introduce Articles of Impeachment. As a congressman it's his damn job. In his speech introducing the impeachment he can bring up Gonzales' impeachment articles against Reagan and Bush and draw new attention to pappa Bush's interference in the BCCI/CIA/Saudi Bush family scandal investigation. It's completely relevant to today's mire. It may not go anywhere but it may help expand the national discussion and break through the media shellac. And Kerry might have to comment on it. Dan
Re: Simon and Garfunkel
if terrorists attack, it would be similar in effect to the hypothetical SG spat on the second night. The liability questions would be settled by the courts, mostly to help the rich. I don't know what should happen here. jd -Original Message- From: PEN-L list on behalf of sartesian Sent: Sun 7/4/2004 2:17 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: Subject: Re: [PEN-L] Simon and Garfunkel Yeah, but what if a terrorist hijacks Simon and Garfunkel's private jet and crashes into the stage after it was set up, killing the nauseating pair, and forcing a refund.. And suppose the concert insurance doesn't cover terrorist acts of god, then what... should the government step and subsidize the concert givers? compensate the victims families? Should it? Or should it let the market handle the matters-- according to the well known American traditions of fair play and non-cosmic justice-- the type practiced at Gitmo, and in Baghdad, or Sing-Sing? And what about the burn victims? Who should pay for that? Hey these are really important questions, and the fact that Marxists don't take them seriously shows how ill-suited Marxism really is to modern living. - Original Message - From: Devine, James [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, July 04, 2004 11:09 AM Subject: Re: [PEN-L] Simon and Garfunkel Barrister Shemano writes: ... Let's imagine the crew does all their work. They set up the special sound and light systems, etc. However, Simon and Garfunkel get into a fight and refuse to perform, so the show is cancelled and all ticket are refunded. The next night, Simon and Garfunkel reunite. The crew, pissed off, refuses to do any work. So Simon and Garfunkel go on stage, Simon plugs his guitar into the existent sound system, and notwithstanding the lack of special lighting, a backup band, etc., the two of them perform for 18,000 people who pay $2.7 million. I am not sure what my questions are. In what sense is the crew producing surplus value? What value did they produce on night one? What exactly is the value that is being created? Isn't all the value, for all practical purposes, being created by Simon and Garfunkel? Isn't the crews' value purely contextual and unrelated to their labor per se? This production process took two days. The crew produced the SV on the first day, but it was only _realized_ on the second. SG produced some of it on the second day, but they also claimed more than they produced. The fact that they were able to claim more than they produced (their monopoly power) is indicated that they were able to cancel the first day simply because of a spat -- and then allow the realization of the surplus-value on the second day. (This assumes that there are lots of people who would be willing to pay to hear their music.) It's possible that the produced SV could have gone to waste, i.e., if SG's spat had continued. In that case, the SV would not have been realized. jd
Re: Sowell
Shane Mage writes:Under rigorous neoclassical analysis it is easily demonstrated of course, rigorous neoclassical analysis is not the same as the Chicago-school neoclassical analysis embraced by Sowell. For the latter, rigorous refers to free market. jd
On the cover of Time Magazine!
I dont like this film being reduced to Bush vs. Kerry, Moore tells TIME Army and Air Force Exchange Service, Which Books Films To Be Shown on Military Bases Around the World, Has Contacted Fahrenheit Distributor to Book the Film Sunday, Jul. 04, 2004 New York -- I dont like this film being reduced to Bush vs. Kerry, Fahrenheit 9/11 director Michael Moore tells TIMEs Richard Corliss in this weeks cover story. Moore tells TIME, When Clinton was president I went after him. And if Kerrys president, on Day Two Ill be on him. This election year, with stakes and tempers high, a potent non-fiction genre is emerging: the agit-doc, dealing with high-octane political issues, often in a confrontational tone, Corliss writes. Trailing on Moores box office clout, they are surging into the mainstream. One agit-doc, The Hunting of the President, co-directed by Clinton pal Harry Thomason, was originally to go to 30 theaters; now its distributor has revved the number to 125, and has put the films trailer on many screens showing Fahrenheit 9/11. The Army and Air Force Exchange Service, which books films to be shown on military bases around the world, has contacted Fahrenheits distributor to book the film, TIME reports. Weve underestimated the audiences desire to see (political) material, says Robert Greenwald, director of Uncovered: The War on Iraq, a sober and devastating critique of Bush foreign policy. I dont think its about hating the President. Its that politics has been brought home to the deepest part of ourselves. People now feel Politics is Me. Today people get their news and, just as important, their attitudes from more rambunctious sources: from the polarized polemicists on talk radio and cable news channels, from comedians and webmasters. Thats poli-tainment, and