December 21, 2006
View From the Future
Rebecca Solnit, for Solomon Solnit (b. October 18, 2006)
This essay was originally published on TomDispatch.I've been writing the year-end other-news summary for TomDispatch since 2004; somewhere around 2017, however, the formula of digging up overlooked stories and grounds for hope grew weary. So for this year, we've decided instead to look back on the last twenty-five years of the twenty-first century--but it was creatures from 60 million years ago who reminded me how to do it.
The other day, I borrowed some kids to go gawk with me at the one thing that we can always count on in an ever-more unstable world: age-of-dinosaur dioramas in science museums. This one had the usual dramatic clash between a tyrannosaurus and a triceratops; pterodactyls soaring through the air, one with a small reptile in its toothy maw; and some oblivious grazing by what, when I was young in another millennium, we would have called a brontosaurus. Easy to overlook in all that drama was the shrewlike mammal perched on a reed or thick blade of grass, too small to serve even as an enticing pterodactyl snack. The next thing coming down the line always looks like that mammal at the beginning--that's what I told the kids--inconsequential, beside the point; the official point usually being the clash of the titans.
That's exactly why mainstream journalists spent the first decade of this century debating the meaning of the obvious binaries--the Democrats versus the Republicans, McWorld versus global jihad--much as political debate of the early 1770s might have focused on whether the French or English monarch would have supremacy in North America, not long before the former was to be beheaded and the latter evicted. The monarchs in all their splashy scale were the dinosaurs of their day, and the eighteenth-century mammal no one noticed at first was named "revolution"; the early twenty-first-century version might have been called "localism" or maybe "anarchism," or even "civil society regnant." In some strange way, it turned out that windmill-builders were more important than the US Senate. They were certainly better at preparing for the future, anyway.
That mammal clinging to the stalk had crawled up from the grassroots, where the choices were so much more basic and significant than, for instance, the one between fundamentalism and consumerism that was on everyone's lips in the years of the Younger George Bush. If the twentieth century was the age of dinosaurs--of General Motors and the Soviet Union, of McDonald's, globalized entertainment networks and information superhighways--the twenty-first has increasingly turned out to be the age of the small.
You can see it in the countless local-economy projects--wind-power stations, farmers' markets, local enviro organizations, food co-ops--that were already proliferating, hardly noticed, by the time the Saudi Oil Wars swept the whole Middle East, damaging major oilfields and bringing on the Great Gasoline Crisis of 2009. That was the one that didn't just send prices skyrocketing but actually becalmed the globe-roaming container ships with their great steel-box-loads of bottled water, sweatshop garments and other gratuitous commodities.
The resulting food crisis of the early years of the second decade of the century, which laid big-petroleum-style farming low, suddenly elevated the status of peasant immigrants from what was then called "the undeveloped world," particularly Mexico and Southeast Asia. They taught the less agriculturally skilled, in suddenly greening North American cities, to cultivate the victory gardens that mitigated the widespread famines then beginning to sweep the planet. (It also turned out that the unwieldy and decadent SUVs of the millennium made great ecological sense, but only if you parked them facing south, put in sunroofs and used the high-windowed structures as seed-starter greenhouses.) The crisis spelled an end to the epidemic of American obesity, both by cutting calories and obliging so many Americans to actually move around on foot and bike and work with their hands.
Bush, the Accidental Empire Slayer
For a brief period, in the early years of that second decade of this chaotic century, a whole school of conspiracy theorists gained popularity by suggesting that Bush the Younger was actually the puppet of a left-wing plot to dismantle the global "hyperpower" of that moment. They pointed to the Trotskyist origins of the "neoconservatives," whose mad dreams had so clearly sunk the American empire in Iraq and Afghanistan, as part of their proof. They claimed that Bush's advisers consciously plotted to devastate the most powerful military on the planet, near collapse even before it was torn apart by the unexpected Officer Defection Movement, which burst into existence in 2009, followed by the next year's anti-draft riots in New York and elsewhere.
The Bush Administration's mismanagement of the US economy, while debt piled up, so obviously spelled the end of the era of American prosperity and power that some explanation, no matter how absurd, was called for--and for a while embraced. The long view from our own moment makes it clearer that Bush was simply one of the last dinosaurs of that imperial era, doing a remarkably efficient job of dragging down what was already doomed. If you're like most historians of our quarter-century moment, then you're less interested in the obvious--why it all fell--than in discovering the earliest hints of the mammalian alternatives springing up so vigorously with so little attention in those years.
Without benefit of conspiracy, what Bush the Younger really prompted (however blindly) was the beginning of a decentralization policy in the North American states. During the eight years of his tenure, dissident locales started to develop what later would become full-fledged independent policies on everything from queer rights and the environment to foreign relations and the notorious USA Patriot Act. For example, as early as 2004, several states, led by California, began setting their own automobile emissions standards in an attempt to address the already evident effects of climate change so studiously ignored in Washington.
In June 2005, mayors from cities across the nation unanimously agreed to join the Kyoto Protocol limiting climate-changing emissions--a direct rejection of national policy--at a national meeting in Seattle. Librarians across the country publicly refused to comply with the USA Patriot Act, and small towns nationwide condemned the measure in the years before many of those towns also condemned what historians now call the US-Iraq Quagmire.
It was the bullying of the Bush Administration that pushed these small entities to fight back, to form local administrations and set local regulations--to leave the Republic behind as they joined the journey to a viable future. And when their withdrawal was finished, so was the Republic.
Now the thousands of tons of high-level radioactive waste that pro-nuclear-reactor Washington policies had brought into being are buried in the granitic bedrock underlying the former capital--known as the Nuclear Arlington in contrast with the Human Arlington to the south, which will receive the remains of a few more nostalgic officers from the Gulf Wars, then close for good. The whole history of armament, radioactive contamination, disarmament and alternative energy research is on display in the museum housed in the former Supreme Court Building, though many avoid the area for fear of radiation contamination.
In hindsight, we all see that the left-right divide so harped upon in that era was but another dinosaur binary. After all, small government had long been (at least theoretically) a conservative mantra, as was (at least theoretically) left-wing support for the most localized forms of "people power"--and yet neither group ever pictured government or people power truly getting small enough to exist as it does today, at its most gigantic in bioregional groups about the size of the former states of Oregon or Georgia--but, of course, deeply enmeshed in complex global webs of alliances. All this was unimagined in, for instance, the dismal year of 2006.
By the time the Republican Party itself split in 2012 into two adversarial wings dubbed the Fundament party and the Conservatives, the American Empire was dismantling itself. Of course, the United States still nominally exists--we'll pay a bow to it this year at the Decolonization Day fireworks on July 4--but it is a largely symbolic entity, like the British Royal Family was for a century before its dissolution in 2020.
A similar death-of-the-dinosaurs moment was at work in the mainstream media--the big newspapers and television networks of that era. During the early years of the century, as Bush the Younger dragged the country deeper into the mire of unwinnable wars and countless lies, most of the big newspapers and television news programs lost their nerve, their edge or even their eyesight, and failed dismally to report the stories that mattered. Some fell to scandal--the New York Times was never the same after the Judith Miller crisis of 2005. Some were sabotaged from without, like the Los Angeles Times, undercut by its parent corporation's "cost-cutting" programs. Some withered away as younger readers fled paper pages for the Internet. But behind them, below them, in their shadow, regarded as puny and insignificant back then--even though their scoops kept upstaging and prodding the print media--were bloggers, alternative media such as small magazines and websites, the glorious Indymedia movement, progressive radio, even the text-messaging that had helped organize the first great Latino march of the immigrant rights movement at its beginnings in April 2006.
The Latin American Renaissance
The Latino-ization of the United States had brought some long missing civic engagement and pleasure back into public life and tied the country (and Canada) to the splendid insurgencies of the Southern Hemisphere. The era of postcommunist revolution that would explode from Tierra del Fuego to Tijuana in the second decade of the century is usually traced back to the entrance of Mexico's indigenous Zapatistas onto the world stage on January 1, 1994.
One bold reflection of a changing continent in those years was the election of progressive leaders--including leftist Rafael Correa in Ecuador, Hugo Chávez in Venezuela, Michele Bachelet in Chile, Luis Inacio Lula da Silva in Brazil and Evo Morales of Bolivia, all by 2006--even eventually Alicia Ponce de Leon in Colombia in 2014, three years after US war funding dried up (along with the America that paid for it). Chávez (president from 1998 to 2013) termed this the Bolivarian Revolution.
As a group, they were not bad as national leaders then went, but one great blow against nationalism proved to be the British seizure of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet in 1998 for crimes against humanity and his in-absentia trial in Spain, a saga that dragged on until the blood-drenched dictator's heart failed at the end of 2006. The new world is both more transnational and more local than the one it eclipsed, and nobody will ever be beyond the reach of justice again. (Africans, for example, recovered from Swiss and offshore bank accounts the hundreds of billions of dollars stolen by their former dictators, which gave a huge boost to the fight against AIDS and desertification.)
Whatever the names of their leaders, the real force in Latin America-- and increasingly elsewhere--would be in the grassroots activism that the Zapatistas heralded, which, in the view from 2026, clearly signaled the fading relevancy of nation-states. Latin indigenous movements, labor movements, neighborhood groups, worker takeovers in Argentina's factories from 2001 onward and the Argentine ideology of horizontalidad (or horizontalism) that went with it were just early signs of this development.
Like the regionalist policy-making entities of the United States, these movements undermined even progressive presidents to set more radical policies and grew to include many indigenous autonomous zones across the hemisphere. For example, in late 2006, the 8,000-member Achuar tribe (whose region spans what was once the Peru-Ecuador border) took hostage and defeated Peru's main oil and gas-extraction corporation in a mode of victorious resistance that would become increasingly common. In Mexico, the stolen presidential election of 2006 that resulted in the inauguration of PAN Party candidate Felix Calderón was the straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak. In the years to follow, the Second Mexican Revolution spread from Chiapas, Oaxaca and Mexico City, slowly dissolving that nation into a network of populist regional strongholds. Seventeen of them reinstated a local indigenous language as their official tongue.
Global Justice and the Drowned Lands
The Latin American Renaissance also created a network of communities strong enough to take in some of the climate-change refugees from Central America and Southern Mexico, who fled both north and south, along with Sunbelt--and what came to be called Swampbelt--émigrés from the southern United States. The great population transitions thus went more smoothly in the Western Hemisphere than across the Atlantic, where Europeans engaged in escalating anti-Muslim confrontations before realizing that only immigration could prop up the economies of nations whose native-born white-Christian populations were rapidly aging and, thanks to ultra-low birthrates, declining.
The end of those bloody squabbles is generally considered to have been marked by the election in 2020 of Chancellor Amira Goldblatt al-Hamid by what was then only a loosely federated association of German-speaking bioregional principalities. Similar crises--and, in some cases, cross-community, cross-religion bloodlettings--took place elsewhere, especially as populations moved away from increasingly desertifying, ever hotter hot zones in Africa and Southern Asia. Some historians have regarded the devastating global bird-flu pandemic of 2013 as fortunate in relieving climate-change population-shift pressures; others--including the noted historian Martha Moctezuma from the University of San Diego-Tijuana's Davis Center on Public Luxury--discard that perspective as callous.
Every schoolchild now knows the Old Map/New Map system and can recite the lands that vanished: half the Netherlands, much of Bangladesh, the Amazon Delta, the New Orleans and Shanghai lowlands. And who today can't still sing the popular ditties about those famed "fundamentalists without their fundamentals"--the senators who lost the state of Florida as it rapidly became a swampy archipelago. Most schoolchildren can also cite the World Court decision of 2016 that gave all shares in the major oil companies to Pacific Islanders, mainly resettled in New Zealand and Australia, whose homes had been lost to rising oceans (a short-lived triumph as the fossil-fuel economy ebbed away).
More creative responses to climate change included the tree-traveler and polar-bear collectives. These eco-anarchist clans--now popular contemporary heroes--first nursed plant populations on their unnatural journeys north by means of extensive rainy-season nursery cultivation and summer planting programs that have since become huge outdoor festivals. Today, many city parks and town squares have statues of Cleo Dorothy Chan, who organized the first small tree-traveler collective in southern Oregon and is now hailed globally as the twenty-first century's Johnny Appleseed. ("You can't choose between grief and exhilaration; they are the left and right foot on which we hike onward," said the T-shirts of the tree-travelers.) As for the polar-bear folks, they were initially a group of zoologists and circus trainers who, inspired by the tree-travelers, mobilized to teach young polar bears to adapt to changed habitat. They are often credited with saving that one charismatic species in the wild, even as thousands of less emblematic ones vanished.
The Principles of Change
A mature oak tree always looks significant, and when we look at it, we're willing to respect acorns, but the rest of the time the seeds of the next big thing are just trodden upon and overlooked. The ideas that made our era and pulled us back from the brink, the stakes that went through the hearts of the dinosaurs and the more incremental forces that rendered them extinct were all at work in the 1990s. They just didn't look very impressive yet, and people were intimidated by the heft of those dinosaurs and swayed by their arguments.
The World Court and related human rights, environmental rights and criminal courts became more powerful presences as the sun set on the era of the nation-state. Multiple changes often combined into scenarios impossible to foresee: for example, the belated US recognition in 2011 that the International Criminal Court did indeed have war-crimes jurisdiction over Americans coincided with the worldwide anti-incarceration movement. This explains why, for example, former President Bush the Younger, extradited from Paraguay and found guilty in 2013, was never imprisoned but sentenced to spend the rest of his life working in a Fallujah diaper laundry. (People who are still bitter about his reign are bitter too that the webcam there suggests, even at his advanced age, he still enjoys this work that accords so well with his skill set.) His assets--along with those of his Vice President, and of Halliburton, Bechtel, Exxon and other war profiteers--were famously awarded to the Vietnamese Buddhist Commission for the Iraqi Transition. After almost a decade of the bitterest bloodshed, Iraq, too, had broken into five nations, but by this time so many nation-states were being reorganized into more coherent units that the Iraqi transition, led by the Women's Alliance of Islamic Feminists (nicknamed the Islamofeminists), was surprisingly peaceful when it finally came.
"As I've said many times, the future is already here. It's just not very evenly distributed," said the sci-fi novelist William Gibson in 1999. In retrospect, the arrival of the Age of Mammals should have been easy to foresee. On every front--family structure and marriage, transportation, energy and food economies, localized power structures--everyday life was being reinvented in the late-twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. From India to Indiana an interlocking set of new ideas began to emerge and coalesce, becoming in the end the new common sense that new generations of thinkers and activists were guided by. Who now thinks it's radical to advocate that decentralization is better than consolidated power, that capitalism's worldview is vicious and dishonest, that the public matters as much or more than the private, that enforced homogeneity is not a virtue either on a farm or in a society?
The basic tools were already in place long before our era; here and there, a few at a time, people picked them up and started building a better future. Some new inventions mattered, such as the superefficient German and Japanese solar collectors and methane generators that revolutionized energy production, but much of the march toward a more environmentally sane future didn't require fancy scientific breakthroughs and technologies, just modesty. We scaled back on consumption and production. For example, the collapse of the US military put an end to the world's single most polluting entity, while the near-end of recreational air travel also made a significant contribution to rolling back greenhouse-gas production.
The law of unintended consequences continued to prevail: When touristic air travel withered, so did Hawaii's tourist economy--making the retaking of the islands by indigenous Hawaiians via the King Kamehameha Council a piece of cake. Of course, sailing ships still travel the triangular trade-winds route between Latin America, Hawaii and the Pacific Northwest.
Everything was changing then, is changing now, and some years back the Principles of Change were codified. These simply recited the history of popular and nonviolent resistance from slave uprisings (Hochschild '05) and Gandhian tactics (Schell '03) to the principles of direct action (D. Solnit '09) and social change (see Marina Sitrin horizontalism, '06) and drew the obvious conclusions about how change works, what powers civil society has, how war can be sabotaged from below and why violence ultimately fails.
Believers in authoritarian power had prophesied a globalized world of corporate nation-states (and indeed, the 2012 Olympics featured teams identified by branding rather than nation, such as the Dasani and Nokia track teams and the Ikea Decathaletes); but even as the polar bears survived, a different kind of change in the global climate doomed most of the large corporations.
The outlawing of corporate personhood was launched in Porter Township, Pennsylvania, in December 2002 and gradually became the law of the land. By 2015, the "human rights" US courts had given to corporations in the 1880s had been globally stripped away from them again.
Of course, there were revolts against the new world--just as the Republican dinosaurs led a long rearguard movement against women's rights, queer rights, the rights of the environment and science education, so there were corporations that resisted the new order, most spectacularly when Arkansas was taken over wholesale by Wal-Mart for seventeen months in the early teens. The heavily armed Arkansans rose up, Wal-Mart's private army changed sides and what was once the world's biggest corporation joined the dung-heap of history along--most famously--with Monsanto, derailed by the Schmeiser verdict, the precedent-setting World Court decision to award all assets in the genetic-engineering corporation to small farmers previously terrorized for not paying royalties on crops contaminated by Monsanto's genetically altered strains.
Failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who had been appointed ambassador to the United States from the Republic of Wal-Mart, was sentenced to three years as a sweeper at an Arkansas farmers' market and became locally beloved in the role. In the American Middle East (known as the Midwest until modern geographers pointed out that the West starts at the Continental Divide), sectarian feuding, which kept the region in a state of subdued civil war for almost a decade, still flares up occasionally.
Periodic sorties by the Fundaments against new programs and lifestyles are considered part of normal life, though Kansas's John Brown Society provides a degree of protection against them.
The Republic of Northern Idaho was another outpost of different-sex-only marriage laws and creationism, but the need to work with downriver communities on salmon restoration and dam removal eventually dissolved the breakaway half-state into the Columbia River Drainage federation. Other historians claim that the tattooed love freaks of the Seattle region, who found common ground with the ex-truckers and elk-hunters of Idaho, dissolved the Idahoan Republic via bicycle races and beer fests. Some also say the same-sex desires of elk hunters were legendary and led to negotiations for a direct rail link to San Francisco and Los Angeles.
In 1996, the Pentagon prepared imaginary scenarios describing five potential futures by 2025. Most of them were based on the belief that a better world was one dominated by American military power--which is to say, by the threat of state violence. That they came up with five possible futures demonstrated, at least, how wide open the next two decades seemed, even to a Tyrannosaurus-Rex bureaucracy that thought it was soon to own the planet. Some of their technological, corporate and militaristic futures could have come to pass.
