Ridenour Reports on Mexico City Anti-Imperialist Inauguration Day Activities

Posted on January 22, 2009 by RagBlog


Obama vs. Palestine, Afghanistan and Iraq
By Ron Ridenour / The Rag Blog / January 21, 2008

Muntazer al Zaidi, the Iraqi shoe thrower, was the champion on presidential inauguration day not Barack Obama, whom 1000 Mexican demonstrators criticized for not having protested Zionist Israel’s invasion of Gaza.

The “embajada de muerte” (Embassy of Death) was attacked with a torrent of shoes as speakers denounced US imperialism for supporting Israeli genocide. The protest was organized by the Mexican Movement in Solidarity with Palestine and the microphone was open to all.

Member groups of the umbrella organization identified Israel as a tool for US domination of the Middle East and especially its fuel. The movements for the emancipation of women and for revolutionary vendors spoke of the authentic struggles for national liberation of the Palestinians as well as the Afghans, Iraqis and the Basques.

Another group, Machetearte, explained that Obama won the elections precisely because the peoples of Iraq and Afghanistan have resisted imperialism­’s invasion and are beating back the mercenary soldiers.

A religious group pointed out that Gaza is a new Auschwitz and those responsible should be brought before a new Nuremberg. They pointed out that Obama must honor his words, the “US is a friend of all nations,” and thus pull out invading and occupying troops throughout the world.

The organizers took on their own neo-liberal government for timidity before the slaughter of innocent Palestinians. Mexico’s government is a lackey still of US imperialism, they said, while much of Latin America is breaking its dependency. The governments of Venezuela and Bolivia were praised for ending diplomatic relations with Israel; organizers called upon their own government to do the same.

For a veteran of protests against imperialism, this manifestation before the embajada de muerte in this city of nearly ten million people reminded me of another one a dozen years ago when some 50,000 of us took the entire eight lane Reforma avenue in support of the Contadora process aimed at kicking the warring United States out of Central American. Now the wars here are over and anti-imperialist governments are in power in some countries. Some are aligned in the new ALBA regional economic pact which operates outside of US imperialism. This is the case in Nicaragua, partially so in Honduras and Guatemala. And in El Salvador, the transformed FMLN guerrilla groups look forward to winning the upcoming presidential elections.

Although US imperialism will remain an active force for some time, it will not take another dozen years for the invaded Middle East to win its sovereignty.

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David P. Hamilton : The Remarkable Promise of Barack Obama

Posted on January 22, 2009 by Thorne Dreyer

Aleesha Chaney, of Springfield, Ill. is seen during the inaugural ceremonies on the National Mall Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009, before the swearing-in ceremony of President-elect Barack Obama. Photo by Matt Rourke / AP.

These are terrible times and the great demands for change are so glaringly apparent. World capitalism is sinking economically and its continued unrestrained operation is threatening the viability of the planet as a place fit for human society. The situation is becoming desperate and the hopes of much of the world are being placed on Obama’s shoulders.

By David P. Hamilton / The Rag Blog / January 21, 2009.

“I’ve always introduced myself as a black American. From now on, I’m just an American.” — Forest Whitaker.

What does the election of Barack Obama as the president of the United States already mean and what does it promise? There are many correct answers. The following are what I believe to be among the most significant.

What Obama’s election means already was reflected most clearly in the faces of African-Americans attending his inauguration. They bought flags and waved them proudly, sang “The Star Spangled Banner” lustily and tears ran down their faces. This was a pinnacle moment of victory in the history of African-Americans on the scale of the Emancipation Proclamation and the 14th Amendment in the 1860’s and the passage of the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts in the 1960’s. Without going so far as saying that racism is dead in America, Obama becoming president went far to rectify a great historical injustice and American racism seems now resolutely defeated.

For the first time in US history, it is confirmed with finality that we are no longer a white society with people of color secondary. Now we are quite officially a multi-racial, multi-ethnic society and arguably the human society that has gone the furthest toward the resolution of racial issues. Whites who have in some way contributed to this struggle, especially those of us who have done so throughout our adult lives, also justly feel a great sense of satisfaction and validation.

Although I have many demands yet unmet and progress is still largely only a promise, I have never in my 65 years felt so hopeful and, although not yet entirely proud, at least less embarrassed to be American. That feeling reflects a great healing that has already been achieved. The ideological foundations of the American Revolution inspired the French Revolution and freedom movements ever since, including that of Ho Chi Minh. Undeniable American progress in racial issues, symbolized by the election of and broad popular support for this African-American president, will reverberate throughout all humanity, influencing racial politics globally henceforth.

We must also recognize the meteoric ascendancy of Barack Obama, which has few historical equivalents. Five years ago, he was a little known state senator in Illinois. Today, he is the most powerful and admired politician in the world, arguably more so on this day than any previous figure on the world stage. He is an avatar, a phenomenon, having risen suddenly to a pinnacle perhaps never previously achieved. He has transformed in an instant the president of the US from the world’s most vilified individual to its most respected. This ascendancy is due not only to his amazing political gifts, but also the world’s neediness. Much of the world beseeches him for leadership. In his inaugural address he forthrightly asserts that a new era in US relations with the world is upon us. The old equations have changed and the world must adjust. For example, I soon expect the delivery of a verbal olive branch from Caracas.

