INSIDE: BEHIND THE MASK OF THE EXECUTIONER G AMERICA’S HOLY WARRIORS G RAPTORS, ROBOTS AND RODS FROM GOD G FOOTBALL & VIOLENCE ThCold e Type READER WRITING WORTH READING G ISSUE 11 G FEBRUARY 2007 SHOOT THE MESSENGER By JESSELYN RADAK DO YOU remember the famous 2001 trophy photo of John Walker Lindh – the American Taliban – the most prominent prisoner of the Afghan war? Although he was seriously wounded, starving, freezing, and exhausted, U.S. soldiers handcuffed him naked, scrawled “shithead” across the blindfold, duct-taped him to a stretcher in an unheated and unlit shipping container, threatened him with death, and posed with him for pictures. Parts of his ordeal were captured on videotape. Sound familiar? – SEE PAGE 22 ThCold e Type READER 3. BEHIND THE MASK OF THE EXECUTIONER By Mara Verheyden-Hilliard 11. EXECUTION IN THE NAME OF FREEDOM By Felicity Arbuthnot 15. AMERICA’S HOLY WARRIORS By Chris Hedges 19. FOOTBALL AND VIOLENCE GO TOGETHER By Robert Fisk ISSUE 11 | FEBUARY 2007 22. COVER STORY – SHOOT THE MESSENGER Editor: By Jesselyn Radack Tony Sutton [email protected] 27. SHOW ME THE INTELLIGENCE For a free subscription By Ray McGovern to the ColdType Reader, email Julia Sutton 31. LOOKING FOR AN EXTREME MAKEOVER at [email protected] By Bill Berkowitz Please type “SUBSCRIBE” in the subject line 34. RAPTORS, ROBOTS AND RODS FROM GOD By Frida Berrigan 41. JOHNNY GOT HIS GUN By William Blum 48. BUSH ANTI-TERROR SUCCESSES ARE ALL FICTION By David Swanson 51. MONEY VERSUS THE MONSOON By Stan Cox 57. KILLING JOURNALISTS IS A WAR CRIME By Amy Goodman 59. WHITE HOUSE PRESS CORPS LEARNS ITS LESSON By David Walsh

2 The READER | February 2007 VICTOR’S JUSTICE BEHIND THE MASK OF THE EXECUTIONER BY MARA VERHEYDEN-HILLIARD

On Dec. 26, 2006, the Appellate Court of the Iraqi Special Tribunal announced that The issue for Judge Awad Hamad al-Bandar, along with Saddam Hussein, was to be put to death. Bush is not With an initial filing made immediately that night and over the next two weeks, really the the writer and Carl Messineo of the Partnership for Civil Justice, working with former hangings, US Attorney General Ramsey Clark, sought emergency relief to stop the US but rather the government from transferring Judge Bandar to what was an extra-judicial killing. reality of the Judge Bandar was sentenced to death in a show trial, along with Hussein, in the hangings that absence of a competent tribunal or due process of law. The federal courts, including was revealed the US Supreme Court, refused to prohibit the transfer of Bandar, who was to the world undisputedly in US physical custody, based on the US government’s argument that its operations are beyond the reach of US courts when acting as, or as in this case renaming itself to be, a multi-national force. Judge Bandar was hanged in the early Monday morning of January 15, 2007

resident Bush has announced hangings, but rather the reality of the he is “disappointed” with the hangings that was revealed to the hangings of Saddam Hussein, world. The government was concerned Judge Awad Hamad al-Bandar that protest and even rebellion could aPnd Barzan Ibrahim, adding that it spread in Iraq and throughout the Arab “looked like kind of a revenge killing.” world. But the Bush Administration This might be seen as strange from the was also worried about the dynami - man who hung them. Bush added that cally evolving domestic political scene. the real problem with the hangings was The people of the United States, hav - the appearance, that it made it harder ing seen something other than the ed - for him to “make the case to the Amer - ited and packaged presentation of the ican people.” This part was true. hangings, may question the US’s fic - The issue for Bush is not really the tional story of the situation in Iraq and