Had people not come to believe strongly enough in their own power, in a horizontalist society and in a planetwide ability to work with the environmental changes the Industrial Age had loosed on us, we might be living in a very different, unimaginably catastrophic world--one in which the mammals would never have proliferated. They might even have breathed their last without ever emerging from under the fern fronds and out of the grasses. The future, of course, is not something you predict and wait for. It is something you invent daily through your actions. As Mas Kodani, a Buddhist in Los Angeles, said in the early twenty-first century: "One does not stand still looking for a path. One walks; and as one walks, a path comes into being."
We make it up as we go, and we make it up by going, or as the Zapatistas more elegantly put it, "Walking we ask questions." What else can you do? Perhaps respect the power of the small and the mystery of the future to which we all belong.
12/29/2006
To-Do Suggestions for Winter
WINTER
Your local adult education program and Ag. Extension almost certainly have something useful to teach you - woodworking, crocheting, music training, horseback riding, CPR, herbalism, vegetarian cookery... take advantage of people who want to teach their skills.
Get serious about land use planning - even if you live in a suburban neighborhood, you can find ways to optimize your land to produce the most food, fuel and barterables. Sit down and think hard about what you can do to make your land and your life more sustainable in the coming year.
The winter lull is an excellent time to get involved in public affairs. No matter how cynical you tend to be, nothing ever changed without engagement. So get out there. Stand for office. Join. Volunteer.
Now is the time to prepare for illness - keep a stock of remedies, including useful antibiotics (although know what you are doing, don't just buy them and take them), vitamin C supplements (I like elderberry syrup), painkillers, herbs, and tools for handling even serious illness by yourself. In the event of a truly severe epidemic of flu or other illness, avoiding illness and treating sick family members at home whenever possible may be safer than taking them to over-worked and over-crowded hospitals (or, it may not - but planning for the former won't prevent you from using the hospital if you need it).
Most schools would be delighted to have volunteers come in and talk about conservation, gardening, small livestock, home-scale mechanics, ham radio, etc..., and most homeschooling families would be similarly thrilled. Consider offering to teach something you know that will be helpful post-peak (although I wouldn't recommend discussing peak oil with any but the oldest teenagers, and not even that without their parents permission.
Now is the time to convince your business, synagogue, church, school, community center to put a garden on that empty lawn. If you start the campaign now, you can be ready to plant in the spring. Produce can be shared among participants or offered to the needy.
The one-two punch of rising heating oil and gas prices may well be what is needed to make your family and friends more receptive to the peak oil message. Try again. At the very least, emphasize the options for mitigating increased economic strain with sustainable practices.
Get together with neighbors and check in on your area's elderly and disabled people. Make a plan that ensures they will be checked on during bad weather, power outages, etc... Offer help with stocking up for winter, or maintaining equipment. And watch for signs that they are struggling economically.
Work on raising money and getting help with local poverty-abatement programs. After the holidays, people struggle. They get hungry and cold. Remember, besides the fact that it is the right thing to do, the life you save may be your own.
Get out and enjoy the cold weather. It is hard to adapt to colder temperatures if you spend all your time huddled in front of a heater. Ski, snowshoe, sled, shovel, have a snowball fight, build a hut, go winter camping, but get comfortable with the cold, snowy world around you.
Have your chimney(s) inspected, and learn to clean your own. Learn to care for your kerosene lamps, to use candles safely, and how to use and maintain your smoke and CO detectors and fire extinguishers. Winter is peak fire season, so keep safe.
Grow sprouts on your windowsill.
Now is an excellent time to reconsider how you use your house. Look around - could you make more space? House more people? Do projects more efficiently? Add greenhouse space? Put in a homemade composting toilet? Work with what you have to make it more useful.
If a holiday gift exchange is part of your life, make most of your gifts. Knit, whittle, build, sew, or otherwise create something beautiful for the people you love.
If someone wants to buy you something, request a useful tool or preparedness item, or a gift certificate. Consider giving such gifts to friends and family - a solar crank radio, an LED flashlight, cast iron pans; these are useful and appreciated items whether or not you understand peak oil.
Do a dry run in the dead of winter. Turn out all the power, turn off the water. Turn off all fossil-fuel sources of heat, and see how things go for a few days. Use what you learn to improve your preparedness, and have fun while doing it.
Learn to mend clothing, patch and make patchwork out of old clothes.
Write letters to people. The post is the most reliable way of communicating, and letters last forever.
Make a list of goals for the coming year, then for the coming five years. Start Keeping records of your goals and your successes and failures.
Keep a journal. Your children and grandchildren--or someone else’s--may want to know what these days were like.
Wash your hands frequently, and avoid stress. Stay healthy so that you can be useful to those around you.
For those subject to depression or anxiety, winter can be hard. Find ways to relax, decompress and use work as an antidote to fear whenever possible. Get outside on sunny days, and try to exercise as much as possible to help maintain a positive attitude.
Memorize a poem or song every week. No matter what happens to you, no one can ever take away the music and words you hold in your mind. You can have them as comfort and pleasure wherever you go, and in whatever circumstances.
Take advantage of heating stoves by cooking on them. You can make soups or stews on top of any wood stove or even many radiators, and you can build or buy a metal oven that sits on top of woodstoves to bake in.
Winter is a time of quiet and contemplation. Go outside. Hear the silence. Take pleasure in what you have achieved over the past year. Focus on the abundance of this present, this day, rather than scarcity to come.
Your local adult education program and Ag. Extension almost certainly have something useful to teach you - woodworking, crocheting, music training, horseback riding, CPR, herbalism, vegetarian cookery... take advantage of people who want to teach their skills.
Get serious about land use planning - even if you live in a suburban neighborhood, you can find ways to optimize your land to produce the most food, fuel and barterables. Sit down and think hard about what you can do to make your land and your life more sustainable in the coming year.
The winter lull is an excellent time to get involved in public affairs. No matter how cynical you tend to be, nothing ever changed without engagement. So get out there. Stand for office. Join. Volunteer.
Now is the time to prepare for illness - keep a stock of remedies, including useful antibiotics (although know what you are doing, don't just buy them and take them), vitamin C supplements (I like elderberry syrup), painkillers, herbs, and tools for handling even serious illness by yourself. In the event of a truly severe epidemic of flu or other illness, avoiding illness and treating sick family members at home whenever possible may be safer than taking them to over-worked and over-crowded hospitals (or, it may not - but planning for the former won't prevent you from using the hospital if you need it).
Most schools would be delighted to have volunteers come in and talk about conservation, gardening, small livestock, home-scale mechanics, ham radio, etc..., and most homeschooling families would be similarly thrilled. Consider offering to teach something you know that will be helpful post-peak (although I wouldn't recommend discussing peak oil with any but the oldest teenagers, and not even that without their parents permission.
Now is the time to convince your business, synagogue, church, school, community center to put a garden on that empty lawn. If you start the campaign now, you can be ready to plant in the spring. Produce can be shared among participants or offered to the needy.
The one-two punch of rising heating oil and gas prices may well be what is needed to make your family and friends more receptive to the peak oil message. Try again. At the very least, emphasize the options for mitigating increased economic strain with sustainable practices.
Get together with neighbors and check in on your area's elderly and disabled people. Make a plan that ensures they will be checked on during bad weather, power outages, etc... Offer help with stocking up for winter, or maintaining equipment. And watch for signs that they are struggling economically.
Work on raising money and getting help with local poverty-abatement programs. After the holidays, people struggle. They get hungry and cold. Remember, besides the fact that it is the right thing to do, the life you save may be your own.
Get out and enjoy the cold weather. It is hard to adapt to colder temperatures if you spend all your time huddled in front of a heater. Ski, snowshoe, sled, shovel, have a snowball fight, build a hut, go winter camping, but get comfortable with the cold, snowy world around you.
Have your chimney(s) inspected, and learn to clean your own. Learn to care for your kerosene lamps, to use candles safely, and how to use and maintain your smoke and CO detectors and fire extinguishers. Winter is peak fire season, so keep safe.
Grow sprouts on your windowsill.
Now is an excellent time to reconsider how you use your house. Look around - could you make more space? House more people? Do projects more efficiently? Add greenhouse space? Put in a homemade composting toilet? Work with what you have to make it more useful.
If a holiday gift exchange is part of your life, make most of your gifts. Knit, whittle, build, sew, or otherwise create something beautiful for the people you love.
If someone wants to buy you something, request a useful tool or preparedness item, or a gift certificate. Consider giving such gifts to friends and family - a solar crank radio, an LED flashlight, cast iron pans; these are useful and appreciated items whether or not you understand peak oil.
Do a dry run in the dead of winter. Turn out all the power, turn off the water. Turn off all fossil-fuel sources of heat, and see how things go for a few days. Use what you learn to improve your preparedness, and have fun while doing it.
Learn to mend clothing, patch and make patchwork out of old clothes.
Write letters to people. The post is the most reliable way of communicating, and letters last forever.
Make a list of goals for the coming year, then for the coming five years. Start Keeping records of your goals and your successes and failures.
Keep a journal. Your children and grandchildren--or someone else’s--may want to know what these days were like.
Wash your hands frequently, and avoid stress. Stay healthy so that you can be useful to those around you.
For those subject to depression or anxiety, winter can be hard. Find ways to relax, decompress and use work as an antidote to fear whenever possible. Get outside on sunny days, and try to exercise as much as possible to help maintain a positive attitude.
Memorize a poem or song every week. No matter what happens to you, no one can ever take away the music and words you hold in your mind. You can have them as comfort and pleasure wherever you go, and in whatever circumstances.
Take advantage of heating stoves by cooking on them. You can make soups or stews on top of any wood stove or even many radiators, and you can build or buy a metal oven that sits on top of woodstoves to bake in.
Winter is a time of quiet and contemplation. Go outside. Hear the silence. Take pleasure in what you have achieved over the past year. Focus on the abundance of this present, this day, rather than scarcity to come.
Edward's Campaign
John Edwards' campaign for President
We cannot wait until January of 2009 to begin to change America.
If we act together, we can make a difference
Everyone Doing Something
Ten Simple Things You Can Do to Go Green
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/122806EB.shtml
Laurie David, who produced Al Gore's documentary about global warming,"AnInconvenient Truth," says saving the planet isn't about everyone doing everything:
"It's about everyone doing something"and "The Compact."
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/122806EB.shtml
Laurie David, who produced Al Gore's documentary about global warming,"AnInconvenient Truth," says saving the planet isn't about everyone doing everything:
"It's about everyone doing something"and "The Compact."
12/27/2006
Dec. 28 and More
Welcome
to
Home Fires Burning
A Winter Concert Series
Presented by
The Rooster’s Wife
The Rooster’s Wife is a private non-profit association organized to celebrate the performing arts in Aberdeen, North Carolina. Created to serve the community by preserving our cultural heritage and presenting the talent of the next generation, the Rooster’s Wife is committed to offering affordable programs for every age to enjoy.
The first winter concert series will feature acoustic music in a house concert setting. This will be followed by a series of twice monthly outdoor concerts on Sunday evenings held on the lawn of the Postmaster’s House, Aberdeen’s first building. These family events will feature a variety of music and will offer the community an opportunity for direct involvement through volunteering and sponsorships.
The long term goal for the Rooster’s Wife is to support the performing arts through outreach and community involvement presenting local artists to schools, nursing homes and hospitals, in concerts and workshops. Further, the Rooster’s Wife intends to support all efforts to maintain the cultural heritage and sustainable growth of our town.
December 28, 2006
The Parsons
www.theparsons.info
US 1 to Main St. First Bank is your landmark. East on Main to Blue St/Rte 5. Left on Blue.
One block to corner of High and Blue, the house is white with a red roof.
January 27, 2007
Jonathan Byrd
www.jonathanbyrd.com
Karen Mal
www.karenmal.com
February 24, 2007
Big Medicine
www.bigmedmusic.com
March 23, 2007
Doug and Telisha Williams
www.DandTW.com
January 27, 2007
Jonathan Byrd
www.jonathanbyrd.com
Karen Mal
www.karenmal.com
February 24, 2007
Big Medicine
www.bigmedmusic.com
March 23, 2007
Doug and Telisha Williams
www.DandTW.com
12/26/2006
Integrity of PBS
Bush Criticized for New Appointment to Oversee Public Media Funding
In media news, President Bush is coming under intense criticism over his latest appointment to the board overseeing federal funding of public television and radio -- the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Last week, the president quietly appointed sitcom producer and Republican supporter Warren Bell.
Bell’s appointment came over the objections of several members of the Senate Commerce Committee who had blocked his nomination.
Bell has no public broadcast experience and has written for the conservative magazine National Review.
New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg said: "This appointment by the Bush administration makes it clear that they simply don't care about the integrity or quality of our public broadcasting system."
In media news, President Bush is coming under intense criticism over his latest appointment to the board overseeing federal funding of public television and radio -- the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Last week, the president quietly appointed sitcom producer and Republican supporter Warren Bell.
Bell’s appointment came over the objections of several members of the Senate Commerce Committee who had blocked his nomination.
Bell has no public broadcast experience and has written for the conservative magazine National Review.
New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg said: "This appointment by the Bush administration makes it clear that they simply don't care about the integrity or quality of our public broadcasting system."
James Brown
Musical legend James Brown died on Christmas at the age of 73.
He was one of the most significant musical pioneers of the past 50 years. The Rev. Al Sharpton said yesterday, "What James Brown was to music in terms of soul and hip-hop, rap, is what Bach was to classical music."
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/12/26/1519203
He was one of the most significant musical pioneers of the past 50 years. The Rev. Al Sharpton said yesterday, "What James Brown was to music in terms of soul and hip-hop, rap, is what Bach was to classical music."
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/12/26/1519203
FCC Sides With Verison & Wireless
FCC Sides with Verizon & Wireless and Votes to Strip Local Communities of Control Over Cable Franchising
Anthony Riddle, of the Alliance for Community Media, joins us in the Firehouse to talk about last week's 3-2 vote. The FCC's two Democratic commissioners, Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein voted against the measure.
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/12/26/1519200
Anthony Riddle, of the Alliance for Community Media, joins us in the Firehouse to talk about last week's 3-2 vote. The FCC's two Democratic commissioners, Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein voted against the measure.
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/12/26/1519200
Reminder, Dec. 28, Aberdeen
If you're looking for something to do on Thursday evening December 28 - very near the geographic center of the Sandhills in Aberdeen - The Rooster's Wife winter house concert series (followed by an outdoor series and farmers market this spring) will be kicking off with a performance by a Sandhills acoustic string quartet... For more details and directions - contact "The Rooster's Wife" - aka Janet Kenworthy, 910-944-7502 or theroosterswife@yahoo.com.
The Rooster's home is a beautiful old house on the hill overlooking Aberdeen. Music begins at 8pm. We talk a lot about "vibrant walkable downtowns" and "preserving a sense of place" in the Sandhills - so here's a chance for you to "walk the walk" (or "drink the drink") with some like-minded folks. The energy and vision behind this grassroots series in Aberdeen deserves our support - and The Parsons are glad to be The Rooster's guinea pigs!
"The Rooster’s Wife" presents
The Parsons
House Concert $5 Donation
Dec. 28, 2006, 8pm
Corner of High and Blue, Downtown Aberdeen
RSVP 910-944-7502, theroosterswife@yahoo.com
The Rooster's home is a beautiful old house on the hill overlooking Aberdeen. Music begins at 8pm. We talk a lot about "vibrant walkable downtowns" and "preserving a sense of place" in the Sandhills - so here's a chance for you to "walk the walk" (or "drink the drink") with some like-minded folks. The energy and vision behind this grassroots series in Aberdeen deserves our support - and The Parsons are glad to be The Rooster's guinea pigs!
"The Rooster’s Wife" presents
The Parsons
House Concert $5 Donation
Dec. 28, 2006, 8pm
Corner of High and Blue, Downtown Aberdeen
RSVP 910-944-7502, theroosterswife@yahoo.com
12/23/2006
Last posting pre-Christmas
[this post is from an international drumming listserve.
Ditto! from this blogger!
Merry Deal, Ya'll!]
"I am not a Christian........................I actually am some sort of hodge podge of a Buddhist with a smattering of many different world religions (Sufiism, Hinduism, Christianity, etc.) thrown into my mutt of a disembodied subarban California soul.
I did grow up in a Christian country, however, and for all the awful things that have been done in that Christ's name, the festival of Christmas has also come to be associated with the giving of gifts and the ritualistic appreciation of friends and family in our culture......................it is a time of Peace and a time ofCelebration..............where people get together (sometimes for the only time during the year) and celebrate family.
The Christmas meal is always the most bounteous meal of the year and something I look forward to. I n my family (from the south of the United States originally) traditionally, we have Stuffed Turkey, Cornbread dressing, Mashed Potatoes, Homeade Cranberry Sauce, Pickled Peaches (might sound bad but these are unbelivably delicious and sweet), Marshmallow Candied Yams and a token Vegetable or two.
With the weather much colder and the nights much longer, it is a time where we celebrate our similarities, not our differences. A time when we celebrate generosity of spirit....................the giving of gifts, whether they be phsyical gifts or just the gift of quality time spent with each other.
In this spirit, I would like to wish everyone on this list and all the people on this planet a Merry Christmas.
Somehow I think that if Mohammed and Christ and Buddha and Shiva and Moses were all to have a meal right now, they'd all agree that they want peace on earth and brotherhood and sisterhood and solidarity to reign on Planet Earth. I think they would laugh and smile a lot around the dinner table and that they would probably pick up frame drums and sing songs together. I'd love to think so, at least.
No US and Them.
I feel blessed to be on this list with all of you from around the world with different philosophies and religions.
Merry Christmas
Happy Channuka
Joyous Solstice
Bodacious Kwaanza
to everyone!"
Ditto! from this blogger!
Merry Deal, Ya'll!]
"I am not a Christian........................I actually am some sort of hodge podge of a Buddhist with a smattering of many different world religions (Sufiism, Hinduism, Christianity, etc.) thrown into my mutt of a disembodied subarban California soul.
I did grow up in a Christian country, however, and for all the awful things that have been done in that Christ's name, the festival of Christmas has also come to be associated with the giving of gifts and the ritualistic appreciation of friends and family in our culture......................it is a time of Peace and a time ofCelebration..............where people get together (sometimes for the only time during the year) and celebrate family.
The Christmas meal is always the most bounteous meal of the year and something I look forward to. I n my family (from the south of the United States originally) traditionally, we have Stuffed Turkey, Cornbread dressing, Mashed Potatoes, Homeade Cranberry Sauce, Pickled Peaches (might sound bad but these are unbelivably delicious and sweet), Marshmallow Candied Yams and a token Vegetable or two.