as practiced by Rush Limbaugh and a host of right-wing radio hosts, and by Matt Drudge on the internet, it hounded Bill Clintons presidency while spicing and coarsening the standards of political discourse, Corliss writes. Fahrenheit 9/11 may be the watershed event that demonstrates whether the empire of poli-tainment can have decisive influence on a presidential campaign, Corliss writes. If it does, we may come to look back on its hugely successful first week the way we now think of the televised presidential debate between John Kennedy and Richard Nixon, as a moment when we grasped for the first time the potential of a mass medium to affect American politics in new ways. In which case, expect the next generation of campaign strategists to precede every major election not only with the traditional TV ad buys but also with a scheme for the rollout of some thermonuclear book or movie or CD or even video game, all designed to tilt the political balance just in time, Corliss writes. Andrew Sullivan asks: Is Michael Moore Actually Mel Gibsons Alter Ego? In a related essay, Sullivan writes, There are times when the far right and the far left are so close in methodology as to be indistinguishable. And both movies are not just terrible as moviescrude, boring, gratuitous; they are also deeply corrosive of the possibility of real debate and reason in our culture. They replace argument with feeling, reasoned persuasion with the rawest of group loyalties. full: http://www.time.com/time/ -- Marxism list: www.marxmail.org
[Fwd: Swans' Release: July 5, 2004]
http://www.swans.com/ July 5, 2004 -- In this Issue: Note from the Editor: Since its inception some eight years ago, Swans has been a commercial-free zone; no annoying pop-ups to support our efforts, no advertisements to feed the corporate machine...until today, that is. Yes, in honor of The Fourth of July; in recognition of the lofty ideals of Freedom and Democracy made in the USA for all the world to share, we have agreed to run a special ad for America's Independence Day Sale. Great opportunities for American shoppers... God bless, etc. But this little wink aside, once again, we are saddened by the disappearance of another icon, a shining light of American culture -- one week Ray; the next, Marlon. In a tribute, playwright and screenwriter John Steppling explores the Brando genius and tragedy. As advised in the June 21 edition, we carry on with the presentation of varying opinions on the coming US presidential election. In short, the question is: Does the urgency to vote Bush out of office -- to which he wasn't elected -- justify the Anyone But Bush position and the swallowing of the lesser-evil bitter pill? Don't be surprised by the differing analyses expounded here. Each side has something to say and presents its argument without acrimony or getting at each other's throat. They reflect the fact that Swans is a non-sectarian publication, not a party or a chapel... Don't just criticize -- analyze. You'll see the result, with a range of thoughtful essays from Phil Rockstroh, John Steppling, Joel Wedland, Phil Greenspan, and Bill Eger. More to come... For his part, Milo Clark revisits the thinking behind the White House occupant and his henchmen with an analysis of Leo Strauss's political philosophy, who twisted Plato's Republic into Rove's America. Richard Macintosh shows that this Rove America -- à la tautology, propaganda, censorship and the Patriot Act -- holds startling similarities with Nazi Germany; and Manuel García posits that it will be up to the Jonathan Swifts of the world to rally against the injustices of our time. Perhaps these words of Adlai Stevenson illustrate their thinking: Freedom is not an ideal, it is not even a protection, if it means nothing more than freedom to stagnate, to live without dreams, to have no greater aim than a second car and another television set. Now here's a quiz: What do Jesuzzy Lib-Labs, angry VPs and bland politicians have in common, and how common is the F word in the American lingua franca? You'll find the answer therein. Finally, a poetic offering by Gerard Donnelly Smith, a political allegory of humanity and the natural world where animals model their egos and power struggles after our fine human example, and an interesting assortment of Letters to the Editor complete this issue. Enjoy! As always, please form your OWN opinion, and let your friends (and foes) know about Swans. * Here are the links to all the pieces: http://www.swans.com/library/art10/jeb133.html Independence Day Sale - Cartoon by Jan Baughman http://www.swans.com/library/art10/johns02.html The Genius Of Marlon Brando - by John Steppling http://www.swans.com/library/art10/procks30.html Election 2004: A Plebiscite In Bedlam - by Phil Rockstroh http://www.swans.com/library/art10/johns01.html Kerry And Electoral Illusions - by John Steppling http://www.swans.com/library/art10/joelw04.html Regime Change Starts With Bush - by Joel Wendland http://www.swans.com/library/art10/pgreen45.html ABB a.k.a. America's Bizarre Bunko - by Philip Greenspan http://www.swans.com/library/art10/beger02.html The Fine Art And Accomplished Magic Of Liking Everything - by Bill Eger http://www.swans.com/library/art10/mgc132.html Leo Strauss - by Milo Clark http://www.swans.com/library/art10/rmac24.html Rubicon 9/11 - by Richard Macintosh http://www.swans.com/library/art10/mgarci17.html Swiftian Overload - by Manuel Garcia, Jr. http://www.swans.com/library/art10/gsmith20.html Ipse Dixit - Poem by Gerard Donnelly Smith http://www.swans.com/library/art10/ga181.html Plaisirs d'Amour: Jesuzzy Lib-Labs Meet Dick Cheney - by Gilles d'Aymery http://www.swans.com/library/art10/hpelif01.html Animal Park - by Henry Pelifian http://www.swans.com/library/art10/letter45.html Letters to the Editor # You are receiving this E-mail notification for you have expressed your interest in Swans and the work of its team, or someone suggested that we include you in our distribution list. If you wish not to receive these short notifications, simply reply to this E-mail and enter the word REMOVE in the subject line. We do NOT share your E-mail address with anyone. Thank you for reading Swans. Gilles d'Aymery -- Swans Hungry man, rush for the book: It is a weapon. B. Brecht . -- Marxism list: www.marxmail.org