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The US war rightly hold the US government re - That assertion may be news even to machine, which sponsible. Condoleezza Rice clarified General George W. Casey, Jr., identified has already the government’s displeasure with the as the commander of MNF-I who has sought to situation, calling for punishment of said repeatedly that he is subject to the exempt itself those who made and released unau - authority, direction, and control of the from restraint or thorized video images. Commander, US Central Command accountability First one hanging, and then two (CENTCOM) and that the MNF-I is “a worldwide, has more, and the press has filled columns subordinate command to CENTCOM.” now untethered with the US government’s self-serving Asked in his Senate confirmation hear - itself from the protestations. The media dutifully re - ing whether there would be any limits one last legal ports this fiction of concerns, regret and on CENTCOM’s authority due to the hold on it, the criticisms. To read these protestations international nature of the MNF-I, he US courts was remarkable to us, as we were si - replied that there were “none at all.” multaneously reading the US govern - He added, there is “no reporting chain ment’s briefs filed in federal court that goes back to the United Nations. opposing our emergency attempts to … My chain of command is through obtain due process for our client Judge the secretary of defense and the Presi - Bandar, who was to be hung. dent.” Judge Bandar, a civilian, was being The US war machine, which has al - held in the exclusive physical custody ready sought to exempt itself from re - of the US government at Camp Crop - straint or accountability worldwide, per. The US government controlled his has now untethered itself from the one fate, whether he lived or died. Had it last legal hold on it, the US courts. By really any concerns about the hangings, so doing, it asserts that the US courts the fact that the federal court system in do not have jurisdiction to address the United States was being presented claims lodged against it. It can take up with such matters was easily enough to arms anywhere against any civilians, stave off execution. But, the US gov - capture, hold them, torture them, have ernment actually wanted them dead. them killed, and merely by renaming it - Further, it is adamantly opposed to self can eliminate any threat of judicial there being any restraint on its lawless oversight or intervention. conduct in Iraq. The US government also simultane - The US government in its military ously argued that any stay in the ren - operations has sought to neutralize it - dition to death of Judge Bandar would self from the authority of the US courts interfere with the “exclusive authority” simply by renaming itself as the Multi- of the President as Commander in National Force-Iraq (MNF-I). It pre - Chief and “unitary chief executive.” sented this fiction to the court claiming Maintaining its open rejection of any that the US government did not con - check or balance against imperial au - trol military operations in Iraq. This thority, the government argued this may be news to you, news to most of was a matter of foreign affairs and mil - the world; especially news to the Iraqis. itary operations exclusively for Presi -

4 The READER | February 2007 VICTOR’S JUSTICE

dent Bush to determine with no over - News of the hangings was fed to and Had things gone sight. reprinted by the press, mostly lies ex - according to cept the fact of death – all reported plan, minus the US puppets and propaganda with just as little responsibility as the all-revealing Continuing his fiction spun to the peo - war and the show trial that preceded video of the ple of the United States, Bush has them. The carefully packaged and ed - execution, all launched a component campaign of his ited news of the first hanging was be - three men would decision to inflict deeper death and de - trayed by the cell phone video, its grisly have been struction on Iraq and US servicepeople. appeal overwriting the accepted con - strung up by the He has begun to publicly criticize his structed news story. US government, puppet, Prime Minister Maliki. This is Because of a reporting quirk, the and it would to ensure that any failure of the pup - plan of the official propaganda machine have been peteer’s actions and plans, and result - was exposed. The initial news stories reported as ing public outcry, can be laid at the feet on the date of Saddam Hussein’s death, a sovereign of the puppet. Thus, his critique of the broadcast throughout the US media in act of their hangings. orderly fashion, contained so much puppet Iraqi Scapegoating their own puppet is “truth” as to report that there were government not an unfamiliar program to the three hangings at first. This proves that carried out White House and Pentagon. The US the coverage was not coverage at all with appropriate government supported its puppet Fer - but rather another example of re - gravitas and dinand Marcos in the Philippines until porters delivering a script obviously “dignity” the people rose up and drove him out. written in advance and handed to The United States supported its pup - them earlier by government agencies. pet Jean Claude Duvalier in Haiti until Our client, Judge Bandar, was reported the people rose up and drove him out. to have been killed on Dec. 30 along A little repudiation of the failing with Saddam Hussein. This was re - regime, at the stage of its dethrone - ported as a fact by virtually all the ment, is a tactic borne of practicality. media outlets. But the plan had Had things gone according to plan in changed at the last minute and the re - Iraq, minus the all-revealing video of porters in the propaganda machine the execution, all three men would were not informed so they all reported have been strung up by the US govern - his death as a fact. ment, and it would have been reported But Judge Bandar was kept alive as a sovereign act of their puppet Iraqi only to be brutally killedon the morn - government and asserted to have been ing of january 15 instead. The timing of carried out with appropriate gravitas the execution was a political calcula - and “dignity.” We would have been tion just as the whole trial that led to spoonfed the fiction of the conquerors’ his conviction was pure political calcu - honorable execution of the captured lation. Political executions should head of state – a romantic notion of never be confused with justice. barbaric “victor’s justice,” harkening When it comes to Iraq the Bush Ad - back to the Roman Empire. ministration has a serious credibility