He has an opportunity to globalize leadership, to influence national politicians with his own popularity and credibility among their citizens. The responsibilities heaped upon him are worldwide, truly awesome and unprecedented. Into this role the American people have thrust a relatively young but exceptionally gifted African-American with an African Muslim name. Only a historical moment ago, that was inconceivable.

The transformation embodied by Obama succeeding Bush is stunning. Bush left office with the lowest approval ratings of any US president – ever. Even Nixon resigning in disgrace was more popular. Obama enters office with the highest approval ratings ever polled for an incoming president, higher than Bush at his peak after 9/11. At this moment, these public opinions are held not only in this country, but worldwide. The current good will toward him is almost boundless. His political enemies are cowed, forced to wish him well and not appear obstructionist.

Obama takes over a powerfully unified government. His party’s congressional majorities are dominant. Although they lack one vote from having a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, three Republican senators are from states where Obama won by greater than 10 per cent. He’ll have a majority on the Supreme Court eventually and will seat a new generation of federal judges in the meantime who will starkly contrast with those appointed during recent decades of Republican rule. He has already displayed copious skills as a consensus builder. His potential opposition is in disarray.

The Republicans have been laid low. The pillars of their power for the past 40 years have been racism, unregulated market fundamentalism, anti-choice on abortion, small government, unprogressive taxes and a militaristic, unilateral foreign policy. These positions are now all political losers. George W. Bush’s failures only amplified their degeneration. I find it hard to imagine how the Republicans reconfigure themselves so as not to become a historic anachronism.

What does Barack Obama promise?

If Obama is to be successful, he will have to become the first “socialist” president of the US and an inspirational leader of the world. If so, he will be a “socialist” in action although not in name, and not because he is an ideologically committed socialist, but because the objective conditions demand solutions that involve and benefit the entire society, a mobilization into a common cause and an augmentation of the commons. If Barack Obama is pragmatic, he will demand solutions in those terms. This is certainly not to say that he will abandon capitalism. To succeed Obama will have to become a social democrat in the European tradition, an FDR and a Leon Blum. The American model of free market fundamentalism, of laissez-faire capitalism, much as Marx predicted, is conspicuously expiring from the weight of its own inherent contradictions and will have to be seriously restructured. That restructuring will have to be in the direction of internationalism, egalitarianism and conservation if it is to seriously address the problems that face us.

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Rabbi Arthur Waskow on the Inauguration : The God of Peace Fared Well

Posted on January 21, 2009 by Thorne Dreyer

The Rev. Joseph E. Lowery gives the benediction at the end of the swearing-in ceremony at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009. Photo by Ron Edmonds / AP.

As for President Obama himself, any God worth the salt that was spread upon the Temple offerings would have smiled benignly as he mentioned ‘Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers.’

By Rabbi Arthur Waskow / The Rag Blog / January 21, 2009

I thought God — the real God, the One Who cares passionately about justice, peace, and diversity — came out rather well in the Inaugural ceremonies.

God’s official spokespersons did better than I had expected. Rev. Rick Warren –- whose choice I had strongly criticized because of his views about gay and lesbian sexuality –- did far better than I had feared. I was especially moved by his speaking, in English, the Jewish “Sh’ma” about God’s Unity and the Muslim “Bismillah Er Rachman Er Rahim” — “In the name of God Who is Compassionate and Merciful.” I doubt that most Christians knew what he was doing in either case, but Jews and Muslims did.

And I respected his going out of his way to affirm that he spoke in Jesus’ name not as if Jesus were the self-evidently, universally accepted God Incarnate but rather, explicitly that Jesus is the aspect of God that Warren himself feels called by.

I also appreciated his effort to contextualize Jesus as both actually a Jew and in Muslim eyes a prophet by saying his name in both Hebrew and Arabic as well as the Greek by which most of the Christian world knows him.

And though Warren did not confess and repair the sin of his attacks on gay sexuality, his words were in general pacific.

As for Rev. Lowery: he moved me to tears and to delighted laughter too. Tears when he began with a passage from a poem/song by James Weldon Johnson, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” long known as the “Negro National Anthem.” Not only the words of the song but its melody move back and forth from grief to hope, as they reflect on the past and future of Black life in America.

I know the song and so do my adult children, who learned it in mostly Black schools in the District of Columbia when they were growing up. Indeed, I sang it last Sunday morning when I preached on Martin Luther King and the American future at Old South Church in Boston, and the church leadership chose it from the hymnal of the United Church of Christ to end the service. I thought then, “Every Black church in America is also singing that song this very morning!” But it had not occurred to me that Rev. Lowery might use it.