With the weather much colder and the nights much longer, it is a time where we celebrate our similarities, not our differences. A time when we celebrate generosity of spirit....................the giving of gifts, whether they be phsyical gifts or just the gift of quality time spent with each other.
In this spirit, I would like to wish everyone on this list and all the people on this planet a Merry Christmas.
Somehow I think that if Mohammed and Christ and Buddha and Shiva and Moses were all to have a meal right now, they'd all agree that they want peace on earth and brotherhood and sisterhood and solidarity to reign on Planet Earth. I think they would laugh and smile a lot around the dinner table and that they would probably pick up frame drums and sing songs together. I'd love to think so, at least.
No US and Them.
I feel blessed to be on this list with all of you from around the world with different philosophies and religions.
Merry Christmas
Happy Channuka
Joyous Solstice
Bodacious Kwaanza
to everyone!"
12/22/2006
Media Follies 2006
Media Follies 2006! The year's most overhyped and underreported stories [from workingforchange.com]
"Welcome to the eleventh year of selecting my annual list of the year's most overhyped and underreported stories. As usual, there's plenty to unravel: stories that should never have been stories, stories whose reporting largely missed the point, and stories barely told at all in mainstream US media.
But mainstream media is no longer the last word in journalism. One of the year's biggest underreported stories involved the media itself: how a critical corporate-friendly communications "reform" bill was stopped dead entirely through New Media activism. On international stories, foreign media -- universally available in English on the Internet -- often tells a completely different (and usually more accurate) story than what we see, read, and hear here. At home, independent media -- which has been way ahead of corporate media on any number of issues -- has repeatedly shown its relevance, to the point where Internet sites have become the preferred news sources for many Americans.
But it's the big corporate outlets that still have the largest audiences, online as well as in their original formats, and so it's the stories that do and don't appear there that require our attention. This is by definition an incomplete list. If you have suggestions for additions to the list, for either overhyped stories (I tend to tune the dumbest of them out, so I usually miss at least one whopper) or underreported ones, send them to geovlp@earthlink.net and we'll run the best ones in another column.
The Year's Most Overhyped Stories:
The Democrats Will Make Everything Better: Few people actually said this, of course, but amongst liberal and progressive media and activists, a narrative emerged during the 2006 election which told us that once Democrats controlled Congress, all our problems would be solved and we could move on to the 2008 presidential race. The problem, of course, is that in the intervening two years, most evidence points to Congressional Democrats taking few risks and not accomplishing much. Granted, it's at minimum an improvement in the sense that we'll never know what further horrors of one-party rule might have been perpetrated with different results in November. But our Denier-in-Chief still has two years with a Congress that will pick and choose what to confront him on. That could exclude not only the steadily worsening Middle East conflagration, but another Supreme Court appointment, among many other things. We're not out of the woods yet. Speaking of which:
November's electoral tsunami was a triumph of Democratic conservatism: So-called "Blue Dog" Democrats, in this widely accepted narrative, are what America embraced when it rejected Republicanism. Alas, it's horse hockey. To the extent the Democratic triumph was anything other than a massive repudiation of neoconservatism, the wave was just as much due to an energized progressive party base and the much-maligned Howard Dean's 50-state strategy.
John Kerry's bad joke: In the runup to that tsunami, it was not shocking that Republicans would latch onto a poorly told joke by John Kerry (a man running for nothing) and try to use it to indict all Democrats as troop-haters, traitors, or worse. (Why not? Swiftboating Kerry worked once.) What was astonishing was that the media establishment seized on this ridiculously naked ploy and ran with it. If malapropisms should indict a whole political party, not only should Kerry have become president in 2004, but Dubya's constantly ludicrous verbal stumbles should have destroyed his party by then. (Instead, he's doing it now, with deeds.)
Barack Obama: He's black! And many white people like him! What does this say about America!? Less than it says about media's ability to create celebrities out of near-thin air.
Speaking of potential presidential candidates, Russ Feingold's censure resolution of George Bush, and the fact that it generated far more media heat than actual impact on anything (or even co-sponsors), probably in the end helped convince Feingold that he could never win his party's presidential nomination. Are you listening, Dennis?
Electronic Voting Machines: Sure, they can be hacked. This is important. But in most places where they've been used, there's no evidence that they have been hacked or otherwise abused. Meanwhile, potential abuse overshadowed two much larger stories: the public's loss of confidence in the entire voting process, and the numerous other, more traditional ways candidates, especially Republicans, were purging or preventing voter registration, suppressing voter turnout, and committing other widespread dirty tricks tainting the voting process now.
JonBenet Ramsey: She's Hot! She's Sexy! She Was Six! She's Dead! How many years (and crackpot confessions) can corporate media stretch out its JonBenet necrophilia?
American Idol: This. Is. Not. News. Ever.
It's hard to believe, but on Feb. 22, 2006, the biggest story of the day was the Dubai Port Scandal. Meanwhile, elsewhere in the news, the anonymous bombing of the Ankari mosque in Samarra, Iraq, was busily touching off full-scale sectarian civil war. Which story had the greater long-term impact?
In the same spirit, let us pause for a moment to remember the killing of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, which by White House and press accounts was to be a major turning point in ending the violence in Iraq. One minor problem: they were completely wrong, as anyone who'd been paying attention could have and did point out.
And some terrorists simply aren't terrorists at all. Remember those British guys foiled at the last possible moment who were planning to make bombs out of toothpaste (or whatever) on Trans-Atlantic flights? Or all those Canadians busted for plotting to blow up every significant building in Canada on a long weekend? Or those hapless clowns set up in Miami? Don't believe the hype. Speaking of which...
The Iraq Study Group: Never has so much ink and air time been devoted to a powerless panel whose sole contribution was to tell us what anyone with a brain cell already knew (i.e., Iraq is a disaster), and to suggest policies nobody intended to adopt.
Tests Confirm! George Bush Has a Brain Cell!: True, this was never actually a story. But if it had been, it would've been overhyped.
The Year's Most Underreported Stories
Siberia's permafrost is melting: Why is this an important story? Because Arctic permafrost, which in Siberia covers endless miles, contains massive amounts of methane. The melting soil releases the methane into the air, where it is now expected to massively and irrevocably accelerate global warming. It's a process that has already begun, but just. This massive climate bomb literally has the potential to end civilization. Its discovery should have not only been the year's top story, but an impetus for all humanity to unite in a common struggle for survival. Maybe in 2007. Or 2009, when someone who believes in science occupies the White House.
Massive Grass Roots Win on Net Neutrality: The telecommunications lobby, the most powerful in Washington, spent $200 million in the 109th Congress to ram through a communications "reform" bill that would have given giant providers preferential access to the Internet, fundamentally changing how media in the 21st Century will be used and crippling the Internet's remarkably democratic culture. The slam-dunk bill miraculously failed -- due to a massive grass roots lobbying campaign on an issue that got almost no corporate media coverage. Millions of American responded on an arcane issue publicized solely through New Media, marking as milestones not only the victory but how the victory was achieved. Activists need to claim more of their triumphs, and this was one of the biggest in memory.
It's hard to believe that the year's biggest story was also badly underreported, but most Americans really do have no idea how bad things have gotten in Iraq. The proper debate as of late December is not over whether to call what's happening a civil war, but whether to call it ethnic cleansing or genocide. The scale with which America's unprovoked, illegal invasion has ripped this country apart molecule by molecule is simply unimaginable to most Americans. And American media doesn't even try to report the big picture, focusing instead on the numbing drumbeat of daily death totals. The armed thugs and death squads now ruling Iraq are fully capable of driving America out of Iraq militarily in the next two years.
On the other hand, we might be driven out of Afghanistan very, very soon. As in Iraq, the puppet American-installed "government" is irrelevant and Washington has made endless boneheaded decisions that are adding up to the Taliban retaking the country, steadily, province by province, month by month. Unlike Iraq, few Americans realize we're also losing Afghanistan badly, and in some ways more quickly. If only Afghans had oil, they could at least make the news. Maybe.
There's other major crises afoot in the Middle East, too, and the U.S. has a hand in all of them: Israel's attacks on Palestine. Palestine itself now on the verge of civil war. Israel's attack on Lebanon. Lebanon itself now on the verge of civil war, too. The threat that Israel or the U.S. could attack Iran or Syria, or both. Saudi Arabia's threat to intervene on the side of the Sunnis in Iraq, while Iran supports the Shiites. Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States announcing plans to develop their own nuclear weapon program to counter Iran. What a mess. One name links all these stories: George W. Bush.
India, Pakistan, and nukes: India and Pakistan have hated each other for nearly 60 years. That's why in the late '90s they both exploded nuclear devices, which is why the Clinton administration slapped sanctions (later lifted by Dubya) on both. So what happened in 2006? Bush signs a massive deal to expand India's nuclear program, and continues to reward both Pakistan's Musharraf dictatorship and the Pakistani intelligence elements that developed Pakistan's nuclear program (and shopped it to North Korea, Iran, and Libya, among others) -- while at the same time undercutting the Musharraf regime, especially in the country's northwest, a Taliban and Al-Qaeda stronghold. Confusing, sure, but the upshot is that in turn this has increased the chances that, with an Islamist coup, Pakistan's nukes would fall into the hands of America's enemies. A real lose-lose, except for America's enemies. And at ground zero, the people of Pakistan and India, innocents in the crossfire of a conflict where we've rewarded the nuclear armament of both sides.
Say, where is Osama bin Laden, anyway?
We know who lost Iraq and Afghanistan. But who lost Russia ? In 1949 conservatives were asking this about China after the Soviet-allied Mao seized power, but in 2006 Vladimir Putin took countless additional steps to move what in the 20th Century was America's biggest rival for global power back to being an authoritarian state. In 1989, the Berlin Wall came down, nonviolent revolutions swept communist tyrants from power from Russia throughout the Soviet bloc, and it was all supposed to be better. And conservatives claimed that Reagan and America were responsible for this triumph of democracy. Who, then, is responsible for its failure? And more importantly, what does this mean for what is still the world's largest country and a major holder of oil and gas reserves?
Similarly, since when did torture, suspension of habeas corpus, and domestic warrantless spying become America's status quo? Since 2006, that's when. Three terrifying, textbook examples of how, in short progression, the unthinkable becomes the hotly debated becomes The Way We Do Things. As we enter 2007, all the elements for a fully "constitutional" dictatorship have quietly fallen into place. All it now takes is someone smarter or more ruthless than George Bush to exploit them.
Much of the so-called "Global War on Terror" is all about power and profiteering: Neocons wanted an empire abroad and expanded state power at home, sure. But wherever the U.S. military has gone in the last five years, which pretty much resembles a map of Planet Earth, privatization and lucrative contracts for well-connected companies have followed. Much of the logic of this so-called war is economic and intended to benefit only a very, very select few. While the threat posed by terror is real (especially in the wake of post-9-11 American policy), there are other far larger threats to the country's national security. Global warming, for one.
America's massive budget and foreign trade deficits, for another. Media has done little to enlighten us on just how badly the Bush regime has bankrupted our country's treasury for generations to come, and left our economy in the hands of foreign creditors like China and Japan. As 2006 closes, the housing bubble has burst, the flow of U.S. jobs overseas now resembles whitewater rapids, and the value of the dollar against foreign currency is plummeting. This is just the beginning. Thank the "terrorists" in the White House.
Amazingly, given how much it came up during the midterm elections, Republican corruption wasn't covered well at all in 2006. Media never followed the Abramoff scandal through to the dozens of lawmakers who traded his money for their votes. More broadly, there were almost daily stories of executive and legislative branch sleaze that never made waves beyond the Beltway and legislators' home constituencies. But cumulatively, they formed a damning indictment of how Washington does business. And almost no outlets covered the story as leaders of both parties buried attempts at meaningful post-Abramoff congressional ethics reforms in early 2006.
As with most labor news, The National Labor Relation Board's ruling disqualifying up to eight million Americans from union membership got almost no play. But this was no ordinary labor news; it was, by the AFL-CIO's reckoning, the worst government decision on labor in nearly 60 years. It was ignored anyway.
Even as the gap between the well-connected rich and everyone else continued to widen in 2006, class went back to being a forbidden word in corporate American media. A year after Katrina ripped away the thin veneer hiding race and class issues in America, and with Katrina's victims still being victimized by government agencies and insurance companies, with middle class jobs evaporating, privatization and government corruption endemic, health care and education costs still skyrocketing, class mobility in America decreasing, and levels of homelessness and hunger continuing to increase, the media veneer was firmly back in place. In America's increasingly vicious class war, one reason the wealthy are winning is corporate media's insistence (all evidence to the contrary) that no such war exists.
On the brighter side of that equation, though, the stranglehold of Big Money on American politics is ending. The 2006 elections showed that activist and especially Internet campaign fundraising can go dollar-for-dollar against corporate-friendly candidates. The technology is now in place to make it far easier for many little donations o match a few big special interest ones. It's no substitute for public financing of campaigns -- which would allow some of that money to be invested in meeting real needs instead -- but it's still a powerful democratizing force. As we enter 2007, we need all of those we can get."
"Welcome to the eleventh year of selecting my annual list of the year's most overhyped and underreported stories. As usual, there's plenty to unravel: stories that should never have been stories, stories whose reporting largely missed the point, and stories barely told at all in mainstream US media.
But mainstream media is no longer the last word in journalism. One of the year's biggest underreported stories involved the media itself: how a critical corporate-friendly communications "reform" bill was stopped dead entirely through New Media activism. On international stories, foreign media -- universally available in English on the Internet -- often tells a completely different (and usually more accurate) story than what we see, read, and hear here. At home, independent media -- which has been way ahead of corporate media on any number of issues -- has repeatedly shown its relevance, to the point where Internet sites have become the preferred news sources for many Americans.
But it's the big corporate outlets that still have the largest audiences, online as well as in their original formats, and so it's the stories that do and don't appear there that require our attention. This is by definition an incomplete list. If you have suggestions for additions to the list, for either overhyped stories (I tend to tune the dumbest of them out, so I usually miss at least one whopper) or underreported ones, send them to geovlp@earthlink.net and we'll run the best ones in another column.
The Year's Most Overhyped Stories:
The Democrats Will Make Everything Better: Few people actually said this, of course, but amongst liberal and progressive media and activists, a narrative emerged during the 2006 election which told us that once Democrats controlled Congress, all our problems would be solved and we could move on to the 2008 presidential race. The problem, of course, is that in the intervening two years, most evidence points to Congressional Democrats taking few risks and not accomplishing much. Granted, it's at minimum an improvement in the sense that we'll never know what further horrors of one-party rule might have been perpetrated with different results in November. But our Denier-in-Chief still has two years with a Congress that will pick and choose what to confront him on. That could exclude not only the steadily worsening Middle East conflagration, but another Supreme Court appointment, among many other things. We're not out of the woods yet. Speaking of which:
November's electoral tsunami was a triumph of Democratic conservatism: So-called "Blue Dog" Democrats, in this widely accepted narrative, are what America embraced when it rejected Republicanism. Alas, it's horse hockey. To the extent the Democratic triumph was anything other than a massive repudiation of neoconservatism, the wave was just as much due to an energized progressive party base and the much-maligned Howard Dean's 50-state strategy.
John Kerry's bad joke: In the runup to that tsunami, it was not shocking that Republicans would latch onto a poorly told joke by John Kerry (a man running for nothing) and try to use it to indict all Democrats as troop-haters, traitors, or worse. (Why not? Swiftboating Kerry worked once.) What was astonishing was that the media establishment seized on this ridiculously naked ploy and ran with it. If malapropisms should indict a whole political party, not only should Kerry have become president in 2004, but Dubya's constantly ludicrous verbal stumbles should have destroyed his party by then. (Instead, he's doing it now, with deeds.)
Barack Obama: He's black! And many white people like him! What does this say about America!? Less than it says about media's ability to create celebrities out of near-thin air.
Speaking of potential presidential candidates, Russ Feingold's censure resolution of George Bush, and the fact that it generated far more media heat than actual impact on anything (or even co-sponsors), probably in the end helped convince Feingold that he could never win his party's presidential nomination. Are you listening, Dennis?
Electronic Voting Machines: Sure, they can be hacked. This is important. But in most places where they've been used, there's no evidence that they have been hacked or otherwise abused. Meanwhile, potential abuse overshadowed two much larger stories: the public's loss of confidence in the entire voting process, and the numerous other, more traditional ways candidates, especially Republicans, were purging or preventing voter registration, suppressing voter turnout, and committing other widespread dirty tricks tainting the voting process now.
JonBenet Ramsey: She's Hot! She's Sexy! She Was Six! She's Dead! How many years (and crackpot confessions) can corporate media stretch out its JonBenet necrophilia?
American Idol: This. Is. Not. News. Ever.
It's hard to believe, but on Feb. 22, 2006, the biggest story of the day was the Dubai Port Scandal. Meanwhile, elsewhere in the news, the anonymous bombing of the Ankari mosque in Samarra, Iraq, was busily touching off full-scale sectarian civil war. Which story had the greater long-term impact?
In the same spirit, let us pause for a moment to remember the killing of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, which by White House and press accounts was to be a major turning point in ending the violence in Iraq. One minor problem: they were completely wrong, as anyone who'd been paying attention could have and did point out.
And some terrorists simply aren't terrorists at all. Remember those British guys foiled at the last possible moment who were planning to make bombs out of toothpaste (or whatever) on Trans-Atlantic flights? Or all those Canadians busted for plotting to blow up every significant building in Canada on a long weekend? Or those hapless clowns set up in Miami? Don't believe the hype. Speaking of which...
The Iraq Study Group: Never has so much ink and air time been devoted to a powerless panel whose sole contribution was to tell us what anyone with a brain cell already knew (i.e., Iraq is a disaster), and to suggest policies nobody intended to adopt.
Tests Confirm! George Bush Has a Brain Cell!: True, this was never actually a story. But if it had been, it would've been overhyped.
The Year's Most Underreported Stories
Siberia's permafrost is melting: Why is this an important story? Because Arctic permafrost, which in Siberia covers endless miles, contains massive amounts of methane. The melting soil releases the methane into the air, where it is now expected to massively and irrevocably accelerate global warming. It's a process that has already begun, but just. This massive climate bomb literally has the potential to end civilization. Its discovery should have not only been the year's top story, but an impetus for all humanity to unite in a common struggle for survival. Maybe in 2007. Or 2009, when someone who believes in science occupies the White House.