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The Iraqi Special problem. The show trial followed by intervention of the Prime Minister, act - Tribunal (IST) the grisly executions has compounded ing to serve the occupying powers.” itself was a the problem for the White House. The creation of the fictional story fed to the American peo - The show trial US government, ple has run into serious problems. Judge Bandar was forced to wear a a violation The administration largely suc - Guantanamo style prison jumpsuit of the Geneva ceeded with its fictional trial story in when he was put to death on January Convention that the corporate media. Major newspa - 16. He was convicted of the “crime” of prohibits an pers and television shows have re - having been the presiding judge over a occupying power peated the government-approved two-year-long trial against those ac - from altering mantra that there was due process in cused in the assassination attempt on an existing court Iraq, that the “trial” was a major act for Saddam Hussein at Dujail in 1982, dur - system. a fledgling democracy. Where there was ing the Iran-Iraq war. That was his ac - It is not legal, international outcry, the propaganda of cused crime, being the judge at the trial. legally the United States was firm. On the day Yet, the Court refused to allow Judge competent or we filed an emergency appeal in the US Bandar to access or present the record independent Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, of the underlying trial. He repeatedly and it is the Washington Post announced by ed - pled, “Give me the records of the trial financed by the itorial that while “the trial was imper - and I’ll prove that it was fair.” He was US government fect,” the resulting deaths would “still not allowed to have them, nor was the be justice,” adding that there was prosecution required to present them. “something unreal about the cries of The US government was acknowl - foul from human rights groups.” edged to possess those records. The fact that there was no apparent At the start of invasion of Iraq in competent tribunal or trial that re - 2003 the Pentagon released its infa - sulted in the conviction and execution mous “deck of cards” with the name of these men was of little concern. The and picture of the top 52 Baathist gov - Iraqi Special Tribunal (IST) itself was a ernment officials that it was deter - creation of the US government, a vio - mined to capture or kill or both. Judge lation of the Geneva Convention that Bandar was not included in this list. He prohibits an occupying power from al - was targeted and killed for one reason. tering an existing court system. It is not He was deemed by US “legal” author - legal, legally competent or independent ities as a necessary conduit for the and it is financed by the US govern - killing of the primary target, Saddam ment. As written in our brief to the Hussein. The only “evidence” pre - Court, “There is nothing juridical about sented against Hussein about the exe - the proceedings to which Al-Bandar cutions from the Dujail assassination has been subjected except the fact that attempt was that he signed 148 death it has taken place in a courtroom. It has warrants after a three-year-long trial been a political proceeding with a pre- and review process. The signing of determined outcome that has been en - death warrants, an executive function forced by the repeated pressure and carried out by George Bush himself 152

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times as governor of Texas, was not terior. He was found the next day. He This enough “show” in the show trial as a had holes drilled in his head. But this “independent” base for execution. Thus, Judge Bandar was asserted to be no impediment to a and “sovereign” was put on trial for the two-year trial fair trial. Defense witnesses were re - trial took place that led to the death sentences. He was portedly tortured and killed. The IST in the Green himself accused of presiding over a ordered that such allegations not be Zone, the US show trial.Making it clear that the Iraqi raised at the proceedings and threat - government’s Special Tribunal possessed the best ened surviving defense counsel with garrisoned knowledge of the form and function of their own arrests. mini-state a show trial, the defense was not ad - The current puppet leadership of carved out of vised what charges were actually being Iraq is drawn from the Dawa Party. The the middle of leveled against their clients until after Dawa Party was the political force that Baghdad. the prosecution had called witnesses organized and carried out the 1982 as - All participants for seven months. They were then sassination attempt against Saddam had to rely given a few minutes to begin their case. Hussein in Dujail. During the trial, the on the US In the midst of the defense trial, after judges were replaced repeatedly by the government receiving a written note passed to him executive branch if they felt their state - for their security from American officials outside the ments were not sufficiently harsh to - – in other words, courtroom, the Chief Judge suddenly ward the defendants. Others were told to stay alive announced that the defense would be that they would be fired and that they barred from calling any more witnesses and their families would be “put out - and that its case was closed. “You’ve side of the Green Zone” if they didn’t presented 26 witnesses. If that is not take a hard enough line against the de - enough to present your case, then 100 fendants. Placement outside the Green won’t work.” The defense had pre - Zone under these conditions would sented less than 20. The prosecution amount to a virtual death sentence for had called more than 50 witnesses. The the wayward judges. Certainly, the court then announced its verdict, sen - hallmark of a competent tribunal is tencing three of the defendants to that it be part of an independent judi - death, on Nov. 4, 2006. ciary. This “independent” and “sovereign” The United States acknowledged trial took place in the Green Zone, the that it had the defendants, including US government’s garrisoned mini-state Judge Bandar in their exclusive physi - carved out of the middle of Baghdad. cal custody at Camp Cropper. Only the All participants had to rely on the US US military personnel had control over government for their security – in other him. The prisoners could not be visited, words, to stay alive. As such, three de - touched, spoken to or seen – let alone fense lawyers were murdered in the murdered – without the direction and course of the trial, the first killed the agreement of the United States. night after the first day of trial. Another attorney was taken by men who said Legal struggle in US court they were from the Ministry of the In - On Dec. 26, 2006, the appellate panel of