I am sure that few American whites know it, or understood what Lowery was doing. But practically every Black American did.

I laughed out loud when Lowery then turned upside down the despairing and cynical old Black patter about “black, brown, yellow, red, white.” Who could have imagined these in-group cultural artifacts, these nearly secret rituals of Black life, coming out of the closet in such a public way on this most broadly American occasion?

As for President Obama himself, any God worth the salt that was spread upon the Temple offerings would have smiled benignly as he mentioned “Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers.” Monotheists, polytheists, and atheists all included in our community. (Maybe Obama, like many Buddhists, sees Buddhism as a philosophy, not a religion.)

As for much of the content of Obama’s speech –- for example — “A nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous”: it seemed secular on the surface but at least to my ears bespoke an implicitly religious sensibility. Some of the immediate post-ceremony TV commentary heard the speech as prose rather than poetry; but as I read it later, that line and others seemed to me to glow and chime as poetry. God shining through.

Shalom, salaam, shantih, namaste, peace…

Rabbi Arthur Waskow

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Who Needs Dubya? Texas Still Has John Cornyn to Embarass Us

Posted on January 21, 2009 by Thorne Dreyer

Where’s Waldo? Hillary Clinton, center, being crushed on the House floor, with Texas Sen. John Cornyn directly behind her. Photo by Reuters.

‘His petty little snit in holding up the appointment of Hillary Clinton to State for an extra day just offers a sniff of dumbness to come.’

By Thorne Dreyer / The Rag Blog / January 21, 2009

See ‘John Cornyn’s True Nature Comes Out of the Closet,’ Below.

Dubya may be gone (though certainly not forgotten), but his erstwhile lapdog continues to howl. How in the world did Texans reelect Sen. John “Corn Dog” Cornyn, our sad sack of a Republican embarassment? His petty little snit in holding up the appointment of Hillary Clinton to State for an extra day just offers a sniff of dumbness to come.

Sarito Neiman wrote from New York: “Can’t you guys get rid of this turkey?”

Well, he ain’t going anywhere soon.

The following comes from boadicea at Texas Kaos.

John Cornyn’s True Nature Comes Out of the Closet
January 21 / 2009

As the Republican Party leaders do their damndest to reduce their relevance and constituency by being institutional assholes, John Cornyn’s ambition and true nature assert themselves.
By voting against confirmation for Hillary Clinton on the day of President Barack Obama’s inauguration he proved that the only thing Big about “Big John” is his pettiness.

Oh, and his ego. With John McCain back to his “I’m not any Republican, I’m a MAVERICK” schtick, and Sarah Palin back in Alaska, John figures he’s the next up for a national profile, and he used his vote in the Foreign Relations committee to get him some face time with reporters.

As the GOP’s new point man on Senate elections, Cornyn faces a daunting task. His party lost eight seats in November and is currently down to 41 out of 100 – a 28-year low.

But he offered a relatively upbeat assessment in his first roundtable with reporters since colleagues picked him to lead the National Republican Senatorial Committee in November.

Foremost, he said, Democrats badly mishandled the Illinois seat left open by Obama. Roland Burris – chosen by Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who has been impeached for allegedly trying to sell the job – will be sworn in today.

Cornyn called the situation “a national embarrassment” that could open a GOP opportunity in a state Republicans would ordinarily have written off next year.

Really, a Texas Republican is going to try to make the case for a “national embarrassment”? The party of Tom Delay, Tom Craddick, George W. Bush, Alan Keyes, Sarah Palin, Larry “Wide Stance” Craig, and Ted Stevens is gonna make the case the the Republicans are the sane, non-embarrassing party?
That should be amusing.

The only thing Cornyn’s going to confirm is that he can be counted on-whether from Terri Schiavo, Box Turtle Love, or bipartisan leadership at a critical time for the American people-to be the biggest asshole in the room.

Libby Shaw added a comment at Texas Kaos:

Let’s give him hell.

I know we are stuck with him for the next six years but this does not mean Cornyn should be able to do whatever he wants whenever. He represents all Texans, not just his base of fat cats and right wingers.

Every time Cornyn does something stupid and embarrassing, which will be most of the time, let’s blast him with messages of protest. I posted the info below yesterday in comments on BOR on Daily Kos after reading about Cornyn’s embarrassing stunt.

We pay his salary – that dude works for us and we should remind him of that on a daily basis.

To contact Cornyn, go here.

You can also fax him at 202-228-2856 or call 202-224-2934.

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Memo to Obama : We Must Rethink Afghanistan Policy

Posted on January 21, 2009 by Thorne Dreyer

Afghani Taliban: closer ties with Al Qaeda.

Americans need an open and full discussion of the grim situation in Afghanistan, and the Obama administration needs to set very limited objectives. The public needs to know that the situation in Afghanistan is far worse and more complicated than that in Iraq.