Massive Grass Roots Win on Net Neutrality: The telecommunications lobby, the most powerful in Washington, spent $200 million in the 109th Congress to ram through a communications "reform" bill that would have given giant providers preferential access to the Internet, fundamentally changing how media in the 21st Century will be used and crippling the Internet's remarkably democratic culture. The slam-dunk bill miraculously failed -- due to a massive grass roots lobbying campaign on an issue that got almost no corporate media coverage. Millions of American responded on an arcane issue publicized solely through New Media, marking as milestones not only the victory but how the victory was achieved. Activists need to claim more of their triumphs, and this was one of the biggest in memory.
It's hard to believe that the year's biggest story was also badly underreported, but most Americans really do have no idea how bad things have gotten in Iraq. The proper debate as of late December is not over whether to call what's happening a civil war, but whether to call it ethnic cleansing or genocide. The scale with which America's unprovoked, illegal invasion has ripped this country apart molecule by molecule is simply unimaginable to most Americans. And American media doesn't even try to report the big picture, focusing instead on the numbing drumbeat of daily death totals. The armed thugs and death squads now ruling Iraq are fully capable of driving America out of Iraq militarily in the next two years.
On the other hand, we might be driven out of Afghanistan very, very soon. As in Iraq, the puppet American-installed "government" is irrelevant and Washington has made endless boneheaded decisions that are adding up to the Taliban retaking the country, steadily, province by province, month by month. Unlike Iraq, few Americans realize we're also losing Afghanistan badly, and in some ways more quickly. If only Afghans had oil, they could at least make the news. Maybe.
There's other major crises afoot in the Middle East, too, and the U.S. has a hand in all of them: Israel's attacks on Palestine. Palestine itself now on the verge of civil war. Israel's attack on Lebanon. Lebanon itself now on the verge of civil war, too. The threat that Israel or the U.S. could attack Iran or Syria, or both. Saudi Arabia's threat to intervene on the side of the Sunnis in Iraq, while Iran supports the Shiites. Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States announcing plans to develop their own nuclear weapon program to counter Iran. What a mess. One name links all these stories: George W. Bush.
India, Pakistan, and nukes: India and Pakistan have hated each other for nearly 60 years. That's why in the late '90s they both exploded nuclear devices, which is why the Clinton administration slapped sanctions (later lifted by Dubya) on both. So what happened in 2006? Bush signs a massive deal to expand India's nuclear program, and continues to reward both Pakistan's Musharraf dictatorship and the Pakistani intelligence elements that developed Pakistan's nuclear program (and shopped it to North Korea, Iran, and Libya, among others) -- while at the same time undercutting the Musharraf regime, especially in the country's northwest, a Taliban and Al-Qaeda stronghold. Confusing, sure, but the upshot is that in turn this has increased the chances that, with an Islamist coup, Pakistan's nukes would fall into the hands of America's enemies. A real lose-lose, except for America's enemies. And at ground zero, the people of Pakistan and India, innocents in the crossfire of a conflict where we've rewarded the nuclear armament of both sides.
Say, where is Osama bin Laden, anyway?
We know who lost Iraq and Afghanistan. But who lost Russia ? In 1949 conservatives were asking this about China after the Soviet-allied Mao seized power, but in 2006 Vladimir Putin took countless additional steps to move what in the 20th Century was America's biggest rival for global power back to being an authoritarian state. In 1989, the Berlin Wall came down, nonviolent revolutions swept communist tyrants from power from Russia throughout the Soviet bloc, and it was all supposed to be better. And conservatives claimed that Reagan and America were responsible for this triumph of democracy. Who, then, is responsible for its failure? And more importantly, what does this mean for what is still the world's largest country and a major holder of oil and gas reserves?
Similarly, since when did torture, suspension of habeas corpus, and domestic warrantless spying become America's status quo? Since 2006, that's when. Three terrifying, textbook examples of how, in short progression, the unthinkable becomes the hotly debated becomes The Way We Do Things. As we enter 2007, all the elements for a fully "constitutional" dictatorship have quietly fallen into place. All it now takes is someone smarter or more ruthless than George Bush to exploit them.
Much of the so-called "Global War on Terror" is all about power and profiteering: Neocons wanted an empire abroad and expanded state power at home, sure. But wherever the U.S. military has gone in the last five years, which pretty much resembles a map of Planet Earth, privatization and lucrative contracts for well-connected companies have followed. Much of the logic of this so-called war is economic and intended to benefit only a very, very select few. While the threat posed by terror is real (especially in the wake of post-9-11 American policy), there are other far larger threats to the country's national security. Global warming, for one.
America's massive budget and foreign trade deficits, for another. Media has done little to enlighten us on just how badly the Bush regime has bankrupted our country's treasury for generations to come, and left our economy in the hands of foreign creditors like China and Japan. As 2006 closes, the housing bubble has burst, the flow of U.S. jobs overseas now resembles whitewater rapids, and the value of the dollar against foreign currency is plummeting. This is just the beginning. Thank the "terrorists" in the White House.
Amazingly, given how much it came up during the midterm elections, Republican corruption wasn't covered well at all in 2006. Media never followed the Abramoff scandal through to the dozens of lawmakers who traded his money for their votes. More broadly, there were almost daily stories of executive and legislative branch sleaze that never made waves beyond the Beltway and legislators' home constituencies. But cumulatively, they formed a damning indictment of how Washington does business. And almost no outlets covered the story as leaders of both parties buried attempts at meaningful post-Abramoff congressional ethics reforms in early 2006.
As with most labor news, The National Labor Relation Board's ruling disqualifying up to eight million Americans from union membership got almost no play. But this was no ordinary labor news; it was, by the AFL-CIO's reckoning, the worst government decision on labor in nearly 60 years. It was ignored anyway.
Even as the gap between the well-connected rich and everyone else continued to widen in 2006, class went back to being a forbidden word in corporate American media. A year after Katrina ripped away the thin veneer hiding race and class issues in America, and with Katrina's victims still being victimized by government agencies and insurance companies, with middle class jobs evaporating, privatization and government corruption endemic, health care and education costs still skyrocketing, class mobility in America decreasing, and levels of homelessness and hunger continuing to increase, the media veneer was firmly back in place. In America's increasingly vicious class war, one reason the wealthy are winning is corporate media's insistence (all evidence to the contrary) that no such war exists.
On the brighter side of that equation, though, the stranglehold of Big Money on American politics is ending. The 2006 elections showed that activist and especially Internet campaign fundraising can go dollar-for-dollar against corporate-friendly candidates. The technology is now in place to make it far easier for many little donations o match a few big special interest ones. It's no substitute for public financing of campaigns -- which would allow some of that money to be invested in meeting real needs instead -- but it's still a powerful democratizing force. As we enter 2007, we need all of those we can get."
In Oaxaca
AMY GOODMAN: Democracy Now! producer, Elizabeth Press, is in Oaxaca, Mexico, covering the popular uprising against the state governor Ulises Ruiz. She filed this report.
ELIZABETH PRESS: On Wednesday 91 prisoners were transferred from the federal prison in Tepic, Nayarit to Cereso, the state prison here in Oaxaca. Friends, family and human rights observers gathered outside the prison, as rumor had it that the prisoners would be released on Thursday. Selena Morina waited for her brother who was detained on Nov 25th to be released, but he was not among the 14.
SELENA MORINA: [translated] I feel sad and worried because we don't know when they will release them, since, as they said earlier, this is political. So we are subject to the decisions made by governmental groups, when here they are playing with human lives, while there are people with feelings who need to see their families and be with them.
ELIZABETH PRESS: This was on the eve of the international day of solidarity with the people of Oaxaca, called for by the EZLN. "For the living reappearances of the disappeared; for the freedom of the detained; for the exit of Ulises Ruiz and the federal forces from Oaxaca; for the punishment of those guilty of torture, rape and murder," protests are scheduled all over the world today, including here in Oaxaca City.
OAXACAN WOMAN: [translated] We will participate in the march, because when they ask us if we Oaxacans are afraid, yes, we are afraid, but our indignation and anger are even greater, because this is not the way to treat a people who are asking for justice. And we do not rise up because we're troublemakers, as they call us here, but rather because the people are hungry, the people are needy. Yes, we will participate in the march.
ELIZABETH PRESS: For Democracy Now!, this is Elizabeth Press in Oaxaca City.
To purchase an audio or video copy of this entire program, click here for our new online ordering or call 1 (888) 999-3877.
ELIZABETH PRESS: On Wednesday 91 prisoners were transferred from the federal prison in Tepic, Nayarit to Cereso, the state prison here in Oaxaca. Friends, family and human rights observers gathered outside the prison, as rumor had it that the prisoners would be released on Thursday. Selena Morina waited for her brother who was detained on Nov 25th to be released, but he was not among the 14.
SELENA MORINA: [translated] I feel sad and worried because we don't know when they will release them, since, as they said earlier, this is political. So we are subject to the decisions made by governmental groups, when here they are playing with human lives, while there are people with feelings who need to see their families and be with them.
ELIZABETH PRESS: This was on the eve of the international day of solidarity with the people of Oaxaca, called for by the EZLN. "For the living reappearances of the disappeared; for the freedom of the detained; for the exit of Ulises Ruiz and the federal forces from Oaxaca; for the punishment of those guilty of torture, rape and murder," protests are scheduled all over the world today, including here in Oaxaca City.
OAXACAN WOMAN: [translated] We will participate in the march, because when they ask us if we Oaxacans are afraid, yes, we are afraid, but our indignation and anger are even greater, because this is not the way to treat a people who are asking for justice. And we do not rise up because we're troublemakers, as they call us here, but rather because the people are hungry, the people are needy. Yes, we will participate in the march.
ELIZABETH PRESS: For Democracy Now!, this is Elizabeth Press in Oaxaca City.
To purchase an audio or video copy of this entire program, click here for our new online ordering or call 1 (888) 999-3877.
A Flash of Enlightening Dec 25, 1914
Christmas in the Trenches
December 21, 2006
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
by Steve Bhaerman
On the darkest day of the year, at the darkest time of year, it’s worth remembering a flash of “enlightening” that happened in a war that would kill fifteen million soldiers -- and what that beacon of light means today.
It was December 25, 1914 -- just a few months into World War I -- when young soldiers from Britain, Germany and France spontaneously declared a “Christmas truce” along two thirds of the Western Front. Legend has it that the “treasonous incident” began with the sound of German soldiers singing a Christmas hymn. When the Germans launched into “Silent Night,” the British soldiers joined them, the song ringing out in two languages. Later, there was music, merriment, an exchange of gifts and even a soccer match as soldiers who had been shooting at each other hours earlier embraced one another.
Needless to say, these men were no longer good as soldiers and were quickly replaced. If you care to read more about the Christmas truce and read an interview with the last surviving veteran of the event, please visit my friend Fred Burks’ website.
I first heard about the incident about seven years ago when I heard Robert Gass sing a song called “Christmas in the Trenches” written by John McCutcheon (words below).
My name is Francis Toliver, I come from Liverpool.
Two years ago the war was waiting for me after school.
To Belgium and to Flanders, to Germany to here,
I fought for King and country I love dear.
'Twas Christmas in the trenches, where the frost so bitter hung.
The frozen fields of France were still, no Christmas song was sung.
Our families back in England were toasting us that day,
Their brave and glorious lads so far away.
I was lying with my messmate on the cold and rocky ground,
When across the lines of battle came a most peculiar sound.
Says I, "Now listen up, me boys!" each soldier strained to hear,
As one young German voice sang out so clear.
"He's singing bloody well, you know!" my partner says to me.
Soon, one by one, each German voice joined in harmony.
The cannons rested silent, the gas clouds rolled no more,
As Christmas brought us respite from the war.
As soon as they were finished and a reverent pause was spent,
"God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" struck up some lads from Kent.
The next they sang was "Stille Nacht," "'Tis 'Silent Night,'" says I,
And in two tongues one song filled up that sky.
"There's someone coming towards us!" the front line sentry cried.
All sights were fixed on one lone figure trudging from their side.
His truce flag, like a Christmas star, shone on that plain so bright,
As he, bravely, strode unarmed into the night.
Soon one by one on either side walked into No Man's Land,
With neither gun nor bayonet we met there hand to hand.
We shared some secret brandy and wished each other well,
And in a flare lit soccer game we gave 'em hell.
We traded chocolates, cigarettes, and photographs from home.
These sons and fathers far away from families of their own.
Young Sanders played his squeezebox and they had a violin,
This curious and unlikely band of men.
Soon daylight stole upon us and France was France once more.
With sad farewells we each prepared to settle back to war.
But the question haunted every heart that lived that wondrous night:
"Whose family have I fixed within my sights?"
'Twas Christmas in the trenches where the frost, so bitter hung.
The frozen fields of France were warmed as songs of peace were sung.
For the walls they'd kept between us to exact the work of war,
Had been crumbled and were gone forevermore.
My name is Francis Toliver, in Liverpool I dwell,
Each Christmas come since World War I, I've learned its lessons well,
That the ones who call the shots won't be among the dead and lame,
And on each end of the rifle we're the same.
The “War to End All Wars” Didn’t
The power of this song -- and the power of the event itself -- is trance-breaking. Some ninety years have passed since “the war to end all wars” and we find, lo and behold, that war has not ended war. In fact, we’re staring one of those wars in the face right now, a war with a price tag of hundreds of thousands of lives and $351 billion .... and counting.
I’m not writing this as some moral screed or a desperate cry in the wilderness but as a call for awakening and participation. War is a necessary evil. We’ve been hearing that since we were children, and collectively underneath all the ready platitudes we have resigned ourselves to war. Sigh. We don’t really believe the world could be any different, otherwise those who shout and protest against war would be joyfully proclaiming and promoting the alternative. In a sense, the outcry against war is a “moral convenience.” We can always say, “We protested.” The real question is, can we say, “We turned it around and created something different?”
Just this week an interview with Francis Boyle a professor of international law who drafted the Biological Weapons Anti-Terrorism Act passed by Congress in 1989 revealed that the Bush Administration is developing bio-terror weapons for offensive use. Now before we launch into a diatribe about that evil George Bush Administration, please stop and consider that none of this would be possible without the support of our legislators -- and the tacit support of you and I.
In fact, when the war drums are being beaten, it’s very difficult to hear the quieter voices -- especially when they are “voluntarily” silenced by the media. Even the election results that were clearly a vote of no confidence for the occupation in Iraq, is being spun as “Americans are upset because we are losing.” This, of course, sidesteps the real issue -- the legality and morality of a war designed not to keep the peace, but to keep the pieces.
The good news is, the “up-wising” that led to the electoral turnaround continues to grow. When Sen. Harry Reid (Dem.-NV), the incoming Senate Majority Leader said he would support increasing the number of troops in Iraq, the organized campaign by organizations like Code Pink caused him to backtrack and modify his stance.
Time for Some Unconventional Wisdom for a Change
But this action is just the tip of the iceberg. What is needed is an awakening -- like the young soldiers had that Christmas in the trenches -- where we begin to question the “conventional wisdom” that war is inevitable, and the deeper unquestioned assumptions that might makes right and our evildoers are okay as long as they out-evildo the other guy’s evildoers. We need to quietly yet firmly confront those who praise Jesus but worship Machiavelli, and call forth the moral authority in this country that has been dormant, disheartened and intimidated.
For now it is all of us who are in the trenches. The choice to make weaponry number one has resulted in everything and everyone else to get treated like “number two.” For example, for what we’ve paid so far for the Iraq War, we could have provided health insurance for one year for over 200 million children. Do the math. Or, for that matter, the aftermath. What we have to show for warfare is weaponry (the ultimate “consumable” commodity) and it’s “fruits” -- death, destruction, devastated lives, and residoodoo like land mines and depleted uranium.
War may be imposed from the top down, but it is held in place from the bottom up. When we allow the inevitability of war to go unchallenged, when we allow our government and toxic commentators to make an enemy out of a people (instead of focusing on eliminating destructive behavior on all sides), when we fail to stand against our country’s own immoral actions, we are the enablers. And just as sure as abusers abuse power, so do enablers who fail to use theirs.
This next year -- and in the years to come -- we humans will be called upon to participate in dismantling a thought field that has been in place for 5,000 years, and regrow something healthy in its place. Yes, prayer and meditation are good, but those alone will not do it. We have been given bodies for a reason -- to stand, to walk, to speak, and to gather. We need to ask unasked questions and question unquestioned answers. We need to apply our “human intelligence,” and coax it out of others. Most importantly, we need to address our own personal “bottom line.” Do we really believe a more just and humane world is our destiny? And if so -- what are we prepared to do about it?
_________________________________________________________________________________
Subscribe to Notes From the Trail
Notes From the Trail -- while distributed freely to all who want to read it -- depends on your donations. For a $25 donation, we will gratefully send you an autographed copy of Swami Beyondananda’s book, Swami for Precedent: A 7-Step Plan to Heal the Body Politic and Cure Electile Dysfunction. If Swami becomes famous, you’ll have a famous autograph. Otherwise, you’ll have a rare book. You can’t lose.
Seriously, if you feel informed and inspired by this online newsletter, put your money where your mouse is. Subscribe online by clicking here and scrolling down to the end. Or send your check for $25 to:
Wake Up Laughing 400 W. Third St., Suite D-144 Santa Rosa, CA 95401
Swami's Quick Links
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Swami's Ompage
Swami Products Page
Read Swami's 2006 State of the Universe Address
Contact Information
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
email: info@wakeuplaughing.com
web: http://www.wakeuplaughing.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
December 21, 2006
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
by Steve Bhaerman
On the darkest day of the year, at the darkest time of year, it’s worth remembering a flash of “enlightening” that happened in a war that would kill fifteen million soldiers -- and what that beacon of light means today.
It was December 25, 1914 -- just a few months into World War I -- when young soldiers from Britain, Germany and France spontaneously declared a “Christmas truce” along two thirds of the Western Front. Legend has it that the “treasonous incident” began with the sound of German soldiers singing a Christmas hymn. When the Germans launched into “Silent Night,” the British soldiers joined them, the song ringing out in two languages. Later, there was music, merriment, an exchange of gifts and even a soccer match as soldiers who had been shooting at each other hours earlier embraced one another.
Needless to say, these men were no longer good as soldiers and were quickly replaced. If you care to read more about the Christmas truce and read an interview with the last surviving veteran of the event, please visit my friend Fred Burks’ website.
I first heard about the incident about seven years ago when I heard Robert Gass sing a song called “Christmas in the Trenches” written by John McCutcheon (words below).
My name is Francis Toliver, I come from Liverpool.
Two years ago the war was waiting for me after school.
To Belgium and to Flanders, to Germany to here,
I fought for King and country I love dear.
'Twas Christmas in the trenches, where the frost so bitter hung.
The frozen fields of France were still, no Christmas song was sung.
Our families back in England were toasting us that day,
Their brave and glorious lads so far away.