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How the United the Iraqi Special Tribunal upheld the ferent. That there have been nearly 60 States could convictions with a bloodthirsty state - years of intervening legal developments agree not to ment, demanding even that more be and pertinent case law, and also the send Judge killed than these three men. binding Geneva Conventions that came Bandar to his Working with former US Attorney into force after those cases, was not of death when it General Ramsey Clark, we immediately moment. said it did not turned to file an emergency Petition for We then went to file a Motion for a have the ability a Writ of Habeas Corpus and a Motion Stay or Injunction Enjoining Transfer of to control his for a Temporary Restraining Order Petitioner Outside US Custody in the being sent to (TRO) by that evening in the US Dis - US Court of Appeals. The District death while he trict Court for the District of Columbia, Court judge gave us until close of busi - was in US seeking to keep the US from transfer - ness two days later to file with the ap - custody was ring custody of Judge Bandar to his cer - pellate court, requiring the US apparently tain death. We had an emergency TRO government to agree that it would not of no legal hearing the next day in which the send Judge Bandar to his death before moment either United States acknowledged that it 5 p.m. on Friday. possessed custody of Judge Bandar. How the United States could agree But the government claimed it could not to send Judge Bandar to his death not be bound by the US courts because when it said it did not have the ability it did not possess legal custody. The US to control his being sent to death while government was not in control of the he was in US custody was apparently military operations in Iraq, according to of no legal moment either. the representations of government at - The temporary stay defied the fic - torneys. Also, they asserted that the US tion that the US government’s opera - government was loath to interfere in tions in Iraq are not under the control the sovereign affairs of the Iraqi state. of the US court. But this fiction, like the US law is accustomed to fictions that rest of the Iraq story spun for the peo - allow it to proceed in protecting inter - ple of the United States for the past ests as needed – such as the fiction that four years – and the twelve years of corporations are the same as people genocidal sanctions that proceeded the and therefore have constitutional war – relies on others’ active support. rights. It is a false logic based upon false facts The judge accepted the US govern - and can only be sustained if the media ment’s assertions. Citing only two and the courts and the people accept cases, those from World War II victor’s the fictions at face value. trials, the judge denied the relief we sought. The composition, authority, re - Extrajudicial murder lationships and function of the Allied At about 6 p.m. on January 15, the ap - Forces in the Pacific Theater of World pellate court too ordered the United War II and the forces in Iraq, the cir - States not to hand Judge Bandar to his cumstances of custody, and the nature death for another hour. Then, after 7 of the courts involved were vastly dif - p.m. the same day, the court an -