By Sherman DeBrosse / The Rag Blog / January 21, 2009

Barack Obama and progressives were correct to say that the war in Afghanistan was a necessary war because Al Qaeda’s headquarters are there or in nearby northwest Pakistan. The problem is that it was the necessary war in 2003, but the situation has since spun out of control. The Bush administration effort lost momentum when it failed to use American troops to nail Osama Bin Laden at Tora Bora. Then it diverted crucial resources away from Afghanistan to Iraq.

Americans need an open and full discussion of the grim situation in Afghanistan, and the Obama administration needs to set very limited objectives. The public needs to know that the situation in Afghanistan is far worse and more complicated than that in Iraq.

The regime we installed in Kabul is a vast kleptocracy, that is despised by the people. There was so much talk about helping the country on to the path of democracy and modernity. Now they execute people for converting to Christianity, and the role of women has only improved slightly. War lords regained power in the provinces, and narcofarmers and others restored the poppy crop that the Taliban outlawed. A reinvigorated Taliban now taxes the crop. Forget about nation-building there.

There has been a revival of the Taliban, and the new Taliban are not just seminarians; they are rebels of all sorts, bandits and ethnic rebels. They effectively employ roadside bombs, suicide bombers and other Iraqi tactics. Once seemingly revived by the ISI, the Pakistani Intelligence agency, or by rogue elements within it, the Afghan Taliban recently have begun working in concert with Taliban from the tribal areas of northwest Pakistan. These elements now take on Pakistani forces and Afghan forces in small formations of 500 or 600. President Hamid Karzai has offered to open talks with Mullah Omar, but the Taliban leader did not respond affirmatively.

Now there are tribal insurgencies in the south that the Karzai regime cannot contain. In all, there are fourteen important insurgent organizations in Afghanistan. The country is a little over half Pashtuns (which includes the Taliban), and other large groups re the Uzbeks, Hazaras, and Tajiks. Warlords are the traditional leaders, and they are now fighting over control of the drug trade.

The situation there now has so deteriorated that it cannot be greatly improved by the application of American military might. Afghanistan has all the ingredients of a major military disaster. There is no silver bullet military solution; the rugged terrain is a guerilla’s paradise. Remember the British experience there in the late 19th century and the Russian military’s meltdown there in the 1980s. There are multiple factions, unbelievable geographical obstacles, and very tough logistical hurdles. American abuse of detainees and bombings has turned much of the population against us. Obama correctly noted the counterproductive effects of the bombings.

There are now 32,000 American troops there as well as another 30,000 allied troops. Our NATO allies are becoming discouraged and impatient, and their continued presence cannot be expected. We need to persuade NATO to remain longer and to consider introducing troops from Muslim nations, such as Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, and Algeria. The United States is now repositioning another 30,000 troops to Afghanistan, which should satisfy Obama’s pledge to send more troops there.

Long-term pacification would take between 200,000 and 400,000 troops over a ten year period. The allies will not remain there that long. It is almost impossible to imagine how this option could be carried out.

Our goal cannot extend much beyond buying enough time for one last shot at bringing some stability to the country. The best approach would be to address it as part of a regional diplomatic effort that would bring greatly improved relations between India and Pakistan, give Afghanistan a coalition government, and mend our relations with Iran, because they are in a position to see that our withdrawal from Afghanistan would be very painful. Hamid Karzai may have to be replaced with someone more acceptable to Pakistan, who almost inevitably will plan a major role in Afghan affairs. This optimum solution would require some help from Russia, China, and the “-stans.”

The ideal regional solution may well not be possible, and the US may have to settle for simply weakening the insurgencies enough to allow what passes for a central government to keep security manageable. Warlords must be bought off and not be rearmed. Far more Afghan troops must be recruited and trained. Corruption must be sharply curbed or the current regime will not even be able to hang on to Kabul.

The Biden-Lugar-Obama Bill, that promises $1.5 billion a year in developmental aid for ten years should be passed and vigorously implemented. That annual amount is much less than we spend there per month. This exercise of soft power should emphasize training teachers and nurses and building schools and health centers. These activities should be focused in the areas where the US plans to build twin gas and oil pipelines. Economic development money should also be spent in these areas.

This exercise of soft power should emphasize training teachers and nurses and building schools and health centers. Economic development money should also be spent in these areas.

A foundation stone of our policy there should be Obama’s comment that , ” …the Karzai government has not gotten out of the bunker and helped organize Afghanistan and [the] government, the judiciary, police forces, in ways that would give people confidence.” If the corruption does not end and the regime cannot win over the populace by providing a multiplicity of services, nothing the US attempts will work.

While we are there in reinforced numbers, American special forces can use the secret base the US is building in Pakistan to launch multiple operations against Al Qaeda. It should not be used for attacks by Americans against Taliban forces in northwestern Pakistan. It is paramount that we avoid creating supporters for Al Qaeda. Clearly, it would be beneficial to Al Qaeda if the US prolonged its presence in Iraq and Afghanistan. Continuing the level of bombings that injure civilians is also a way of creating more Al Qaeda recruits. We are now seeing signs of closer ties between Al Qaeda and the Taliban — something experts thought could not happen. The US must find ways to avoid bringing them together.