I was lying with my messmate on the cold and rocky ground,
When across the lines of battle came a most peculiar sound.
Says I, "Now listen up, me boys!" each soldier strained to hear,
As one young German voice sang out so clear.
"He's singing bloody well, you know!" my partner says to me.
Soon, one by one, each German voice joined in harmony.
The cannons rested silent, the gas clouds rolled no more,
As Christmas brought us respite from the war.
As soon as they were finished and a reverent pause was spent,
"God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" struck up some lads from Kent.
The next they sang was "Stille Nacht," "'Tis 'Silent Night,'" says I,
And in two tongues one song filled up that sky.
"There's someone coming towards us!" the front line sentry cried.
All sights were fixed on one lone figure trudging from their side.
His truce flag, like a Christmas star, shone on that plain so bright,
As he, bravely, strode unarmed into the night.
Soon one by one on either side walked into No Man's Land,
With neither gun nor bayonet we met there hand to hand.
We shared some secret brandy and wished each other well,
And in a flare lit soccer game we gave 'em hell.
We traded chocolates, cigarettes, and photographs from home.
These sons and fathers far away from families of their own.
Young Sanders played his squeezebox and they had a violin,
This curious and unlikely band of men.
Soon daylight stole upon us and France was France once more.
With sad farewells we each prepared to settle back to war.
But the question haunted every heart that lived that wondrous night:
"Whose family have I fixed within my sights?"
'Twas Christmas in the trenches where the frost, so bitter hung.
The frozen fields of France were warmed as songs of peace were sung.
For the walls they'd kept between us to exact the work of war,
Had been crumbled and were gone forevermore.
My name is Francis Toliver, in Liverpool I dwell,
Each Christmas come since World War I, I've learned its lessons well,
That the ones who call the shots won't be among the dead and lame,
And on each end of the rifle we're the same.
The “War to End All Wars” Didn’t
The power of this song -- and the power of the event itself -- is trance-breaking. Some ninety years have passed since “the war to end all wars” and we find, lo and behold, that war has not ended war. In fact, we’re staring one of those wars in the face right now, a war with a price tag of hundreds of thousands of lives and $351 billion .... and counting.
I’m not writing this as some moral screed or a desperate cry in the wilderness but as a call for awakening and participation. War is a necessary evil. We’ve been hearing that since we were children, and collectively underneath all the ready platitudes we have resigned ourselves to war. Sigh. We don’t really believe the world could be any different, otherwise those who shout and protest against war would be joyfully proclaiming and promoting the alternative. In a sense, the outcry against war is a “moral convenience.” We can always say, “We protested.” The real question is, can we say, “We turned it around and created something different?”
Just this week an interview with Francis Boyle a professor of international law who drafted the Biological Weapons Anti-Terrorism Act passed by Congress in 1989 revealed that the Bush Administration is developing bio-terror weapons for offensive use. Now before we launch into a diatribe about that evil George Bush Administration, please stop and consider that none of this would be possible without the support of our legislators -- and the tacit support of you and I.
In fact, when the war drums are being beaten, it’s very difficult to hear the quieter voices -- especially when they are “voluntarily” silenced by the media. Even the election results that were clearly a vote of no confidence for the occupation in Iraq, is being spun as “Americans are upset because we are losing.” This, of course, sidesteps the real issue -- the legality and morality of a war designed not to keep the peace, but to keep the pieces.
The good news is, the “up-wising” that led to the electoral turnaround continues to grow. When Sen. Harry Reid (Dem.-NV), the incoming Senate Majority Leader said he would support increasing the number of troops in Iraq, the organized campaign by organizations like Code Pink caused him to backtrack and modify his stance.
Time for Some Unconventional Wisdom for a Change
But this action is just the tip of the iceberg. What is needed is an awakening -- like the young soldiers had that Christmas in the trenches -- where we begin to question the “conventional wisdom” that war is inevitable, and the deeper unquestioned assumptions that might makes right and our evildoers are okay as long as they out-evildo the other guy’s evildoers. We need to quietly yet firmly confront those who praise Jesus but worship Machiavelli, and call forth the moral authority in this country that has been dormant, disheartened and intimidated.
For now it is all of us who are in the trenches. The choice to make weaponry number one has resulted in everything and everyone else to get treated like “number two.” For example, for what we’ve paid so far for the Iraq War, we could have provided health insurance for one year for over 200 million children. Do the math. Or, for that matter, the aftermath. What we have to show for warfare is weaponry (the ultimate “consumable” commodity) and it’s “fruits” -- death, destruction, devastated lives, and residoodoo like land mines and depleted uranium.
War may be imposed from the top down, but it is held in place from the bottom up. When we allow the inevitability of war to go unchallenged, when we allow our government and toxic commentators to make an enemy out of a people (instead of focusing on eliminating destructive behavior on all sides), when we fail to stand against our country’s own immoral actions, we are the enablers. And just as sure as abusers abuse power, so do enablers who fail to use theirs.
This next year -- and in the years to come -- we humans will be called upon to participate in dismantling a thought field that has been in place for 5,000 years, and regrow something healthy in its place. Yes, prayer and meditation are good, but those alone will not do it. We have been given bodies for a reason -- to stand, to walk, to speak, and to gather. We need to ask unasked questions and question unquestioned answers. We need to apply our “human intelligence,” and coax it out of others. Most importantly, we need to address our own personal “bottom line.” Do we really believe a more just and humane world is our destiny? And if so -- what are we prepared to do about it?
_________________________________________________________________________________
Subscribe to Notes From the Trail
Notes From the Trail -- while distributed freely to all who want to read it -- depends on your donations. For a $25 donation, we will gratefully send you an autographed copy of Swami Beyondananda’s book, Swami for Precedent: A 7-Step Plan to Heal the Body Politic and Cure Electile Dysfunction. If Swami becomes famous, you’ll have a famous autograph. Otherwise, you’ll have a rare book. You can’t lose.
Seriously, if you feel informed and inspired by this online newsletter, put your money where your mouse is. Subscribe online by clicking here and scrolling down to the end. Or send your check for $25 to:
Wake Up Laughing 400 W. Third St., Suite D-144 Santa Rosa, CA 95401
Swami's Quick Links
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Swami's Ompage
Swami Products Page
Read Swami's 2006 State of the Universe Address
Contact Information
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
email: info@wakeuplaughing.com
web: http://www.wakeuplaughing.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gov't Against Small and Organic
USDA Stocks Organics Board With Business Reps
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/122106HA.shtml
Food-safety activists are protesting the government's attempt to stack an organic-food
advisory board with representatives of corporate agribusiness and food commerce.
Federal Subsidies Turn Farms Into Big Business
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/122106LA.shtml
The shift in subsidies to wealthier farmers is helping to fuel consolidation of farmland. The largest farms' share of agricultural production has climbed from 32 percent to 45 percent while the number for small and medium-size farms has tumbled from 42 percent to 27 percent.
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/122106HA.shtml
Food-safety activists are protesting the government's attempt to stack an organic-food
advisory board with representatives of corporate agribusiness and food commerce.
Federal Subsidies Turn Farms Into Big Business
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/122106LA.shtml
The shift in subsidies to wealthier farmers is helping to fuel consolidation of farmland. The largest farms' share of agricultural production has climbed from 32 percent to 45 percent while the number for small and medium-size farms has tumbled from 42 percent to 27 percent.
Sustainability Gains Ground on US Campuses
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1219/p01s03-ussc.html
Henry David Thoreau on the rise again
Henry David Thoreau on the rise again
12/21/2006
12/20/2006
Better Source of Biofuel
Study Finds Mixed Prairie Grasses Better Source of Biofuel
Over the past year, a number of diverse plant species have emerged as strong competitors in the quest to identify the best source of biomass for producing sustainable biofuel. A new study led by David Tilman, an ecologist at the University of Minnesota, shows that mixtures of native perennial grasses and other flowering plants provide more usable energy per acre than corn grain ethanol or soybean biodiesel -- and are far better for the environment.
Over the past year, a number of diverse plant species have emerged as strong competitors in the quest to identify the best source of biomass for producing sustainable biofuel. A new study led by David Tilman, an ecologist at the University of Minnesota, shows that mixtures of native perennial grasses and other flowering plants provide more usable energy per acre than corn grain ethanol or soybean biodiesel -- and are far better for the environment.
12/19/2006
NC Can Expand Renewable Energy
Report: N.C. can expand alternative energy without soaring rates
GARY D. ROBERTSON Associated Press
RALEIGH, N.C. - Using renewable energy resources such as wind turbines to produce a small portion of the state's electric power would help North Carolina's economy and environment while not raising customer bills dramatically, according to a report released Wednesday.The report, prepared for a legislative panel by outside consultants hired by the North Carolina Utilities Commission, said there are sufficient resources for utilities to meet a 5 percent "renewable portfolio standard" by 2017.
And the state could reach a 10 percent standard if energy efficiency programs contributed to one-quarter of that amount, the report said.In both scenarios, the increasing dependence on wind turbines, biomass energy, hydroelectric dams and other alternatives would result in a less than 1 percent increase in electric rates. But energy conservation efforts required as part of the 10 percent standard presented also would reduce retail consumption, according to the findings.
In that case, "the total average bill across the state should decline," said Jonathan Winer, a co-author of the report presented to the state Environmental Review Commission. "These are commercially available technologies."
The findings also said the 5-percent and 10-percent standard could generate a net of thousands of jobs over the next 20 years, as new renewable-related fields expand while conventional energy jobs decrease. Carbon dioxide emissions would decline by millions of tons annually, replaced in part by more benign waste, the report said.
At least 22 other states have renewable energy portfolio standards, according to the advocacy group Environmental Defense, which praised the report but said North Carolina could reach a 20 percent standard, including energy efficiency initiatives.
Renewable energy is "clearly reasonable and clearly affordable, and keeps electric rates low," said Michael Shore, a senior air policy analyst with Environmental Defense.The state's two largest electric utilities, Duke Energy Corp. and Progress Energy Corp., said their companies would review the report.
Duke Energy "strongly believes that renewable energy and energy efficiency will have much stronger roles in our portfolio in the future," company spokeswoman Paige Sheehan said.
Utilities Commission member James Kerr said his agency would receive public comments on the report and present them to the General Assembly. Legislation filed in 2005 requiring a 10 percent standard by 2016 didn't make much headway."We're not going to recommend a policy direction one way or another," Kerr said.
North Carolina already has the capacity to generate more than 2,000 megawatts of renewable power generation, equal to between 4 percent and 5 percent of the state's energy needs, the report said. The state has the practical potential to generate nearly 3,400 megawatts.The report said the renewable energy could displace current power generated through conventional production methods, such as coal, natural gas or nuclear, but it wouldn't be enough to stop traditional units from going online to handle additional capacity needs.
The report comes as Duke Energy has asked the Utilities Commission for permission to build two coal-fired power units at its Cliffside power plant on the Cleveland-Rutherford county line, tripling current capacity.
Sheehan said Duke Energy is actively pursuing efforts to identify potential renewable energy and energy efficiency initiatives. The utility has experimented with one option listed in the report, burning coal and wood together in coal-fired plants. But there have been cost and production obstacles, Sheehan said.
NC WARN
N.C. Waste Awareness & Reduction Network
P.O. Box 61051
Durham, NC 27715-1051
919-416-5077
919-286-3985 fax
www.ncwarn.org
GARY D. ROBERTSON Associated Press
RALEIGH, N.C. - Using renewable energy resources such as wind turbines to produce a small portion of the state's electric power would help North Carolina's economy and environment while not raising customer bills dramatically, according to a report released Wednesday.The report, prepared for a legislative panel by outside consultants hired by the North Carolina Utilities Commission, said there are sufficient resources for utilities to meet a 5 percent "renewable portfolio standard" by 2017.
And the state could reach a 10 percent standard if energy efficiency programs contributed to one-quarter of that amount, the report said.In both scenarios, the increasing dependence on wind turbines, biomass energy, hydroelectric dams and other alternatives would result in a less than 1 percent increase in electric rates. But energy conservation efforts required as part of the 10 percent standard presented also would reduce retail consumption, according to the findings.
In that case, "the total average bill across the state should decline," said Jonathan Winer, a co-author of the report presented to the state Environmental Review Commission. "These are commercially available technologies."
The findings also said the 5-percent and 10-percent standard could generate a net of thousands of jobs over the next 20 years, as new renewable-related fields expand while conventional energy jobs decrease. Carbon dioxide emissions would decline by millions of tons annually, replaced in part by more benign waste, the report said.
At least 22 other states have renewable energy portfolio standards, according to the advocacy group Environmental Defense, which praised the report but said North Carolina could reach a 20 percent standard, including energy efficiency initiatives.
Renewable energy is "clearly reasonable and clearly affordable, and keeps electric rates low," said Michael Shore, a senior air policy analyst with Environmental Defense.The state's two largest electric utilities, Duke Energy Corp. and Progress Energy Corp., said their companies would review the report.
Duke Energy "strongly believes that renewable energy and energy efficiency will have much stronger roles in our portfolio in the future," company spokeswoman Paige Sheehan said.
Utilities Commission member James Kerr said his agency would receive public comments on the report and present them to the General Assembly. Legislation filed in 2005 requiring a 10 percent standard by 2016 didn't make much headway."We're not going to recommend a policy direction one way or another," Kerr said.
North Carolina already has the capacity to generate more than 2,000 megawatts of renewable power generation, equal to between 4 percent and 5 percent of the state's energy needs, the report said. The state has the practical potential to generate nearly 3,400 megawatts.The report said the renewable energy could displace current power generated through conventional production methods, such as coal, natural gas or nuclear, but it wouldn't be enough to stop traditional units from going online to handle additional capacity needs.
The report comes as Duke Energy has asked the Utilities Commission for permission to build two coal-fired power units at its Cliffside power plant on the Cleveland-Rutherford county line, tripling current capacity.
Sheehan said Duke Energy is actively pursuing efforts to identify potential renewable energy and energy efficiency initiatives. The utility has experimented with one option listed in the report, burning coal and wood together in coal-fired plants. But there have been cost and production obstacles, Sheehan said.
NC WARN
N.C. Waste Awareness & Reduction Network
P.O. Box 61051
Durham, NC 27715-1051
919-416-5077
919-286-3985 fax
www.ncwarn.org
Voting Is Never Enough
Elizabeth de la Vega Who Will Speak for the Victims?http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/121906A.shtml
Elizabeth de la Vega writes: "Democrats routed the Republicans in an election that was a virtual clarion call for accountability and an end to this war.
But now we have our new House leader Nancy Pelosi saying impeachment is 'off the table'and Senator Harry Reid considering whether to send more troops to Iraq."
Elizabeth de la Vega writes: "Democrats routed the Republicans in an election that was a virtual clarion call for accountability and an end to this war.
But now we have our new House leader Nancy Pelosi saying impeachment is 'off the table'and Senator Harry Reid considering whether to send more troops to Iraq."
Corporate Agribusiness
Corporate Agribusiness Is Behind Our Deadly Food Supply
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/121806HB.shtml
First it was spinach. Now it's green onions at the Taco Bell. What's next?
The growing anxiety over our nation's food supply is enough to make you chew your nails - unless of course they're contaminated with E. coli as well. Is nothing safe?
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/121806HB.shtml
First it was spinach. Now it's green onions at the Taco Bell. What's next?
The growing anxiety over our nation's food supply is enough to make you chew your nails - unless of course they're contaminated with E. coli as well. Is nothing safe?
12/18/2006
Wendell Berry on Food
Eating as an agricultural act.
Excellent short essay by an excellent writer and tiller of the soil:
http://www.organicgardening.com/feature/0,7518,s1-5-83-1181,00.html
Excellent short essay by an excellent writer and tiller of the soil:
http://www.organicgardening.com/feature/0,7518,s1-5-83-1181,00.html
12/17/2006
NC Farming Trends
1. The fastest-growing sector of NC farming is in small farms, meaning under 10 acres.
2. By year 2010, 75% of NC farmers will be women.
So, Ladies, till up or sheet-mulch that back yard and get growing.
http://www.agroforestry.net/pubs/Sheet_Mulching.html
2. By year 2010, 75% of NC farmers will be women.
So, Ladies, till up or sheet-mulch that back yard and get growing.
http://www.agroforestry.net/pubs/Sheet_Mulching.html
Crude Impact
Remarks by Rob Hopkins from Transition Culture
"Last week I watched the new peak oil film, *Crude Impact*, produced by Vista Clara films, which has just emerged on DVD. It describes itself as 'a film about how energy use, particularly fossil fuels, has impacted the earth, mankind and other species', and is one of a couple of new peak oil films coming out over the next few months. . . I found it to be an extremely well-made film which clearly and passionately presents the argument that we are at or near the peak, which will be a transition of historic importance.
"They are making a sequel to The End of Suburbia film called "Escape from Suburbia" due out in March. Much of suburbia needs to be redesigned / relocalized / revillaged rather than escaped. Ditto for 'urbia'."
90-second trailer on YouTube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2y9BbNjLAY
"Last week I watched the new peak oil film, *Crude Impact*, produced by Vista Clara films, which has just emerged on DVD. It describes itself as 'a film about how energy use, particularly fossil fuels, has impacted the earth, mankind and other species', and is one of a couple of new peak oil films coming out over the next few months. . . I found it to be an extremely well-made film which clearly and passionately presents the argument that we are at or near the peak, which will be a transition of historic importance.
"They are making a sequel to The End of Suburbia film called "Escape from Suburbia" due out in March. Much of suburbia needs to be redesigned / relocalized / revillaged rather than escaped. Ditto for 'urbia'."
90-second trailer on YouTube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2y9BbNjLAY
More on Climate Change
Care needed with carbon offsets
Planting trees to offset carbon will have little impact unless they are put in the right place, scientists say.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/science/nature/6184577.stm
South Pole's ancient winds mapped
US scientists reconstruct a 40,000-year record of climate change at the South Pole.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/science/nature/6199834.stm
Planting trees to offset carbon will have little impact unless they are put in the right place, scientists say.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/science/nature/6184577.stm
South Pole's ancient winds mapped
US scientists reconstruct a 40,000-year record of climate change at the South Pole.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/science/nature/6199834.stm
YOU Did It
'You' named Time's person of 2006
Time magazine recognises the public role in transforming the web by awarding its annual accolade to online readers.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/technology/6187113.stm
Time magazine recognises the public role in transforming the web by awarding its annual accolade to online readers.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/technology/6187113.stm
12/16/2006
Massive Police Force in Oaxaca
Oaxaca Governor Ruiz Sends Massive Police Force to Crack Down on Protesters Demanding His Resignation
We go to Mexico and our continuing coverage of the popular uprising in Oaxaca. On Sunday thousands of people marched to demand the resignation of State Governor Ulises Ruiz and the withdrawal of federal police.