8 The READER | February 2007 VICTOR’S JUSTICE

nounced that Judge Bandar had not then denied. When they met the stringent standards for a stay Then we waited. Again we read that hung Judge pending appeal. Judge Bandar was to be killed. But he Bandar they These standards include the was not. The delay created a space for did so suddenly “prospect of irreparable injury to plain - protest. The international outcry be - without notice tiff if relief is withheld” – in other came louder and louder calling for the to his family words, what harm will be caused if the execution of Bandar not to take place. or to his relief is not granted pending a determi - The U.N. Secretary General, the Secre - lawyers. nation on the merits. The harm caused tariat and U.N. human rights agencies He was just to Judge Bandar was his life being opposed the surrender of the defen - taken out ended. To most observers, this would dants. This is the same U.N. that the and killed seem to be a great harm. It is difficult US government asserted to the court to imagine a greater harm. was the supreme authority over mili - However, the US government as - tary actions in Iraq, including the trans - serted a greater harm: were the court fer of Judge Bandar to death. to order a temporary stay to keep Judge Simultaneously, all the protestations Bandar from being killed while his from the US government appeared, rights were sorted out in court, it would served up for the US public’s consump - undermine Bush’s authority. Further, tion. We learned from the media how keeping Judge Bandar from being killed, distressed the US government was; its even temporarily, would undermine the hour by hour struggle and wrangling US efforts to provide, “the Iraqi gov - over the hangings; its public relations ernment with critical support at a time campaign at distancing themselves when it is fending off attacks both from responsibility. All of which ac - physical and ideological.” knowledged that the US government We learned that night that Judge fully controlled the condemned men’s Bandar had been hung when it was custody. morning in Iraq. The “free press” told When they hung Judge Bandar they us so. The next morning, we learned did so suddenly without notice to his that the press was wrong, having been family or to his lawyers. He was just fed a pre-prepared hanging scenario taken out and killed. On the morning and description, which was obediently that we learned he had been killed, we reported as news. opened the New York Times to read an We then filed a request for an en article that had been fed to the press. It banc review in the appellate court. declared again the concerns and That was denied with one line. We protestations of the US government, sought relief from the Supreme Court. stating that the government was avoid - That was denied by Chief Justice ing handing over the men for death ab - Roberts. We exercised the right to sent assurances. They were already make a second petition to the Supreme dead when it was being printed, per - Court, which was referred by Justice haps even written. Stevens to the Court as a whole and The Times created the image of the

February 2007 | The READER 9 VICTOR’S JUSTICE

History may besieged jailers with the mob calling for States leaves. This is the malignancy never know hangings and the jailers negotiating to that is destroying the lives of the Iraqi who was behind ensure that the stringing up would con - people. the form to the best tales of honor in the History may never know who was executioner’s Old West. Or the Roman Empire. behind the executioner’s mask, but we mask, but The truth is that had the interna - need not lift the balaclava to know who we need not lift tional outcry succeeded in stopping really carried out these executions. If the balaclava these hangings it would have been a the US government and the Pentagon to know who significant setback for the United cannot be stopped by the courts from really carried States and would have opened up all carrying out extrajudicial murder, what out these the questions over the illegality of the is the supreme authority that will con - executions underlying proceedings, the US gov - strain them? There is only one, and it is ernment’s puppeteering, and, at its core, the very concern that Bush has ex - the overwhelming and ever-present lies pressed in his ruminations over the about the US occupation of Iraq. This hangings gone wrong. The people of needed to end for the US government the United States, once they have be - as soon as possible. The United States come convinced that the government is captured them, it gave them a show lying to them, can awaken and become trial; it hung them. the most powerful force in the political The end hasn’t come yet, however. equation. This is the government’s The lives of hundreds of thousands of greatest fear, and rightly so. CT Iraqis have ended because of the US in - vasion. The lives of over 3,000 soldiers Verheyden-Hilliard is the co-founder of have ended and tens of thousands the Partnership for Civil Justice and co- more devastatingly altered. chair of the National Lawyers Guild With each “milestone” we are told Mass Defense Committee. For more that the end of trouble is here. With the information on the Habeas and TRO invasion, it was to be over. With the filings and on the IST, go to capture of Saddam Hussein, it was to www.JusticeOnline.org/Bandar. be over. With the trial, it was to be over. This essay first appeared on the web site With the hangings, it was to be over. of the Party for Socialism and But it will not be over until the United Liberation, http://www.pslweb.org/

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10 The READER | February 2007 VICTOR’S JUSTICE EXECUTION IN THE NAME OF FREEDOM BY FELICITY ARBUTHNOT