It also must be kept in mind that Pakistan is an even greater problem — prone to violence and instability. We must do nothing to destabilize her more. Pakistan faces a radical Islamic insurgency and there is the remote possibility that nuclear weapons and/or the technology of A.Q. Khan could fall into the hands of Wahabi radicals. Pakistan has a strategic reason to gain the upper hand in Afghanistan, as it needs influence in that country as part of its regional strategy of counterbalancing India. For that reason we have to assume that the ISI, or elements within it, are assisting the Taliban. There will be no increase in stability until Pakistan gets what it wants there.

Some European writers complain that the Afghan national forces are rarely used in the south, where most of the Taliban is. It is also said that there is very little coordination between Allied forces and Pakistani forces on the other side of the border. Brits complain that the US might want them out of their old sphere of influence in Pashtun country. They suggest that the US wants to continue the instability there so it can use Afghanistan as a base for continuing US influence in Central Asia. It is probably more likely that the Afghan national army is simply not ready. As for dreams of being a Central Asian power — we should look at our finances, manpower problems, and the logistical difficulties of keeping a large force there over an extended period.

Dreams of greatly expanding US power in Central Asia are unrealistic. To obtain assistance from Russia and China in bringing a settlement to Afghanistan, the US must reconsider its plans to disrupt the Collective Security Treat Organization (CSTO), led by Russia, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Given our present economic circumstances, there are strong reasons to work out an amicable arrangement with the China-led SCO. The price for Russia’s help might be pulling back on NATO membership for Georgia, a move many of our allies would applaud. In both cases, there should be ways to see that the US gets its share of Caspian energy.

[Sherman DeBrosse, the pseudonym for a retired history professor, is a regular contributor to The Rag Blog and also blogs at Sherm Says and on DailyKos.]

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Ten Ideas for Barack and the Rest of Us to Work On

Posted on January 21, 2009 by RagBlog


A Starter Plan for Obama: A Ten-Point Solar Agenda
By Harvey Wasserman / January 20, 2009

Amidst the ecstasy of the Obama Inauguration, there lurks great danger.

Merely with his swearing in, our nation has broken an epic racial barrier. We are losing our worst president and getting one who was actually elected.

But the promise of change is not change itself. Inaugurating a brilliant young leader who speaks in complete sentences can only be good. But it is a fatal delusion to think this means we have gotten where we need to go.

Here are ten early tangibles that will be accomplished ONLY if we push:

1) Revise the Corporation: Corporations have hijacked the electoral process, the legal system, the 14th Amendment, the environment. They have human rights but no human responsibilities. They must be re-chartered and made to serve the public, rather than the other way around.

2) Restore the Bill of Rights: The first ten amendments to the US Constitution comprise a great guide for guaranteeing our basic human rights and liberties. The Constitutional lawyer entering the White House understands the issues; he need to be pushed to make sure these rights are enforced, including equal justice for racial/ethnic minorities and women, and reproductive freedom.

3) US out of Iraq and Afghanistan: These wars must end. The healing—moral, spiritual, economic, and in terms of violence—can only begin when the US leaves these useless battlefields and dismantles its global network of intrusive bases.

4) Slash Military Spending: We cannot continue to spend untold billions on detrimental weaponry. A 75% cut would be a good start; 95% would be a reasonable ultimate target.

5) Rid the World of Nuclear Weapons: Atomic bombs are instruments of mass suicide and of no tangible use. Even their production and maintenance is unsustainable.

6) TOTAL conversion to renewables and efficiency: We have the technology to run this Earth COMPLETELY on Solartopian green energy, with no fossil/nuclear fuels whatsoever. This means restoration of mass transit, and NO public funding, from taxpayers or ratepayers, for new atomic reactors or coal burners.

7) End Hemp/Marijuana Prohibition: This ancient plant holds the key to bio-fuels, as well as to sustainable paper production and much more, and must be restored to full production. And prohibition of a medicinal substance used by tens of millions of citizens makes for a police state. Pot must be legal; control of other substances must shift to treatment. The prison-industrial complex is as unsustainable as is the military.

8) National Health Care: Appropriate prevention and treatment is a basic human right. We must find the way to provide it.

9) Universal Hand-Counted Paper Ballots: Electronic voting machines are the nukes of the electoral process. Universal automatic registration, handcounted paper ballots (on recycled hemp paper) and workable campaign finance regulations are essential to the future of democracy.

10) Universal Free Education: In an information age, education through a college degree is essential to a sustainable society. Our public schools from K to the BA must be funded on a level now wasted on the military.

There is of course much more. But the greatness of this moment will be measured in history only by the extent to which we actually win on tangible issues.

This brief wish list should get us going. Send us more! But above all: remember that even with Barack Obama in the White House (and George Bush OUT of it) none of them will come without our hard—hopefully joyful—work.