Michael Moore, Paul Berman and John Weeks
(In doing some background research on Michael Moore for a Revolution Magazine article on Fahrenheit 9/11, I found an article that reminded me why I will always have a soft spot in my heart for him whatever mistakes he makes around electoral politics. In 1990, I was setting up a debate on Nicaragua with Paul Berman defending a kind of State Department liberalism that would eventually reach epic proportions around NATO's war on Yugoslavia. Moore seemed like the logical choice for debating Berman and he agreed to do so after I called him up. This was just around the time he was starting to make Roger and Me, I believe, and before he had become a big-time celebrity. Unaccountably, I took the advice of NACLA to go with a crypto-Maoist named John Weeks who was teaching at Middlebury and who was some kind of expert on Nicaragua. Berman read a from carefully prepared article, while Weeks winged it. As bad as it was to not come prepared, Weeks compounded matters by presenting an ultraleft analysis of the FSLN, namely that it was doing nothing in Nicaragua except trying to become another Mexican PRI. So the USA was acting foolishly when it tried to destroy what was nothing except a nationalist and reformist government. At the time, I was too pissed off at Weeks to follow up with a suggestion, namely that he use his good graces as an expert on Nicaragua to explain the error of their ways to the CIA and the secret team.) The New York Times September 27, 1986, Saturday, Late City Final Edition HEADLINE: RADICAL MAGAZINE REMOVES EDITOR, SETTING OFF A WIDENING POLITICAL DEBATE BYLINE: By ALEX S. JONES Mother Jones, the radical magazine that says it is the nation's largest political monthly, has removed its editor, who has filed a $2 million lawsuit. The situation prompted a bitter debate in the columns of other publications with similar views. The editor, Michael Moore , said he was dismissed in early September, after four months on the job, in large part because he opposed the publication of an article critical of the Government of Nicaragua. Adam Hochschild, chairman of the Foundation for National Progress, the nonprofit organization that owns Mother Jones, said that Mr. Moore was asked to give up his post because of inadequate job performance that had nothing to do with ideological issues. But senior staff members also say that Mr. Moore was so rigidly ideological that he opposed publication of a legitimate article because of his disagreement with its conclusions. Columnists at The Nation, The Village Voice and other liberal publications have lined up on opposite sides in the fray, which has intensified in recent weeks from an angry internal dispute to a full-blown public battle waged in print and colored by old feuds and rivalries. 'The Neanderthals Are Afraid' But the debate has also raised the larger issue of whether journals that are left of center should critically examine causes of similar orientation. ''I think there is a conflict between the modern democratic left and a few Neanderthal remnants of the 30's, and the Neanderthals are afraid of an open public debate about political values,'' said Paul Berman, a Village Voice columnist who wrote the article Mr. Moore opposed. The article refers to the Sandinistas as Leninists and describes human rights and economic lapses of the Government, although Mr. Berman said he remained a supporter of the Sandinista revolution. Mr. Moore said that he opposed the article because it was untrue, not because it was critical, and because its appearance in Mother Jones could be used by the Reagan Administration against the Sandinistas. The article is scheduled for publication in December, according to Mr. Hochschild. The controversy intensified as Mother Jones was trying to fashion a new, aggressive editorial policy to recoup flagging circulation. Peak Circulation of 238,000 Mother Jones, which is based in San Francisco, was founded by Mr. Hochschild and others in 1976 as a muckraking magazine of the left that was named in honor of Mary Harris (Mother) Jones, a militant union organizer and Socialist who died in 1930 at the age of 100. Circulation peaked in 1980 at 238,000, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, but slipped precipitously in the Reagan years to about 140,000. This year circulation has bounced back to 160,000, largely through a sweepstakes offer, according to Deirdre English, who preceded Mr. Moore as editor. But a consensus remained that the magazine needed an editorial slant away from the fiction and culture that Ms. English had included and toward its muckraking roots. Mr. Hochschild, 43 years old, who has used his inheritance from family mining interests to shore up Mother Jones's substantial deficits, chose Mr. Moore to be the new editorial leader. Mr. Moore, 32, was editor of The Michigan Voice, a militant monthly based in Flint, Mich. Mr. Moore's first issue scored a public relations coup with a cover article by Ben Hamper, a Flint automobile