“You angels, are, ironically, it seems, made by pris - Britain, as ever, Pure ones, oners at Fort Worth jail, in George W. has a hand in Liberators, Bush’s Texas. Britain, as ever, has a this obscenity. Leaders ... hand in this obscenity. Hiatt and Hiatt and Company of Birmingham, in the Mid - Company of At this moment all I ask of you is a lands of England, has been proudly Birmingham, miracle, making shackles, since they made in the Midlands Just for you to know how to say Goodbye, “nigger collars” for the slave trade of England, GOODBYE, and now supply the shackles for the has been Just a miracle: a Goodbye.” lost souls of Guantanamo Bay. proudly making On Wednesday, 10th January, the shackles, – Adonis (Ali Ahmed Said) “Victims of fifth anniversary of the opening of since they made a Map”, Saqi Books. this “gulag of our times”, protests “nigger collars” were held across the globe – and out - for the slave side Hiatt where former detainees of trade and now ll wars (and invasions) have this abomination, relations of those supply the one image which is forever held and campaigners demonstrated shackles for the blood-soaked whole. – in orange jump suits. the lost souls of The naked child, trauma - Renowned human rights lawyer, Guantanamo Bay Atised to beyond terror, fleeing in Viet Clive Stafford Smith, M.P. Clare Nam; Robert Capa’s 1936, “Falling Short, Dr. Adnan Siddiqui of Caged Soldier”, in the Spanish civil war, Prisoners and author and arms ac - taken at Cerro Muriano. Guan - tivist, Mark Thomas had written in a tanamo Bay’s orange jump-suited, letter to the (London) Observer (7th shackled victims, will surely be how January) explaining the forthcoming history depicts US policy and com - actions, and concluding: “As the abo - mittment to humanity, in the second litionist William Wilberforce put it: ‘If millenium. The infamous jump suits to be feelingly alive to the sufferings

11 The READER | January 2007 February 2007 | The READER 11 VICTOR’S JUSTICE

The real fanatics of my fellow creatures is to be a fa - And American values, from which in Guantanamo natic, I am one of the most incurable Iraq, Afghanistan and now Somalia – Bay, it fanatics ever permitted to be at large.’ bombing nomadic herdsmen there transpires, To this we will also plead guilty – seems to have become popular – are have been outside the Hiatt factory.” They also spreading rapidly. Within days of the dressing up cite a further 100 secret prisons glob - hanging of Iraq’s legitimate President, as priests and ally and 14,000 prisoners unaccounted after a trial which made the Spanish “baptizing” for. (www.guantanamo.org.uk ) Inquisition look benign, eight children Muslim Further, the real fanatics in Guan - across the globe had hung them - detainees, tanamo Bay, it transpires, have been selves, emulating the grizzly, shame - deprived of all dressing up as priests and “baptizing” ful spectacle, which heralded the New normality Muslim detainees, deprived of all nor - Year. One was a 10-year-old in the US – and wrapping mality – and wrapping them in the oil capitol, Houston, Texas, geograph - them in the Israeli flag. ically just up the road from Crawford, Israeli flag home to the President and former ‘Liberated’ blood and gore State Governor, who invaded Iraq for Iraq’s ongoing, ‘liberated’ blood and oil. What an irony. gore, continues to flow through the In Algeria, a group of schoolchild - haunting, ancient, spiritual land. Is Iraq ren hung a 12-year-old, in a “game”. under occupation, the image of the tiny The US Army is mooting taking on blood spattered child in Tel Afar, wit - non-nationals, since recruitment is ness to the massacre of her entire fam - plunging. These kids clearly have at - ily by America’s finest? Is it the wistful, tributes which should fit well, in a beautiful face of the five-year-old Abeer few years. Qassim Al Janabi, raped at 14, then A 15-year-old in India, could not burned, with her family, at Mahmudiya eat for two days in her distress at in June, by retards in US uniforms? Re - Saddam’s hanging, saying she wanted portedly the ring leader, Pfc., Steven D. to feel his pain. “We didn’t take her Green had been diagnosed with an seriously”, said her distraught father, “anti-social personality disorder” (you after she did just that. Her heart- could say that again) but clearly his rending empathy is in stark contrast four colleagues cannot have been too to Britain’s dour Prime Minister in well bolted down on all four corners. waiting, Gordon Brown (forget Perhaps US Army recruiting screening democracy, voting for a new Prime needs a bit of an overhaul. Such crazies Minister, even Iraq style, we are to would surely be on death row in the have him and that is that) com - “land of the free”. mented eventually, that the method “Any animal in the West lives bet - of the hanging, was “deplorable”. Is ter than any Iraqi under occupation”, such mediaeval barbarism ever other? an Iraqi who had fled to Amman told Lord Blair of Kut Al Amara – 1917 the BBC, on “Guantanamo Wednes - site of “the most humiliating defeat in day”. British military history” (they went