[Harvey Wasserman, a co-founder of Musicians United for Safe Energy, is editing the nukefree.org web site. He is the author of SOLARTOPIA! Our Green-Powered Earth, A.D. 2030, is at www.solartopia.org. He can be reached at: Windhw@aol.com.]

Source / CounterPunch

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Bernard Lafayette: Martin Luther King’s Disciple

Posted on January 21, 2009 by RagBlog

Bernard LaFayette recounts his experiences during the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham, Alabama on January 10, 2009. Photo: Reuters/Pamela Zappardino/Handout/United States.

Activist spreads King’s teachings on nonviolence
By Andrea Shalal-Esa / January 19, 2009

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Bernard LaFayette, beaten and arrested 27 times during the civil rights movement, has spent his life working toward a goal the movement’s leader Martin Luther King shared with him hours before he was killed.

“I devoted my life to fulfilling Martin Luther King’s last request,” said LaFayette, who said King had been gearing up to take his teachings on nonviolence around the world and ensure that became fully embedded in society.

King would have been heartened by the inauguration of Barack Obama as the first black U.S. president, but his dream was focused on a bigger goal of curing economic disparities and ending what he called “the curse of war,” said LaFayette.

A trained minister and professor at Atlanta’s Emory University, LaFayette said Obama’s election underscored a desire for change at a time when the United States was again mired in an unpopular war and facing huge economic challenges.

“They didn’t vote for him because he was black. They voted for him … because they saw some hope and the possibility of change,” he said, adding that Obama embodied King’s principle of reaching out to one’s enemies and seeking reconciliation.

“They wanted to be part of something,” LaFayette added, remembering his own involvement as a young college student in peaceful sit-ins at white lunch counters, bus rides to integrate transportation in the segregated South, and later, voter drives to ensure all African-Americans could vote.

After King’s assassination in April 1968, violence and riots in more than 125 cities left 46 people dead and 2,600 injured in an outpouring of African-American outrage that flew in the face of King’s work on nonviolence, but made LaFayette even more determined to continue that mission.

Forty-one years later, LaFayette estimates he has trained and certified over 20,000 individuals in King’s six principles of nonviolence, including 3,000 Miami police officers and hundreds of inmates in one of Colombia’s most violent prisons.

He has helped set up 22 nonviolence centers in poor areas of the United States and places like Palestine and Nigeria,

“In the places where we’ve been able to institutionalize it, we’ve seen some dramatic results,” he said, citing a bill introduced in the Colombian parliament that would mandate nonviolence training in all schools, from kindergarten on.

LaFayette also worked with prisoners to dramatically reduce violence at the Bellavista prison in Colombia where inmates once cut off a guard’s head and played soccer with it.

In Miami, nonviolence training helped police avert riots in 1992 after an all-white jury acquitted four policemen accused of beating black motorist Rodney King, LaFayette said. By contrast, Los Angeles had its worst riots since 1965.

Source / Reuters

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Inauguration Day 2009: More Than Meets the Eye

Posted on January 21, 2009 by RagBlog

Thanks to Diane Stirling-Stevens / The Rag Blog

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A Hole in Their Argument? : Krispy Kreme’s Pro-Abortion Donuts

Posted on January 21, 2009 by Thorne Dreyer

Jesus would undoubtedly want you to go out right now and buy a dozen donuts to support choice and abortion rights, so what are you waiting for?

By Mariann Wizard / The Rag Blog / January 20, 2009

Just in case you think that everybody in America is happy with everybody else today, and that Obama’s inauguration signals a New Day of tolerance, understanding, and freedom for all, think again! The ultra-right is still with us, still frothing at the mouth, and still willing to demonize anyone and anything that may even remotely interfere with their moralistic agenda.

Krispy Kreme donuts are criticized by some for their high caloric, low nutrition content, and because their slick advertising campaigns and specials have taken business away from Mom-and-Pop donut shops coast-to-coast. (Personally, I never touch any of these coronary depth charges!) But I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the fried-white-flour-and-sugar-treat makers today, when I read the following example of what’s going on in the teeny-tiny pointed heads of the anti-choice religious right. Jesus would undoubtedly want you to go out right now and buy a dozen donuts to support choice and abortion rights, so what are you waiting for?

The following comes by way of BlueDogDemocratNH at Democratic Underground, who said: “best part: this was sent to me by a Catholic priest who was laughing his ass off, and probably headed to the Krispy Kreme as soon as he read it.”

Krispy Kreme celebrates Obama with pro-abortion doughnuts
By Katie Walker / January 15, 2009

WASHINGTON, DC — The following is a statement from American Life League president, Judie Brown.

The next time you stare down a conveyor belt of slow-moving, hot, sugary glazed donuts at your local Krispy Kreme you just might be supporting President-elect Barack Obama’s radical support for abortion on demand – including his sweeping promise to sign the Freedom of Choice Act as soon as he steps in the Oval Office, Jan. 20.