Ruiz sent a massive police force to crack down on the protests -- led by the Popular Assembly of the Oaxacan People -- APPO. We get a report from the streets of Oaxaca.
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/12/15/1432225
We go to Mexico and our continuing coverage of the popular uprising in Oaxaca. On Sunday thousands of people marched to demand the resignation of State Governor Ulises Ruiz and the withdrawal of federal police.
Ruiz sent a massive police force to crack down on the protests -- led by the Popular Assembly of the Oaxacan People -- APPO. We get a report from the streets of Oaxaca.
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/12/15/1432225
In Patagonia
A European energy company is scheming to build massive hydro-electric dams on every major river in Chilean Patagonia. We need your immediate action to stop this proposed "electrocution" of one of the wildest regions on earth.
Please go to www.savebiogems.org/patagonia/takeaction right now and urge Chile's President Bachelet to consider the full range of alternatives before sacrificing this world-renowned wilderness to destructive hydro-development.
Endesa-Spain's disastrous proposal would flood thousands of acres of irreplaceable habitat for a vast array of rare wildlife including South American deer, southern river otters and many
birds found only in Patagonia.
For the sake of its own profits, the company is claiming that stopping up Patagonia's mighty rivers to produce electricity -- which would then be transmitted thousands of miles -- is the
only way to fuel Chile's economic growth. As part of the same plan, Brookfield Consortium, a Canadian company, would clearcut a 1,200-mile swath through five national parks and two
wilderness reserves to make way for the world's largest transmission line.
But smarter alternatives to strengthening Chile's economy -- such as stricter energy efficiency standards and the use of localized, clean and renewable energy sources -- are readily
available. Chile's new president, Michelle Bachelet, has pledged to make environmental protection a priority in her administration. To fulfill that promise, she should take a hard a look at every possible alternative before sentencing wild Patagonia to electrocution.
Please go to http://www.savebiogems.org/patagonia/takeaction and tell President Bachelet to spare the life of this untouched expanse of breathtaking rainforests, glaciers, fjords and
rivers.
Thank you for helping to save Chile's last wilderness frontier.
Sincerely,
Frances Beinecke
President
Natural Resources Defense Council
Please go to www.savebiogems.org/patagonia/takeaction right now and urge Chile's President Bachelet to consider the full range of alternatives before sacrificing this world-renowned wilderness to destructive hydro-development.
Endesa-Spain's disastrous proposal would flood thousands of acres of irreplaceable habitat for a vast array of rare wildlife including South American deer, southern river otters and many
birds found only in Patagonia.
For the sake of its own profits, the company is claiming that stopping up Patagonia's mighty rivers to produce electricity -- which would then be transmitted thousands of miles -- is the
only way to fuel Chile's economic growth. As part of the same plan, Brookfield Consortium, a Canadian company, would clearcut a 1,200-mile swath through five national parks and two
wilderness reserves to make way for the world's largest transmission line.
But smarter alternatives to strengthening Chile's economy -- such as stricter energy efficiency standards and the use of localized, clean and renewable energy sources -- are readily
available. Chile's new president, Michelle Bachelet, has pledged to make environmental protection a priority in her administration. To fulfill that promise, she should take a hard a look at every possible alternative before sentencing wild Patagonia to electrocution.
Please go to http://www.savebiogems.org/patagonia/takeaction and tell President Bachelet to spare the life of this untouched expanse of breathtaking rainforests, glaciers, fjords and
rivers.
Thank you for helping to save Chile's last wilderness frontier.
Sincerely,
Frances Beinecke
President
Natural Resources Defense Council
The Spirituality of Food
http://www.allsoulskc.org/sermons.html
then run down the site to Nov. 20, 2005
then run down the site to Nov. 20, 2005
12/15/2006
Sea Level Rise
Sea level rise 'under-estimated'
Sea level rise projections are under-estimating the impact of climate change on the oceans, a study suggest.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/science/nature/6179409.stm
Sea level rise projections are under-estimating the impact of climate change on the oceans, a study suggest.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/science/nature/6179409.stm
US-China Trade Gap
No deal for US-China trade gap
China promises to introduce a more flexible currency policy, but it comes with no timetable.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/business/6181861.stm
China promises to introduce a more flexible currency policy, but it comes with no timetable.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/business/6181861.stm
No Change on Solstice
We've recently discovered that Friday, Dec. 22, is winter solstice--in Universal Time.
Around here, the solstice is Thursday evening, the 21st.
Well, but, because our calendars are so full and hard to juggle at this time of year, we'll gather at Jesse's Farm on Friday as previously announced (see blog about a week ago). Bring potluck, drums if you have, and a warm jacket. We'll be mostly outside for the bonfire.
See you there!
Around here, the solstice is Thursday evening, the 21st.
Well, but, because our calendars are so full and hard to juggle at this time of year, we'll gather at Jesse's Farm on Friday as previously announced (see blog about a week ago). Bring potluck, drums if you have, and a warm jacket. We'll be mostly outside for the bonfire.
See you there!
Ignorant about Engineered Foods
75% OF AMERICANS DON'T KNOW THEY'RE EATING GENETICALLY ENGINEERED FOODS
The fifth annual survey on U.S. consumers' opinions of genetically engineered foods was released last week by the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology.
In accordance with past years, the survey results indicated that most Americans have very little knowledge about how widespread genetically engineered ingredients are in foods. Surprisingly, the survey found that the average person's knowledge of these issues has actually declined in the last five years.
Although 89% of soybeans and 61% of corn acreage in the U.S. is currently genetically engineered (and soy lecithin and corn syrup are found in a myriad of mainstream food products), 75% of people don't think they've ever eaten a food with genetically engineered ingredients.
The survey also found that 51% of those polled are opposed to animal cloning. Only 29% said they trust the FDA, which is a strong drop from 41% in 2001.
Learn more: http://www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_3554.cfm
The fifth annual survey on U.S. consumers' opinions of genetically engineered foods was released last week by the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology.
In accordance with past years, the survey results indicated that most Americans have very little knowledge about how widespread genetically engineered ingredients are in foods. Surprisingly, the survey found that the average person's knowledge of these issues has actually declined in the last five years.
Although 89% of soybeans and 61% of corn acreage in the U.S. is currently genetically engineered (and soy lecithin and corn syrup are found in a myriad of mainstream food products), 75% of people don't think they've ever eaten a food with genetically engineered ingredients.
The survey also found that 51% of those polled are opposed to animal cloning. Only 29% said they trust the FDA, which is a strong drop from 41% in 2001.
Learn more: http://www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_3554.cfm
12/14/2006
Tough Chemical Law
Tough Chemical Law Passes in Europe With Impacts on US
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/121406EB.shtml
On Wednesday, the European Parliament approved the world's most stringent law aimed at protecting people and the environment from thousands of toxic chemicals--legislation that will have a far-reaching effect on industries and products worldwide, including in the United States.
"When one in three people contract cancer in their lifetime, we need to stop using known and suspected cancer-causing chemicals in commerce. The same goes for chemicals that are now accumulating in our children's bodies," said Bev Thorpe, director of Clean Production Action, an international group advocating green chemistry.
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/121406EB.shtml
On Wednesday, the European Parliament approved the world's most stringent law aimed at protecting people and the environment from thousands of toxic chemicals--legislation that will have a far-reaching effect on industries and products worldwide, including in the United States.
"When one in three people contract cancer in their lifetime, we need to stop using known and suspected cancer-causing chemicals in commerce. The same goes for chemicals that are now accumulating in our children's bodies," said Bev Thorpe, director of Clean Production Action, an international group advocating green chemistry.
from projectcensored.org
Sociologists Dennis Loo from Cal Poly Pomona and Peter Philllips from Sonoma State University have completed a new classroom resource book entitled:
Impeach the President: The Case Against Bush and Cheney
Seven Stories Press, 2006, $17.95 available in Bookstores nationwide or on line at:
http://www.projectcensored.org/impeach.htm
Impeach the President: The Case Against Bush and Cheney
Seven Stories Press, 2006, $17.95 available in Bookstores nationwide or on line at:
http://www.projectcensored.org/impeach.htm
12/12/2006
From Al Gore
"It took more than 10,000 generations for our population to reach 2 billion. In one single lifetime (mine), it has increased to 9 billion." Inconvenient Truth
Wind Farm Project
Revised wind farm plans unveiled
The company behind the UK's largest wind farm project - proposed for the Hebridean island of Lewis - has unveiled revised plans for the scheme.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/science/nature/6170069.stm
The company behind the UK's largest wind farm project - proposed for the Hebridean island of Lewis - has unveiled revised plans for the scheme.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/science/nature/6170069.stm
Shell and Gazprom
Shell yields to Gazprom pressure
Shell and Russia's Gazprom reach a deal over the multi-billion dollar Sakhalin-2 oil and gas project, reports say.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/business/6169927.stm
Shell and Russia's Gazprom reach a deal over the multi-billion dollar Sakhalin-2 oil and gas project, reports say.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/business/6169927.stm
12/11/2006
At Duke U in January
The Program in Literature invites you to attend
The Collapse of Traditional Knowledge: Economy, Technology, Geopolitics
A conference sponsored by The Literature Program at Duke University
January 26-28, 2007
In recent years, a seismic shift in the organization of the world's economies, cultures, political and social formations, and processes of knowledge production seems to have taken place. Although we are interested in the latter and in the transformation of the ways in which the world's knowledges are organized, categorized, materially produced, institutionalized, circulated, and consumed, we also seek to inquire into the relationship of those practices to larger social, cultural, economic and political trends. Thus, rather than focusing solely on the subject of the corporate university, or the decline of book culture, or even on the transformation of knowledge production by new technologies, we would like to think structurally about the relationships among the various factors creating this overwhelming sense of seismic shift - a shift that suggests to some that all forms of traditional knowledge (including what might be called "literary" knowledge) are outmoded and therefore open to renovation and to others that such forms must be protected and conserved at all costs.
Our aim, finally, is to push the analysis of the relationship between what we have tentatively labeled "the collapse of traditional knowledge," and the emergency posed by specific social, economic, and cultural conditions. Those conditions, we believe, simultaneously demand and enable alternative practices that might be characterized as thinking "otherwise." We hope to find a way to join the various conversations that have preoccupied us, sometimes individually, sometimes collectively, in such a way that we might reflect critically on the conditions of possibility for our own thinking while exploring how those conditions function both as constraints - as new forms of discipline - and as tendencies toward a potentially new course for the generation of thought about the world.
Guest Speakers include:
Linda Alcoff
Judith Butler
Thomas Elsasser
Avery Gordon
Lewis Gordon
Sheila Jasanoff
Christopher Newfield
Boaventura de Sousa Santos
Saskia Sassen
For a more detailed schedule and program, please go to the Program in Literature's website, http://literature.aas.duke.edu
Mark your calendars and plan to join us for this special weekend event! For questions, please contact Maria Maschauer at (919) 684-5255 or mamascha@duke.edu
The Collapse of Traditional Knowledge: Economy, Technology, Geopolitics
A conference sponsored by The Literature Program at Duke University
January 26-28, 2007
In recent years, a seismic shift in the organization of the world's economies, cultures, political and social formations, and processes of knowledge production seems to have taken place. Although we are interested in the latter and in the transformation of the ways in which the world's knowledges are organized, categorized, materially produced, institutionalized, circulated, and consumed, we also seek to inquire into the relationship of those practices to larger social, cultural, economic and political trends. Thus, rather than focusing solely on the subject of the corporate university, or the decline of book culture, or even on the transformation of knowledge production by new technologies, we would like to think structurally about the relationships among the various factors creating this overwhelming sense of seismic shift - a shift that suggests to some that all forms of traditional knowledge (including what might be called "literary" knowledge) are outmoded and therefore open to renovation and to others that such forms must be protected and conserved at all costs.
Our aim, finally, is to push the analysis of the relationship between what we have tentatively labeled "the collapse of traditional knowledge," and the emergency posed by specific social, economic, and cultural conditions. Those conditions, we believe, simultaneously demand and enable alternative practices that might be characterized as thinking "otherwise." We hope to find a way to join the various conversations that have preoccupied us, sometimes individually, sometimes collectively, in such a way that we might reflect critically on the conditions of possibility for our own thinking while exploring how those conditions function both as constraints - as new forms of discipline - and as tendencies toward a potentially new course for the generation of thought about the world.
Guest Speakers include:
Linda Alcoff
Judith Butler
Thomas Elsasser
Avery Gordon
Lewis Gordon
Sheila Jasanoff
Christopher Newfield
Boaventura de Sousa Santos
Saskia Sassen
For a more detailed schedule and program, please go to the Program in Literature's website, http://literature.aas.duke.edu
Mark your calendars and plan to join us for this special weekend event! For questions, please contact Maria Maschauer at (919) 684-5255 or mamascha@duke.edu
A Good Helper
[from blog-reader]
Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia spoke about a contest he was asked to judge.
The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child.
The winner was a four-year-old whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.
Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.
When his mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry."
Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia spoke about a contest he was asked to judge.
The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child.
The winner was a four-year-old whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.
Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.
When his mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry."
House Concert Dec 28, Aberdeen
The Rooster’s Wife
Presents
The Parsons
A House Concert
December 28, 2006 8 p.m.
Corner of High and Blue in Downtown Aberdeen
$5. Donation
RSVP and more information: (910)944-7502 or theroosterswife@yahoo.com
The Rooster’s Wife is dedicated to bringing live entertainment to the community of Aberdeen and surrounding areas. Your help and enthusiasm for the project is greatly appreciated.
Come to the concert to learn how you can help make it happen.
12/10/2006
NAACP Local and Beyond
Moore County Upcoming Events
Dec. 13, 2006 - 7-8:00 PM
Local NAACP Elections
Sandhills Community College, Van Dusen Hall, Room 103
Dec. 19, 2006 - 7PM
General Membership Meeting
National Board of Directors Elections
Southern Pines Housing Authority, Community Center
801 S. Mechanics St, Southern Pines
Jan. 15, 2007 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Observance Day
Southern Pines Primary School
NC NAACP UPCOMING EVENTS
Jan. 27, 2007
Winter Meeting/Mandatory Training
23rd Annual Humanitarian of the Year Awards Banquet
Feb. 10, 2007 - Historical Thousand on Jones St. (H K on J)- The People's Agenda
Feb. 12, 2007 - Founder's Day - 98th Anniversary of the NAACP
March 8-12, 2007 - CRATI - Southeast Regional Convention, Chattanooga, TN
Dec. 13, 2006 - 7-8:00 PM
Local NAACP Elections
Sandhills Community College, Van Dusen Hall, Room 103
Dec. 19, 2006 - 7PM
General Membership Meeting
National Board of Directors Elections
Southern Pines Housing Authority, Community Center
801 S. Mechanics St, Southern Pines
Jan. 15, 2007 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Observance Day
Southern Pines Primary School
NC NAACP UPCOMING EVENTS
Jan. 27, 2007
Winter Meeting/Mandatory Training
23rd Annual Humanitarian of the Year Awards Banquet
Feb. 10, 2007 - Historical Thousand on Jones St. (H K on J)- The People's Agenda
Feb. 12, 2007 - Founder's Day - 98th Anniversary of the NAACP
March 8-12, 2007 - CRATI - Southeast Regional Convention, Chattanooga, TN
Tequila Christmas Cake
Tequila Christmas Cake
1 cup water
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 cup of brown sugar
Lemon juice
4 large eggs
Nuts
1 bottle tequila
2 cups dried fruit
Sample the tequila to check quality. (several times to check the quality)
Take a large bowl, check the tequila again. To be sure it is of the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink.
Repeat.
Turn on the electric mixer.
Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl.
Add one teaspoon of sugar. Beat again.
At this point its best to make sure the tequila is still OK. Try Another cup ... just in case. Turn off the mixerer thingy.
Break 2 leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit.
Pick the frigging fruit up off the floor.
Mix on the turner.
If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers just pry it loose with a drewscriver.
Sample the tequila to check for tonsisticity.
Next, sift two cups of salt. Or something.
Check the tequila.
Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts.
Add one table.
Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink. Whatever you can find.
Greash the oven.
Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over.
Don't forget to beat off the turner.
Finally, throw the bowl through the window.
Finish the tequila and wipe counter with the cat.
CHERRY MISTMAS!
1 cup water
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 cup of brown sugar
Lemon juice
4 large eggs
Nuts
1 bottle tequila
2 cups dried fruit
Sample the tequila to check quality. (several times to check the quality)
Take a large bowl, check the tequila again. To be sure it is of the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink.
Repeat.
Turn on the electric mixer.
Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl.
Add one teaspoon of sugar. Beat again.
At this point its best to make sure the tequila is still OK. Try Another cup ... just in case. Turn off the mixerer thingy.
Break 2 leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit.
Pick the frigging fruit up off the floor.
Mix on the turner.
If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers just pry it loose with a drewscriver.
Sample the tequila to check for tonsisticity.
Next, sift two cups of salt. Or something.
Check the tequila.
Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts.
Add one table.
Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink. Whatever you can find.
Greash the oven.
Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over.
Don't forget to beat off the turner.
Finally, throw the bowl through the window.
Finish the tequila and wipe counter with the cat.
CHERRY MISTMAS!
Living On Earth Articles
AN INCONVENIENT CONTROVERSY An offer of 50,000 free DVD's of the global warming documentary An Inconvenient Truth has put the National Science Teachers Association in the hot seat. Laurie David, executive producer of the film, charges the world's largest science education organization rejected her offer of free copies because the group has financial ties to oil companies. The head of the science association says that's not true. Gerald Wheeler says NSTA's policies prevent it from accepting any material produced by an outside organization. Host Bruce Gellerman speaks with Laurie David and Dr. Wheeler. http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.htm?programID=06-P13-00049&segmentID=1
Biomimicry - Lessons from Mother Nature Looking to nature for inspiration and design. http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.htm?programID=06-P13-00049&segmentID=2
Just Say No to Cerulean Warbler The government declines to list the Cerulean Warbler as an endangered species, much to the dismay of environmental groups. http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.htm?programID=06-P13-00049&segmentID=3
Winged Rats or Wronged Warriors? A history and appreciation of the pigeon. http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.htm?programID=06-P13-00049&segmentID=4
Biomimicry - Lessons from Mother Nature Looking to nature for inspiration and design. http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.htm?programID=06-P13-00049&segmentID=2
Just Say No to Cerulean Warbler The government declines to list the Cerulean Warbler as an endangered species, much to the dismay of environmental groups. http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.htm?programID=06-P13-00049&segmentID=3
Winged Rats or Wronged Warriors? A history and appreciation of the pigeon. http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.htm?programID=06-P13-00049&segmentID=4
Reducing Energy Expense at Your Facility
You are cordially invited to free educational program
Reducing Energy Expenses at Your Business Facility
January 17, 2007, at M.J. Soffe, One Soffe Drive, Fayetteville (map)
8:00 to 9:00 a.m., includes a light breakfast
Sponsored by the State Energy Office of the N.C. Department of Administration, the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Industrial Extension Service at N.C. State University, Sustainable Sandhills, Fayetteville Public Works Commission, M.J. Soffe, and the Cumberland County Business Council.