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there to protect the oilfields) as And again: “We are determined to rid Baghdad’s dubbed by the Independent’s Robert Iraq of foreign fighters”. Duh? And gracious Fisk, busy in Florida, with his tan, yet again, defeat “is not an option”. Haifa Street said nothing for some days, finally re - Indeed. It is a certainty. has become gretting; “the manner of his execu - There is a relevant and memorable a “hotbed” tion”, by the US/UK’s “coalition’s” quote from a Viet Nam veteran. and is being appointed low-life thugs in the “New Thomas Hastie: “One day while I was bombed Iraq”. Apart from the shameful, in a bunker in Vietnam, a sniper mercilessly. malevolent savagery itself, it appears round went over my head. The per - It was never Saddam Hussein’s throat was cut im - son who fired that weapon was not a a “hotbed”, mediately afterwards, which seems to terrorist, a rebel, an extremist, or a so- pre-invasion, have passed Blair by. Perhaps when a called insurgent. The Vietnamese in - when, as in being has slaughter on such an dividual who tried to kill me was a the rest of the unimaginable scale on their hands, citizen of Vietnam, who did not want great, ancient further horrors fail to register. me in his country. This truth escapes capitol, visitors millions.” and residents Texas justice? Meanwhile, Tony Blair lectured ex - drove and President Bush, never a man to be perienced military and naval experts walked, at all squeamish when it comes to signing a on H.M.S. Albion, based in Plymouth, hours, in this death warrant, said the hanging could from where Sir Francis Drake (1540- formerly late have been done, “...in a more dignified 1596) an early “privateer”, set off to night city, way”, but “nevertheless he was given plunder the Andes silver. He got away without a justice”. Texas justice, maybe? There with that, defeated the Spanish, tried glance over will, he says, be a “full investigation”. A to ferment an uprising in Portugal, the shoulder bit late. Oh, and is not the Iraqi gov - failed, was disgraced by a furious ernment “sovereign” and “indepen - Queen and died of yellow fever, in an - dent” of the US? other failed plunder in Panama. Now the world is to be treated to “Albion” was the early name for another “new strategy” in Iraq, a final Britain, ever immortalised by Nap- “surge” to clear “insurgents”, home oleon Bonarparte’s scathing: “Perfide by home, street by street, district by Albion”. (“Perfidious Albion” – “per - district. Baghdad’s gracious Haifa fidious”: Dict: treacherous or deceit - Street has become a “hotbed” and is ful.) History also records an earlier being bombed mercilessly. It was quote from Bossuet (1627-1704) “L’An - never a “hotbed”, pre-invasion, when, gleterre, ah! La perfide Angleterre”. as in the rest of the great, ancient Symbolism stalks Tony Blair, as delu - capitol, visitors and residents drove sion, it seems. It was the first in a se - and walked, at all hours, in this for - ries of addresses Downing Street call merly late night city, without a glance his “big picture”, prior to departure, over the shoulder. Districts are to be, talks. Given the glazed, slumped de - chillingly: “cleansed”. Bush’s “surge” meanor of his distinguished audience, sounds more like: “the final solution”. it appeared anything but.

February 2007 | The READER 13 VICTOR’S JUSTICE

And for Blair March, the fourth anniversary of thony Blair QC., seek to walk in sun - the final the apocalyptic disaster of the illegal set, anywhere, as they scuttle from confirmation invasion of Iraq, heralds the 90th an - their disgraced tenures, their image of the utterly niversary of British General Stanley will be forever a lynched legitimate delusional: Maude’s “Declaration of Baghdad” leader, at the end of a noose. And for he sees his (11th March 1917.) “Our armies do not Blair the final confirmation of the ut - future as come in to your cities and lands as terly delusional: he sees his future as being a conquerors or enemies, but as libera - being a global “envoy for peace”. global “envoy tors.” He lies in Baghdad’s North Gate Time for men in white coats. CT for peace” Cemetery, along with his invader’s am - bitions. 29th April 2007, marks 91 years Felicity Arbuthnot is a journalist and since the defeat of the British at Kut. activist who has visited the Arab and 28th April 2007, marks the 70th birth - Muslim world on numerous occasions. day of a legal and assassinated elderly She has written and broadcast on Iraq, Iraqi President, hung in perfidy; he had her coverage of which was nominated to be disposed of before the New Year, for several awards. She was also senior a clean start, the world was told, in researcher for John Pilger’s award- “independent” largely Muslim Iraq. winning documentary “Paying the The Islamic New Year is 20th January. Price: Killing the Children of Iraq”; and Prime Minister Maliki’s decision? author, with Nikki van der Gaag, of Never. A puppet on a string, or per - “Baghdad” in the “Great Cities” series, haps, later, a noose. for World Almanac Books (2006.) And as President Bush and An - worldalmanac.com

READ JOHN PILGER Download all of his political essays and columns, all in pdf format, at www.coldtype.net/columnists.html