The doughnut giant released the following statement yesterday:

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc. (NYSE: KKD) is honoring American’s sense of pride and freedom of choice on Inauguration Day, by offering a free doughnut of choice to every customer on this historic day, Jan. 20. By doing so, participating Krispy Kreme stores nationwide are making an oath to tasty goodies — just another reminder of how oh-so-sweet “free” can be.

Just an unfortunate choice of words? For the sake of our Wednesday morning doughnut runs, we hope so. The unfortunate reality of a post Roe v. Wade America is that “choice” is synonymous with abortion access and celebration of ‘freedom of choice’ is a tacit endorsement of abortion rights on demand.

President-elect Barack Obama promises to be the most virulently pro-abortion president in history. Millions more children will be endangered by his radical abortion agenda.

Celebrating his inauguration with “Freedom of Choice” doughnuts – only two days before the anniversary of the Supreme Court decision to decriminalize abortion – is not only extremely tacky, it’s disrespectful and insensitive and makes a mockery of a national tragedy.

A misconstrued concept of “choice” has killed over 50 million preborn children since Jan. 22, 1973. Does Krispy Kreme really want their free doughnuts to celebrate this “freedom.””

As of Thursday morning, Communications Director Brian Little could not be reached for comment. We challenge Krispy Kreme doughnuts to reaffirm their commitment to true freedom – to the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness – and to separate themselves and their doughnuts from our great American shame.”

Source / American Life League

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Rush Limbaugh : ‘I Hope Obama Fails’

Posted on January 20, 2009 by Thorne Dreyer


Limbaugh: ‘I don’t need 400 words, I need four: I hope he fails… Somebody’s gotta say it.’

By Faiz Shakir / January 20, 2009

“Are conservative talk-show hosts eager to go on the attack, after years of defending Bush?” asks the Louisville Courier-Journal’s Larry Muhammad. The answer is clearly yes.

Barack Obama has not yet taken office, and Rush Limbaugh is already rooting for his failure. On his radio show last Friday, Limbaugh said, “I disagree fervently with the people on our [Republican] side of the aisle who have caved and who say, ‘Well, I hope he succeeds.’”

Limbaugh told his listeners that he was asked by “a major American print publication” to offer a 400-word statement explaining his “hope for the Obama presidency.” He responded:

So I’m thinking of replying to the guy, “Okay, I’ll send you a response, but I don’t need 400 words, I need four: I hope he fails.” (interruption) What are you laughing at? See, here’s the point. Everybody thinks it’s outrageous to say. Look, even my staff, “Oh, you can’t do that.” Why not? Why is it any different, what’s new, what is unfair about my saying I hope liberalism fails? Liberalism is our problem. Liberalism is what’s gotten us dangerously close to the precipice here. Why do I want more of it? I don’t care what the Drive-By story is. I would be honored if the Drive-By Media headlined me all day long: “Limbaugh: I Hope Obama Fails.” Somebody’s gotta say it.

It hasn’t taken long for Limbaugh to reveal his core hypocrisy. In July 2006, with conservatives in power, Limbaugh offered one of his common screeds against the left. “I’m getting so sick and tired of people rooting for the defeat of the good guys,” he complained.

During the Clinton presidency in the 90s, Limbaugh would begin his show with a gimmick, purporting to count the days America had been “held hostage.” In May 2007, Limbaugh recalled:

Back when Clinton was inaugurated in 1993 and we began our America Held Hostage countdown, the number of days left until Clinton was gone so we’d all be released from bondage, the joke, do you remember how mad the liberals got at that? Do you remember how mad the Drive-Bys got at that? Then they started running stories how I, Rush Limbaugh, was destroying the respect for the office of the presidency that the American people had.

A disastrous Bush presidency has come and gone, but some things haven’t changed a bit.

Source / Think Progress

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Ex-Narc to El Paso City Council : Legalize Drugs

Posted on January 20, 2009 by Thorne Dreyer

Prohibition will never curb border violence related to the illegal drug trade, nor will it ever reduce any of the devastating consequences associated with illegal drugs. The only way to reduce illegal drug-market violence is to legalize and regulate drugs, putting the cartels out of business.

By Terry Nelson / January 20, 2009

[Terry Nelson, a native Texan and an expert on border security, was for 30 years a federal anti-drug agent. He now works with LEAP (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition). Please see our earlier report on the El Paso City Council’s action.]

When I learned that the mayor of El Paso vetoed a resolution calling for a national discussion on drug legalization after it was passed unanimously by his city council, I was ready to help my neighbors. The city council had shown the good sense to vote 8-0 to show support for their sister city of Juarez, Mexico, which is overrun with drug war violence. By calling for an open debate on ending drug prohibition, the El Paso city council took a big step in the right direction, and I knew they could use the support of cops who’ve been on the front lines of the failed “war on drugs.”

Emboldened by their research and public comments, the city council members called for an override of the veto, spurring a week-long debate on whether there should be a national discussion about drug legalization. A debate about debating, if you will.