Program includes energy-saving tips and case studies, as well as information on no-cost and low-cost assistance offered by the State of North Carolina, to help businesses reduce their energy costs. Hear about local examples of energy-saving measures and how they can be incorporated into your own facility.
The State Energy Office has helped North Carolina businesses save more than $170 million in energy expenses through its various efficiency programs. Now your business can benefit from these programs as well.
Attendance is free, though space is limited, so register by January 11, 2007.
Contact Jon Parsons, Sustainable Sandhills 910-484-9098 or jonparsons@sustainablesandhills.org
Reducing Energy Expenses at Your Business Facility
January 17, 2007, at M.J. Soffe, One Soffe Drive, Fayetteville (map)
8:00 to 9:00 a.m., includes a light breakfast
Sponsored by the State Energy Office of the N.C. Department of Administration, the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Industrial Extension Service at N.C. State University, Sustainable Sandhills, Fayetteville Public Works Commission, M.J. Soffe, and the Cumberland County Business Council.
Program includes energy-saving tips and case studies, as well as information on no-cost and low-cost assistance offered by the State of North Carolina, to help businesses reduce their energy costs. Hear about local examples of energy-saving measures and how they can be incorporated into your own facility.
The State Energy Office has helped North Carolina businesses save more than $170 million in energy expenses through its various efficiency programs. Now your business can benefit from these programs as well.
Attendance is free, though space is limited, so register by January 11, 2007.
Contact Jon Parsons, Sustainable Sandhills 910-484-9098 or jonparsons@sustainablesandhills.org
12/08/2006
Dropping Lead Regulation
from democracynow.org
Bush Admin Considers Dropping Lead Regulation
In environmental news, the Bush administration is considering dropping a health regulation that cuts lead from gasoline.
In a draft review released this week, the Environmental Protection Agency says revoking the standards could be justified because lead pollution has declined since the standards were introduced thirty years ago.
Lead pollution regulation has long been regarded as one of the nation’s most important clean-air achievements.
Bush Admin Considers Dropping Lead Regulation
In environmental news, the Bush administration is considering dropping a health regulation that cuts lead from gasoline.
In a draft review released this week, the Environmental Protection Agency says revoking the standards could be justified because lead pollution has declined since the standards were introduced thirty years ago.
Lead pollution regulation has long been regarded as one of the nation’s most important clean-air achievements.
Greg Palast on Iraq Study Group
The Baker Boys: Stay Half the Course
Iraq Study Group or Saudi Protection League?
by Greg Palast
They're kidding, right?
James Baker III and the seven dwarfs of the "Iraq Study Group" have come up with some simply brilliant recommendations. Not.
Baker's Two Big Ideas are:
1. Stay half the course. Keeping 140,000 troops in Iraq is a disaster getting more disastrous. The Baker Boys' idea: cut the disaster in half -- leave 70,000 troops there.
But here's where dumb gets dumber: the Bakerites want to "embed" US forces in Iraqi Army units. Question one, Mr. Baker: What Iraqi Army? This so-called "army" is a rough confederation of Shia death squads. We can tell our troops to get "embedded" with them, but the Americans won't get much sleep.
2. "Engage" Iran. This is a good one. How can we get engaged when George Bush hasn't even asked them out for a date? What will induce the shy mullahs of Iran to accept our engagement proposal? Answer: The Bomb.
Let me explain. To get the Iranians to end their subsidizing the Mahdi Army and other Shia cut-throats, the Baker bunch suggest we let the permanent members of the UN Security Council -- plus, Germany -- decide the issue of Iran's nukes. Attaching Germany is the signal. These signers of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) agree that Iran should be allowed a "peaceful" nuclear power program.
More... Now, I am absolutely wary of neo-con nuts who want to blow Iran to Kingdom-come over its nuclear ambitions. But that doesn't mean we should kid ourselves. Iran has zero need of "peaceful" nuclear-generated electricity. It has the second-largest untapped reserve of natural gas on the planet, a clean, safe, cheap source of power. There's only one reason for a "nuclear" program, and it's not to light Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's bedside lamp.
Here's the problem with Baker's weird combo of embedding our boys with Iraq's scary army while sucking up to the Iranians: it won't work. The mayhem will continue, with Americans in the middle, because the Baker brigade dares not mention two words: "Saudi" and "Arabia."
Saudi Arabia is the elephant in the room (camel in the tent?) that can't be acknowledged -- and the reason Baker is so desperately anxious to sell America on keeping half our soldiers in harm's way.
James III wants to seduce or bully Iran into stopping their funding of the murderous Shia militias. But the Shias only shifted into mass killing mode in response to the murder spree by Sunni "insurgents.
"Where do the Sunnis get their money for mayhem? According to a seething memo by the National Security Agency (November 8, 2006), the Saudis control the, "public or private funding provided to the insurgents or death squads." Nice.
Baker wants us to bribe or blackmail Iran into stopping one side in Iraq's uncivil war, the Shia. Yet we close our eyes to the Saudis acting as a piggy bank for the other side, the Sunni berserkers. (The House of Saud follows Wahabi Islam, a harsh, fundamentalist sect of Sunnism.)
Why is Baker, ordinarily such a tough guy, so coy with the Saudis? Baker Botts, the law firm he founded, became a wealthy powerhouse by representing Saudi Arabia. But don't worry, the Iraq Study Group is balanced by Democrats including Vernon Jordan of the law firm of Akin, Gump which represents … Saudi royals.
Of course, the connections between Baker, the Bush Family and the Saudis go way beyond a few legal bills. (See, "The Best Little Legal Whorehouse in Texas" from my book Armed Madhouse.
Baker is more than aware that, two weeks ago, Dick Cheney dropped his Thanksgiving turkey to fly to Riyadh at the demand of the Saudis for a dressing down by King Abdullah. The Saudis have made it clear that they will crank up their payments to warriors in Iraq to protect their Sunni brothers if America pulls out our troops.
King Abdullah's wish is Cheney's command -- and Baker's too. The Saudis want 70,000 US troops baby-sitting the Shia killers in Iraq's Army -- and so we will stay.
What gives King Abdullah the power to ghost-write the Iraq Study Group recommendations? It's not because the Saudis sell us broccoli.
And therein lies the danger. Behind the fratricidal fracas in Iraq is something even more dangerous than bullets in Baghdad: a proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia to control Iraq's place in OPEC, the oil cartel.
What is painted by Baker's Iraq Study Group as an ancient local clash between Shia and Sunni over the Kingdom of God, is, in fact, a remote control proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia over the Kingdom of Oil.
*Greg Palast is the author of the New York Times bestseller, "Armed Madhouse" which includes Palast's investigation, conducted for Harper's Magazine, of the secret role of James Baker III and Saudi Arabia in the forming of US plans for Iraq's oil.
Iraq Study Group or Saudi Protection League?
by Greg Palast
They're kidding, right?
James Baker III and the seven dwarfs of the "Iraq Study Group" have come up with some simply brilliant recommendations. Not.
Baker's Two Big Ideas are:
1. Stay half the course. Keeping 140,000 troops in Iraq is a disaster getting more disastrous. The Baker Boys' idea: cut the disaster in half -- leave 70,000 troops there.
But here's where dumb gets dumber: the Bakerites want to "embed" US forces in Iraqi Army units. Question one, Mr. Baker: What Iraqi Army? This so-called "army" is a rough confederation of Shia death squads. We can tell our troops to get "embedded" with them, but the Americans won't get much sleep.
2. "Engage" Iran. This is a good one. How can we get engaged when George Bush hasn't even asked them out for a date? What will induce the shy mullahs of Iran to accept our engagement proposal? Answer: The Bomb.
Let me explain. To get the Iranians to end their subsidizing the Mahdi Army and other Shia cut-throats, the Baker bunch suggest we let the permanent members of the UN Security Council -- plus, Germany -- decide the issue of Iran's nukes. Attaching Germany is the signal. These signers of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) agree that Iran should be allowed a "peaceful" nuclear power program.
More... Now, I am absolutely wary of neo-con nuts who want to blow Iran to Kingdom-come over its nuclear ambitions. But that doesn't mean we should kid ourselves. Iran has zero need of "peaceful" nuclear-generated electricity. It has the second-largest untapped reserve of natural gas on the planet, a clean, safe, cheap source of power. There's only one reason for a "nuclear" program, and it's not to light Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's bedside lamp.
Here's the problem with Baker's weird combo of embedding our boys with Iraq's scary army while sucking up to the Iranians: it won't work. The mayhem will continue, with Americans in the middle, because the Baker brigade dares not mention two words: "Saudi" and "Arabia."
Saudi Arabia is the elephant in the room (camel in the tent?) that can't be acknowledged -- and the reason Baker is so desperately anxious to sell America on keeping half our soldiers in harm's way.
James III wants to seduce or bully Iran into stopping their funding of the murderous Shia militias. But the Shias only shifted into mass killing mode in response to the murder spree by Sunni "insurgents.
"Where do the Sunnis get their money for mayhem? According to a seething memo by the National Security Agency (November 8, 2006), the Saudis control the, "public or private funding provided to the insurgents or death squads." Nice.
Baker wants us to bribe or blackmail Iran into stopping one side in Iraq's uncivil war, the Shia. Yet we close our eyes to the Saudis acting as a piggy bank for the other side, the Sunni berserkers. (The House of Saud follows Wahabi Islam, a harsh, fundamentalist sect of Sunnism.)
Why is Baker, ordinarily such a tough guy, so coy with the Saudis? Baker Botts, the law firm he founded, became a wealthy powerhouse by representing Saudi Arabia. But don't worry, the Iraq Study Group is balanced by Democrats including Vernon Jordan of the law firm of Akin, Gump which represents … Saudi royals.
Of course, the connections between Baker, the Bush Family and the Saudis go way beyond a few legal bills. (See, "The Best Little Legal Whorehouse in Texas" from my book Armed Madhouse.
Baker is more than aware that, two weeks ago, Dick Cheney dropped his Thanksgiving turkey to fly to Riyadh at the demand of the Saudis for a dressing down by King Abdullah. The Saudis have made it clear that they will crank up their payments to warriors in Iraq to protect their Sunni brothers if America pulls out our troops.
King Abdullah's wish is Cheney's command -- and Baker's too. The Saudis want 70,000 US troops baby-sitting the Shia killers in Iraq's Army -- and so we will stay.
What gives King Abdullah the power to ghost-write the Iraq Study Group recommendations? It's not because the Saudis sell us broccoli.
And therein lies the danger. Behind the fratricidal fracas in Iraq is something even more dangerous than bullets in Baghdad: a proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia to control Iraq's place in OPEC, the oil cartel.
What is painted by Baker's Iraq Study Group as an ancient local clash between Shia and Sunni over the Kingdom of God, is, in fact, a remote control proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia over the Kingdom of Oil.
*Greg Palast is the author of the New York Times bestseller, "Armed Madhouse" which includes Palast's investigation, conducted for Harper's Magazine, of the secret role of James Baker III and Saudi Arabia in the forming of US plans for Iraq's oil.
12/07/2006
House Concerts in Aberdeen
House concert series this winter at The Kenworthy's, Aberdeen, NC
Dec. 28 The first one features the Parsons at 8 o’clock.
More info at Jon and Caroline’s page http://www.theparsons.info/
January 27 Jonathan Byrd will join us for an evening of his songs. http://www.jonathanbyrd.com/
He will be joined by another singer/songwriter, www.karenmal.com
Either the 23rd or 24th of February. (No firm commitment yet.)
March 23 Doug and Talisha Williams will stop in on their way back to W. Va. after a tour in Florida. http://www.no-evil.com/
www.bluestreetdesigns.com/about_us.htm
Dec. 28 The first one features the Parsons at 8 o’clock.
More info at Jon and Caroline’s page http://www.theparsons.info/
January 27 Jonathan Byrd will join us for an evening of his songs. http://www.jonathanbyrd.com/
He will be joined by another singer/songwriter, www.karenmal.com
Either the 23rd or 24th of February. (No firm commitment yet.)
March 23 Doug and Talisha Williams will stop in on their way back to W. Va. after a tour in Florida. http://www.no-evil.com/
www.bluestreetdesigns.com/about_us.htm
From MetroFarm.com
A FOOD CHAIN RELEASE FROM METROFARM.COM
Industrial agriculture has been taking the hits lately, with books like Omnivore’s Dilemma, Fast Food Nation and Appetite for Profit throwing the punches. This leads us to ask, “Can big food do the right thing?”
This Saturday at 9AM Pacific, the Food Chain with Michael Olson hosts Alex Avery from the Center for Global Food Issues and Michele Simon from the Center for Informed Choices for a conversation about the efficacy of large corporations.
Log on to listen on your radio, computer or IPOD
Topics include what relationship exists, if any, between large food corporations and obesity / diabetes; whether large corporations are capable of providing good food; and what alternatives exist, if any, to the corporate form of food business. Question of the Week: Can Big Food do the Right Thing?
Industrial agriculture has been taking the hits lately, with books like Omnivore’s Dilemma, Fast Food Nation and Appetite for Profit throwing the punches. This leads us to ask, “Can big food do the right thing?”
This Saturday at 9AM Pacific, the Food Chain with Michael Olson hosts Alex Avery from the Center for Global Food Issues and Michele Simon from the Center for Informed Choices for a conversation about the efficacy of large corporations.
Log on to listen on your radio, computer or IPOD
Topics include what relationship exists, if any, between large food corporations and obesity / diabetes; whether large corporations are capable of providing good food; and what alternatives exist, if any, to the corporate form of food business. Question of the Week: Can Big Food do the Right Thing?
Have More, Pay Less
http://www.harvesth2o.com/
is an in-depth information resource about harvesting rain water.
is an in-depth information resource about harvesting rain water.
Solstice on The Farm, Dec. 22
Solstice falls on Friday, Dec. 22.
We'll gather again for the bonfire/potluck at Jesse Wimberley's Farm, West End.
The sun sets around 5:15, so plan to arrive around 5:00.
Bring something for potluck, bring drums, shakers, friends, warm jacket.
See you there!
We'll gather again for the bonfire/potluck at Jesse Wimberley's Farm, West End.
The sun sets around 5:15, so plan to arrive around 5:00.
Bring something for potluck, bring drums, shakers, friends, warm jacket.
See you there!
Cuts in Quotas
Commission calls for cuts in cod
The European Commission calls for cuts in quotas of cod, herring and anchovy to conserve stocks.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/science/nature/6213042.stm
The European Commission calls for cuts in quotas of cod, herring and anchovy to conserve stocks.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/science/nature/6213042.stm
Nuclear India
US official due for nuclear talks
Top US official Nicholas Burns is due in India for talks on a landmark nuclear agreement between the two countries.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/south_asia/6216210.stm
Top US official Nicholas Burns is due in India for talks on a landmark nuclear agreement between the two countries.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/south_asia/6216210.stm
Want Fries With That?
France launches world TV channel
France's first international news channel is launched into competition with BBC World and CNN.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/europe/6215170.stm
France's first international news channel is launched into competition with BBC World and CNN.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/europe/6215170.stm
It Can Be Done
Homepage for the couple living--well!-- on $6500 a year:
http://geocities.com/newlibertyvillage/earthstar.htm
http://geocities.com/newlibertyvillage/earthstar.htm
12/05/2006
Gloomy Economic Forecast
The Housing Crash Recession of 2007
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/120506S.shtml
"As we approach the end of 2006, the economy's prospects for next year appear more gloomy with each new piece of economic data," says Dean Baker.
"And, just like President Bush in his assessment of the situation in Iraq, the economic forecasters are gradually revising their forecasts downward, as it no longer appears credible to present the rosy pictures that they had been trying to sell. The trouble began early in the year, when the housing boom that was supposed to continue forever turned into a housing bust."
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/120506S.shtml
"As we approach the end of 2006, the economy's prospects for next year appear more gloomy with each new piece of economic data," says Dean Baker.
"And, just like President Bush in his assessment of the situation in Iraq, the economic forecasters are gradually revising their forecasts downward, as it no longer appears credible to present the rosy pictures that they had been trying to sell. The trouble began early in the year, when the housing boom that was supposed to continue forever turned into a housing bust."
Boxer Is In
Boxer Says No More Environment Rollbacks
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/120506EA.shtml
Environmental rollbacks from the Bush administration "in the dead of the night" are history, the incoming head of the Senate environment committee declared Tuesday. "That's over. We are going to bring these things into the light," Senator Barbara Boxer said.
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/120506EA.shtml
Environmental rollbacks from the Bush administration "in the dead of the night" are history, the incoming head of the Senate environment committee declared Tuesday. "That's over. We are going to bring these things into the light," Senator Barbara Boxer said.
Sou Pines Planning
S. P. Council Agenda Meeting
Tomorrow, December 6, 5:00 P.M.
Boyd Room, Finance/Planning Office at 180 SW Broad St.
S. P. Planning Board Work Session
Thursday, December 7, 5:30 P.M.
The Boyd Room
S.P. Council Agenda Meeting
Wednesday, January 3, 7:00 PM
Boyd Room
Tomorrow, December 6, 5:00 P.M.
Boyd Room, Finance/Planning Office at 180 SW Broad St.
S. P. Planning Board Work Session
Thursday, December 7, 5:30 P.M.
The Boyd Room
S.P. Council Agenda Meeting
Wednesday, January 3, 7:00 PM
Boyd Room
12/04/2006
What Iraq Drawdown Plan?
Robert Parry Gates Hearing Has New Urgency
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/120406K.shtml
Robert Parry writes, "George W. Bush's back-of-the-hand to the Baker-Hamilton Commission's Iraq War troop drawdown plan - and the disclosure that Bush ousted Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld after Rumsfeld sought a major shift in war policy - has given new urgency to the December 5 hearings on Robert M. Gates to be Bush's new Pentagon chief. Senators who were inclined to rubber-stamp Gates's nomination have reason to think twice."