like father, like son
Title: like father, like son U.S. Representative Henry Gonsalez (Democrat, Texas), introducing articles of impeachment against George H.. W. Bush. (Could it be used today by U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich without alteration?) January 16, 1991 Mr Speaker, it is with great sadness, yet great conviction, that I introduce today a Resolution of Impeachment of President Bush. At a time when our nation is deeply divided over the question of war, we find ourselves on the brink of a world war of such magnitude that our minds cannot fully comprehend the destruction which is allowed to be leveled. The position we are in is a direct result of the actions of one man and the reaction to another. The Iraqi people are as opposed to war as are the American people, the difference is that the Iraqi people have no choice but to support their country's leader, but the American people not only have the right to oppose and speak out in disagreement with their President, but they have the responsibility to do so if our democracy is to be preserved. Today I exercise this constitutional right and responsibility to speak out in opposition to war in the Middle East and in support of removal of our nation's chief executive. When I took the oath of office earlier this month, as I had numerous times before, I swore to uphold The Constitution. The President's oath was the same - to uphold the Constitution of The United States. We did not pledge an oath of allegiance to the President, but to The Constitution which is the highest law of the land. The Constitution provides for removal of the President when he has committed high crimes and misdemeanors, including violations of the principles of The Constitution. President Bush has violated these principles. My resolution has five articles of impeachment. First, the President has violated the equal protection clause of The Constitution. Our soldiers in the Middle East are overwhelmingly poor white, black, and Mexican American. They may be volunteers technically, but their volunteerism is based on the coercion of a system that has denied violable economic opportunities to these classes of citizens. Under The Constitution all classes of citizens are guaranteed equal protection, and calling on the poor and minorities to fight a war for oil to preserve the lifestyles of the wealthy is a denial of the rights of these soldiers. Article II states that the President has violated the Constitution, federal law and the United Nations Charter by bribing, intimidating and threatening others, including the members of the United Nations Security Council, to support belligerent acts against Iraq. It is clear that the President paid off members of the U.N. Security Council in return for their votes in support of war against Iraq. The debt of Egypt was forgiven; a $140 million loan to China was agreed to; the Soviet Union was promise $7 billion in aid; Colombia was promised assistance to its armed forces; Zaire was promised military assistance and partial forgiveness of it's debt; Saudi Arabia was promised $12 billion in arms; Yemen was threatened with the termination of support; and the U.S. finally paid off $187 million of its debt to the United Nations after the vote the President sought was made. The vote was bought, and it will be paid for with the lives of black and Mexican-Americans. Article III states that the President has conspired to engage in a massive war against Iraq employing methods of mass destruction that will result in the killing of tens of thousands of civilians, many of whom will be children. No civilian lives have yet been lost, that we know of, but when we start using the weapons of mass destruction that are in place for this war, there is no doubt that thousands of innocent civilians will lose their lives. As killings occur, the principles laid down in the Nuremburg trial will be applicable. Their deaths will not only be a moral outrage, but they will constitute a violation of international law. Article IV states that the President has committed the United States to acts of war without congressional consent and contrary to the United Nations Charter and international law. From August, 1991, through January.1991, the President embarked on a course of action that systematically eliminated every option for peaceful resolution of the Persian Gulf crisis. Once the President approached Congress for a declaration of war, 500,000 American soldiers' lives were in jeopardy-rendering any substantive debate by Congress meaningless. The President has not received a declaration of war by Congress, and in contravention of the written word, the spirit, and the intent of the views of Constitution had declared that he will go to war regardless of the views of Congress and the American people. Congress abdicated its responsibility, but the President violated the Constitution. I am dismayed with the Congressional leadership, but I am frightened by the President's unwillingness to uphold his oath of
Growing Older and Deeper in Debt
Growing Older and Deeper in Debt; http://montages.blogspot.com/2004/07/growing-older-and-deeper-in-debt.html