On the southern side of the border, lawmakers are talking about the El Paso debate as well. Juarez lawmaker Victor Quintana, who proposed the Chihuahua State Congress initiate a similar debate in 2008, said, “I don’t think it hurts anyone to initiate this debate, because the drug war has failed all over the world.”

You can be part of the debate by sending a strong message to your member of Congress in support of a national discussion on drug policy.

Unfortunately, the El Paso city council’s override vote ended in a tie, and Mayor John Cook’s veto of the unanimously-passed resolution was upheld. It wasn’t as if the city council members changed their minds on calling for a national debate; rather, four of the eight council members who originally supported the resolution ultimately reversed their votes under significant federal pressure, with three council members specifically citing two letters: one from U.S. Congressman Silvestre Reyes, and one from the El Paso’s state legislative delegation. The letters threatened El Paso with the loss of state and federal dollars if the council voted to override the veto and pass the resolution.

I attended the meeting, and you can view my testimony before the council here. [Or watch the video below.] Also in attendance was an aide to Congressman Reyes, who articulated the threats to the council should the resolution pass.

City Rep. Beto O’Rourke, who championed the council resolution, summed it up best: “It’s a sad day in America when you are threatened for wanting to have an open debate on an issue that is affecting our country and our region.”

As you know, prohibition will never curb border violence related to the illegal drug trade, nor will it ever reduce any of the devastating consequences associated with illegal drugs. The only way to reduce illegal drug-market violence is to legalize and regulate drugs, putting the cartels out of business.

I’m outraged at this blatant use of federal pressure to silence an open discussion, and I hope you are too. Drug prohibition is an issue that profoundly affects our country, and for our elected officials to resort to threats in order to prevent such a necessary debate contradicts the very core of democracy.

When confronted by the Huffington Post, Congressman Reyes said that he is not opposed to a debate on legalization; he only opposed the ‘timing,’ as it would coincide with President Barack Obama’s meeting with Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Congress’s debate of the economic stimulus package. Reyes said, “If it’s still an issue [after the stimulus passes], I’m not opposed to perhaps even entertaining a hearing. I can look at that if they want to pursue it.”

Take action now! Visit DrugWarDebate.com to ask YOUR federal and state representatives to support a blue ribbon commission reviewing the efficacy of drug prohibition. Please help us hold Congressman Reyes to his pledge!

Former fed says let’s legalize drugs

Law Enforcement Against Prohibition’s Terry Nelson (30-year federal anti-drug agent) testifies to the El Paso City Council about the national security, public safety and economic benefits of legalizing drugs.

See our earlier story on this subject: El Paso City Council : Rethink Drug War, Drug Prohibition by Gustavo Reveles Acosta / The Rag Blog / Jan. 6, 2008.

Also see El Paso City Council upholds veto by Alicia A. Caldwell / AP / Houston Chronicle / Jan. 13, 2009

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Israel : IDF Curbs Travel; Fear War Crimes Arrests

Posted on January 20, 2009 by Thorne Dreyer

The Hague: War crimes charges in the works? Photo by AP.

Israel expresses concern over international human rights groups’ intention to file war crimes charges against military personnel with The Hague, local European courts; says officers planning to travel must contact Judge Advocate General’s Office first.

By Tova Tzimuki / January 19, 2009

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officers intending to travel to Europe, whether for business or pleasure, have been advised to contact the Judge Advocate General’s Office prior to leaving Israel; and some may be instructed not to leave the country.

The advisory has been issued following Israel’s concern that international arrest warrants may be issued against officers who were involved in the Israeli offensive in Gaza, on charges of war crimes.

Jerusalem has reportedly received several reports suggesting international human rights groups are in the process of gathering evidence in the form of photos and testimonials, with the intent of filing suits both with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague and in local European courts.

While the State is likely to be able to thwart such attempts in The Hague, having suits of this nature filed with local European courts quashed is more complex: Many of the European courts have taken it upon themselves to hear cases of alleged war crimes perpetrated in other countries, even if they themselves have no affinity to the case.

Once a European court decides to hear such a case, it is within its right to issue bench warrants for the alleged criminals – in this case top politicians and military personnel – and that is a move the State might find difficult to undo.

“As far as the international arena is concerned, Israel is entering what is probably its darkest era,” a Jerusalem source told Yedioth Ahronoth. “The Palestinian and their friends will try to make Israel look like a leper, like China looked after the Tiananmen Square massacre (of 1989), or like Serbia did under (former President Slobodan) Milosevic.

“They intend of mounting a legal front against IDF officers, ministers, Knesset members and Israeli diplomats. They will go after them with arrest warrants all over the world.”

According to political sources, the situation may take another turn for the worst after the foreign media will be allowed back into Gaza Strip, and the devastation in Gaza becomes more evident.

The Israelis claim that Hamas has been using women and children as human shields never really took, said a source. Whenever it was used the response was the same: If you know that there a women and children there – hold your fire.

Source / Ynetnews

Also see Israel fears wave of war crimes lawsuits over Gaza offensive by Aluf Benn / Haaretz / Jan. 19, 2009

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