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/120406K.shtml
Robert Parry writes, "George W. Bush's back-of-the-hand to the Baker-Hamilton Commission's Iraq War troop drawdown plan - and the disclosure that Bush ousted Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld after Rumsfeld sought a major shift in war policy - has given new urgency to the December 5 hearings on Robert M. Gates to be Bush's new Pentagon chief. Senators who were inclined to rubber-stamp Gates's nomination have reason to think twice."
On The Media
"Reporters and editors like to think of themselves as watchdogs for the public good. But in recent years both individual reporters and their ever-growing corporate ownership have defaulted on that role. Ted Stannard, an academic and former UPI correspondent, put it this way: 'When watchdogs, bird dogs, and bull dogs morph into lap dogs, lazy dogs, or yellow dogs, the nation is in trouble.'" --Helen Thomas, dean of the White House press corps, 2000
"Most of what we know, or think we know, we have never personally experienced. We live in a world erected by stories. . . . Our stories used to be hand-crafted, homemade, community-inspired. Now they are mostly mass produced and policy-driven, the result of a complex manufacturing and marketing process we know as the mass media." --George Gerbner, media scholar, 1999
"Most of what we know, or think we know, we have never personally experienced. We live in a world erected by stories. . . . Our stories used to be hand-crafted, homemade, community-inspired. Now they are mostly mass produced and policy-driven, the result of a complex manufacturing and marketing process we know as the mass media." --George Gerbner, media scholar, 1999
Extra Virgin
Extra virgin olive oil as an anti-inflamatory
http://www.bastyrcenter.org/content/view/930/
http://www.bastyrcenter.org/content/view/930/
To Function In a Warmer World
New crops needed to avoid famines
New varieties of crops able to function in a warmer world are needed if famines are to be avoided, researchers say.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/science/nature/6200114.stm
New varieties of crops able to function in a warmer world are needed if famines are to be avoided, researchers say.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/science/nature/6200114.stm
12/02/2006
One Hour Today OR Work Locally
Saturday December 2, from 11 am to 12 noon at the Harris Teeter on Raeford Rd. -- to let Harris Teeter's management know that "Enough is enough! We won't eat pork that's packaged with the abuse of North Carolina workers."
From Justice@Smithfield organizer Libby Manly: "Smithfield creates a dangerous workplace with fast line speeds and inadequate training, and then even fires some workers when they get hurt and denies their Workers Compensation claims.
"Our request of Harris Teeter is quite simple: Remove Smithfield products from the Tar Heel plant until the abuse ends. Consumers care about where their food comes from and how it is produced, and retailers, like North Carolina-based Harris Teeter, have an obligation to us -- their customers -- to provide the best products available.
Consumers and retailers together, armed with the facts about Smithfield, can influence the world's largest pork producer to treat North Carolina workers with the dignity and respect they deserve."
A delegation of local religious leaders will enter the store on Raeford Rd. to speak with the Harris Teeter management while others will maintain a public presence of support.
Please participate with other people of faith and conscience Dec. 2 for just one hour -- from 11 am to 12 noon -- to support the workers at the Tar Heel plant in nearby Tar Heel, NC.
From Justice@Smithfield organizer Libby Manly: "Smithfield creates a dangerous workplace with fast line speeds and inadequate training, and then even fires some workers when they get hurt and denies their Workers Compensation claims.
"Our request of Harris Teeter is quite simple: Remove Smithfield products from the Tar Heel plant until the abuse ends. Consumers care about where their food comes from and how it is produced, and retailers, like North Carolina-based Harris Teeter, have an obligation to us -- their customers -- to provide the best products available.
Consumers and retailers together, armed with the facts about Smithfield, can influence the world's largest pork producer to treat North Carolina workers with the dignity and respect they deserve."
A delegation of local religious leaders will enter the store on Raeford Rd. to speak with the Harris Teeter management while others will maintain a public presence of support.
Please participate with other people of faith and conscience Dec. 2 for just one hour -- from 11 am to 12 noon -- to support the workers at the Tar Heel plant in nearby Tar Heel, NC.
From Living on Earth
Eco-friendly Autos at the L.A. Auto Show. General Motors made a surprise announcement: the company is expanding electric car production. http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.htm?programID=06-P13-00048&segmentID=4
Energy Brat? A California youth ponders his family's energy waste. http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.htm?programID=06-P13-00048&segmentID=6
From solar backpacks to recycled crayons, there's plenty of eco-friendly gifts to purchase this season. http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.htm?programID=06-P13-00048&segmentID=8
(Or join the millions celebrating a BUY-NOTHING Christmas!)
Energy Brat? A California youth ponders his family's energy waste. http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.htm?programID=06-P13-00048&segmentID=6
From solar backpacks to recycled crayons, there's plenty of eco-friendly gifts to purchase this season. http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.htm?programID=06-P13-00048&segmentID=8
(Or join the millions celebrating a BUY-NOTHING Christmas!)
Supreme's Critical Case
Supreme Showdown on Greenhouse Gases
A dispute which could become one of the most critical environmental cases in U.S. legal history reached oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court this week. In the case of Massachusetts vs. Environmental Protection Agency, attorneys for 12 states and 13 environmental groups argued that the EPA is obligated under the Clean Air Act to regulate emissions of carbon dioxide as a pollutant.
The Bush EPA, backed by some business groups, says that it lacks the authority to do so; and even if it has the authority, it would have the discretion to decline. The case reached the Supreme Court on appeal from a split decision by the Court of Appeals upholding the EPA's position.
A decision by the Court in favor of the plaintiffs would require that the EPA start work on rules to require control of this key accelerant to global warming. A negative ruling could enable the continuing stall of forward movement on this issue by the federal government. No one believes that the EPA would act quickly or with a strong proposal even if the plaintiffs win the case here. However, the outcome means the difference between moving now to the debate over how strong the controls need to be, versus continuing the endless rounds of dithering over whether to take regulatory action at all.
The Bush Administration's attorney continued to cite the discredited argument of "substantial scientific uncertainty surrounding global climate change." In response, the Natural Resource Defense Council's (NRDC) lead attorney later summed up the central theme of the case as "science v. denial" and said that the case "could be a turning point in the battle against global warming."
In an interesting signal, unions representing more than half of the EPA's work force chose the date of the court argument to petition Congress for immediate action to deal with climate change. It seems that those who do the real work at EPA agree that it's time to regulate this pollutant.
In this dispute, the Supreme Court appeared during questioning to be as divided as usual. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito, Bush's two Supreme Court appointments, seemed most skeptical of the plaintiffs' case. Comments from Justice David Souter seemed positive. The Court's frequent swing voter, Justice Anthony Kennedy, could again cast the decisive vote in this case. In his exchange with attorneys, Kennedy raised a century-old case in which the state of Georgia won Supreme Court approval to sue out-of-state copper companies over the state's claim that the companies' emissions were damaging Georgia forests.
More commentary and news about the case can be found at a variety of sources, including the website of NRDC (one of the lead environmental groups involved in the lawsuit) www.nrdc.org.
A dispute which could become one of the most critical environmental cases in U.S. legal history reached oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court this week. In the case of Massachusetts vs. Environmental Protection Agency, attorneys for 12 states and 13 environmental groups argued that the EPA is obligated under the Clean Air Act to regulate emissions of carbon dioxide as a pollutant.
The Bush EPA, backed by some business groups, says that it lacks the authority to do so; and even if it has the authority, it would have the discretion to decline. The case reached the Supreme Court on appeal from a split decision by the Court of Appeals upholding the EPA's position.
A decision by the Court in favor of the plaintiffs would require that the EPA start work on rules to require control of this key accelerant to global warming. A negative ruling could enable the continuing stall of forward movement on this issue by the federal government. No one believes that the EPA would act quickly or with a strong proposal even if the plaintiffs win the case here. However, the outcome means the difference between moving now to the debate over how strong the controls need to be, versus continuing the endless rounds of dithering over whether to take regulatory action at all.
The Bush Administration's attorney continued to cite the discredited argument of "substantial scientific uncertainty surrounding global climate change." In response, the Natural Resource Defense Council's (NRDC) lead attorney later summed up the central theme of the case as "science v. denial" and said that the case "could be a turning point in the battle against global warming."
In an interesting signal, unions representing more than half of the EPA's work force chose the date of the court argument to petition Congress for immediate action to deal with climate change. It seems that those who do the real work at EPA agree that it's time to regulate this pollutant.
In this dispute, the Supreme Court appeared during questioning to be as divided as usual. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito, Bush's two Supreme Court appointments, seemed most skeptical of the plaintiffs' case. Comments from Justice David Souter seemed positive. The Court's frequent swing voter, Justice Anthony Kennedy, could again cast the decisive vote in this case. In his exchange with attorneys, Kennedy raised a century-old case in which the state of Georgia won Supreme Court approval to sue out-of-state copper companies over the state's claim that the companies' emissions were damaging Georgia forests.
More commentary and news about the case can be found at a variety of sources, including the website of NRDC (one of the lead environmental groups involved in the lawsuit) www.nrdc.org.
Genetically-modified Potatoes
GM potato trials given go-ahead
A plan to grow blight-resistant GM potatoes on two trial sites in England is approved by the government.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/science/nature/6197768.stm
A plan to grow blight-resistant GM potatoes on two trial sites in England is approved by the government.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/science/nature/6197768.stm
Alternative Media
ALTERNATIVE MEDIA CAN BALANCE ESTABLISHMENT’S EXPERTS
By Gary Olson in Allentown, Pa newspaper Morning Call 11/14/06
"The late political philosopher Isaiah Berlin coined the term “secular priesthood” to describe Russian commissars who were apologists for Stalin’s crimes. Later, MIT Professor Noam Chomsky adapted the term to characterize their counterpart in contemporary societies, names the higher level media, commentators and academic types who learn which side of their crusty French bread has the foie gras.
Just whom do they serve in our own society? Although we avoid the subject, we live in a class society. Roughly 2 percent of the populations owns virtually everything that matters. Below them reside about 18 percent, those whom political analyst Michael Albert calls the “coordinator class,” most of whom administer the daily operations of the Economy. They are the agents that workers encounter on a day-to-day basis. The government, including both parties, serves this group. Finally, at the bottom, 80 percent of the population consists of working people with little or no power or influence.
The secular priesthood belongs in the second group and the target for their actions are the minds of newspapers readers like yourselves, educated people with some discretionary time and resources. The fear is that if this vast middle class knew the truth, they would demand changes that would threaten the top 20 percent. Therefore, obedience to the system must be engineered by those whose stated opinions habitually echo what Orwell once called the official truth.
For their servility, the secular priesthood is accorded a lavish lifestyle, respectability, minor celebrity status, and the label “experts.” Henry Kissinger, in a rare candid moment, once defined an expert as a “person who knows how to articulate the consensus of his constituency.” Their function is to create public opinion, in Chomsky’s phrase, to “manufacture consistent” through disinformation, misinformation, and especially omission of vital information. It’s impossible not to detect a measure of contempt for ordinary citizens in this behavior.
Some carefully vetted academics become, as British writer Tariq Ali terms them, “embedded experts of the empire.” Being “useful” wins them prizes, access to major media outlets and tenure at places like Harvard, Yale and Stanford. They are called upon to provide commentaries in the New York Times, on CNN, NPR and The PBS Nightly News Hour. Within the media, establishment lapdogs do entertain vigorous debate, but only within narrowly circumscribed limits of acceptable thought. Because core issues are never addressed, they presumably do not exist.
By contrast, critical intellectuals who raise nettlesome questions aren’t invited. To accord “expert” status to them would undermine the legitimacy of the domesticated intellectuals. There fore, critical intellectuals are marginalized, dismissed as provocative, pariahs or worse. (Here I might note that this newspaper, The Morning Call, deserves credit for its routinely demonstrated practice of a free press and respect for the First Amendment.)
What are a few propositions that demand widespread exposure and debate?
1. Meaningful democracy and capitalism are mutually exclusive.
2. The United States is hated not for what we are but what we do in the world.
3. Oil can never be cited as the real motive behind the U. S. invasion of Iraq.
4. Sources of cheap labor, resources and profits—not promoting freedom—explain the 800 U. S. military bases around the globe and U. S. foreign policy since 1945.
5. The Israeli lobby in Washington does not serve this country’s best interests.
6. The “war on terrorism” is only the latest propaganda tool to scare the public for other ends.
7. The proposed U. S. “defense shield” in outer space is an offensive weapon.
8. The purchasing power (adjusted for inflation) of the typical American family had been falling for many years.
9. Big Business loves illegal immigration.
10. Most people experience no significant upward mobility and the American Dream is now officially a myth.
Where does one find an antidote to the “official truth” on these and other issues?
Progressive Web outlets that I use frequently include Common Dreams, ZNet/Z Magazine, F.A.I.R., DollarsandSense, truthOut.com, Counterpunch, The Progressive Magazine, Pacifica Radio and AlterNet. Alternative media aren’t a substitute for activism, but they are a necessary prerequisite."
Garry Olson, Ph. D. is a chair of the political Science Department at Moravian College in Bethlehem. His e-mail address is olson@moravian. Edu.
By Gary Olson in Allentown, Pa newspaper Morning Call 11/14/06
"The late political philosopher Isaiah Berlin coined the term “secular priesthood” to describe Russian commissars who were apologists for Stalin’s crimes. Later, MIT Professor Noam Chomsky adapted the term to characterize their counterpart in contemporary societies, names the higher level media, commentators and academic types who learn which side of their crusty French bread has the foie gras.
Just whom do they serve in our own society? Although we avoid the subject, we live in a class society. Roughly 2 percent of the populations owns virtually everything that matters. Below them reside about 18 percent, those whom political analyst Michael Albert calls the “coordinator class,” most of whom administer the daily operations of the Economy. They are the agents that workers encounter on a day-to-day basis. The government, including both parties, serves this group. Finally, at the bottom, 80 percent of the population consists of working people with little or no power or influence.
The secular priesthood belongs in the second group and the target for their actions are the minds of newspapers readers like yourselves, educated people with some discretionary time and resources. The fear is that if this vast middle class knew the truth, they would demand changes that would threaten the top 20 percent. Therefore, obedience to the system must be engineered by those whose stated opinions habitually echo what Orwell once called the official truth.
For their servility, the secular priesthood is accorded a lavish lifestyle, respectability, minor celebrity status, and the label “experts.” Henry Kissinger, in a rare candid moment, once defined an expert as a “person who knows how to articulate the consensus of his constituency.” Their function is to create public opinion, in Chomsky’s phrase, to “manufacture consistent” through disinformation, misinformation, and especially omission of vital information. It’s impossible not to detect a measure of contempt for ordinary citizens in this behavior.
Some carefully vetted academics become, as British writer Tariq Ali terms them, “embedded experts of the empire.” Being “useful” wins them prizes, access to major media outlets and tenure at places like Harvard, Yale and Stanford. They are called upon to provide commentaries in the New York Times, on CNN, NPR and The PBS Nightly News Hour. Within the media, establishment lapdogs do entertain vigorous debate, but only within narrowly circumscribed limits of acceptable thought. Because core issues are never addressed, they presumably do not exist.
By contrast, critical intellectuals who raise nettlesome questions aren’t invited. To accord “expert” status to them would undermine the legitimacy of the domesticated intellectuals. There fore, critical intellectuals are marginalized, dismissed as provocative, pariahs or worse. (Here I might note that this newspaper, The Morning Call, deserves credit for its routinely demonstrated practice of a free press and respect for the First Amendment.)
What are a few propositions that demand widespread exposure and debate?
1. Meaningful democracy and capitalism are mutually exclusive.
2. The United States is hated not for what we are but what we do in the world.
3. Oil can never be cited as the real motive behind the U. S. invasion of Iraq.
4. Sources of cheap labor, resources and profits—not promoting freedom—explain the 800 U. S. military bases around the globe and U. S. foreign policy since 1945.
5. The Israeli lobby in Washington does not serve this country’s best interests.
6. The “war on terrorism” is only the latest propaganda tool to scare the public for other ends.
7. The proposed U. S. “defense shield” in outer space is an offensive weapon.
8. The purchasing power (adjusted for inflation) of the typical American family had been falling for many years.
9. Big Business loves illegal immigration.
10. Most people experience no significant upward mobility and the American Dream is now officially a myth.
Where does one find an antidote to the “official truth” on these and other issues?
Progressive Web outlets that I use frequently include Common Dreams, ZNet/Z Magazine, F.A.I.R., DollarsandSense, truthOut.com, Counterpunch, The Progressive Magazine, Pacifica Radio and AlterNet. Alternative media aren’t a substitute for activism, but they are a necessary prerequisite."
Garry Olson, Ph. D. is a chair of the political Science Department at Moravian College in Bethlehem. His e-mail address is olson@moravian. Edu.
An Easy Choice
John is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I'd be twins!"
He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, John was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation. Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up and asked him, "I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?"
He replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or ... you can choose to be in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good mood." Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or... I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or... I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life."
"Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested.
"Yes, it is," he said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live your life."
Soon hereafter, I left the Tower Industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.
Several years later, I heard that he was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, he was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back. I saw him about six months after the accident.
When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins...Wanna see my scars?"
I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place.
"The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon-to-be born daughter," he replied. "Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or... I could choose to die. I chose to live."
"Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked.
He continued, "..the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read 'he's a dead man'. I knew I needed to take action."
"What did you do?" I asked.
"Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me," said John. "She asked if I was allergic to anything."
'Yes, I replied."
"The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Gravity'."
Over their laughter, I told them, "I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead."
He lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is everything.
Today IS the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.
He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, John was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation. Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up and asked him, "I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?"
He replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or ... you can choose to be in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good mood." Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or... I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or... I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life."
"Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested.
"Yes, it is," he said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live your life."
Soon hereafter, I left the Tower Industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.
Several years later, I heard that he was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, he was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back. I saw him about six months after the accident.
When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins...Wanna see my scars?"
I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place.
"The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon-to-be born daughter," he replied. "Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or... I could choose to die. I chose to live."
"Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked.
He continued, "..the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read 'he's a dead man'. I knew I needed to take action."
"What did you do?" I asked.
"Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me," said John. "She asked if I was allergic to anything."
'Yes, I replied."
"The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Gravity'."
Over their laughter, I told them, "I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead."
He lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is everything.
Today IS the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.
12/01/2006
More Science Research--in EU
Green light for EU science plan
The European Parliament has approved a 54 bn euro (£36bn) plan to boost science research in Europe.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/science/nature/6190160.stm
The European Parliament has approved a 54 bn euro (£36bn) plan to boost science research in Europe.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/science/nature/6190160.stm
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