14 The READER | February 2007 RADICAL CHRISTIANITY AMERICA’S HOLY WARRIORS BY CHRIS HEDGES

he engine that drives the radi - warm embrace of a community to re - Those in despair cal Christian Right in the place the one they lost, a sense of pur - are the most United States, the most dan - pose and meaning in life, the assurance easily gerous mass movement in they are protected, loved and worth - manipulated TAmerican history, is not religiosity, but while. by demagogues, despair. It is a movement built on the During the past two years of work who promise a growing personal and economic de - on the book American Fascists: The fantastic utopia, spair of tens of millions of Americans, Christian Right and the War on America , whether who watched helplessly as their com - I kept encountering this deadly despair. it is a worker’s munities were plunged into poverty by Driving down a highway lined with gas paradise, the flight of manufacturing jobs, their stations, fast food restaurants and dol - fraternite- families and neighborhoods torn apart lar stores I often got vertigo, forgetting egalite-liberte, by neglect and indifference, and who for a moment if I was in Detroit or or the second eventually lost hope that America was Kansas City or Cleveland. There are coming of a place where they had a future. parts of the United States, including Jesus Christ This despair crosses economic whole sections of former manufactur - boundaries, of course, enveloping many ing centers such as Ohio, that resemble in the middle class who live trapped in the developing world, with boarded up huge, soulless exurbs where, lacking storefronts, dilapidated houses, pot- any form of community rituals or cen - holed streets and crumbling schools. ters, they also feel deeply isolated, vul - The end of the world is no longer an nerable and lonely. Those in despair are abstraction to many Americans. the most easily manipulated by dema - gogues, who promise a fantastic utopia, Small gold crosses whether it is a worker’s paradise, fra - Jeniece Learned is typical of many in ternite-egalite-liberte, or the second the movement. She stood, when I met coming of Jesus Christ. Those in despair her, amid a crowd of earnest-looking search desperately for a solution, the men and women, many with small gold

February 2007 | The READER 15 RADICAL CHRISTIANITY

Her life, before crosses in the lapels of their jackets or woman who had the abortions, accus - she was saved, around their necks, in a hotel lobby in ing them of committing murder, and was, like many Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. She had an promising redemption and atonement in this mass easy smile and a thick mane of black, in the “Christian” struggle to make movement, shoulder length hair. She was carrying abortion illegal, in the fight for life chaotic and a booklet called “Ringing in a Culture against “the culture of death.” painful. of Life.” The booklet had the schedule Her life, before she was saved, was, Her childhood of the two day event she is attending like many in this mass movement, was stolen from organized by The Pennsylvania Pro- chaotic and painful. Her childhood was her. She was Life Federation. The event was “dedi - stolen from her. She was sexually sexually abused cated to the 46 million children who abused by a close family member. Her by a close family have died from legal abortions since mother periodically woke Learned and member 1973 and the mothers and fathers who her younger sister and two younger mourn their loss.” brothers in the middle of the night to Learned, who drove five hours from flee landlords who wanted back rent. a town outside of Youngstown, Ohio The children were bundled into the car was raised Jewish. She wore a gold Star and driven in darkness to a strange of David around her neck with a Chris - apartment in another town. Her tian cross inserted in the middle of the mother worked nights and weekends design. She stood up in one of the as a bartender. Learned, the oldest, morning sessions, attended by about often had to run the home. Her 300 people, most of them women, younger sister, who was sexually when the speaker, Alveda King, niece of abused by another member of the fam - Dr. Martin Luther King, asked if there ily, eventually committed suicide as an were any “post-abortive” women pres - adult, something Learned also consid - ent. ered. As a teenager she had an abor - Learned ran a small pregnancy tion. counseling clinic called Pregnancy Serv - She was taking classes at Pacific ices of Western Pennsylvania in Sharon, Christian College several years later where she attempted to talk young when she saw an anti-abortion film girls and women, most of them poor, called The Silent Scream. out of abortions. She spoke in local “You see in this movie this baby public schools, promoting sexual absti - backing up trying to get away from this nence, rather than birth control, as the suction tube,” she said. “And, its mouth only acceptable form of contraception. is open and it is like this baby is And she had found in the fight against screaming. I flipped out. It was at that abortion, and in her conversion, a moment that God just took this veil structure, purpose and meaning that that I had over my eyes for the lasteight previously eluded her. The battle years. I couldn’t breathe. I was hyper - against abortion is one of the Christian ventilating. I ran outside. One of the Rights’s most effective recruiting tools. girls followed me from Living Alterna - It plays on the guilt and shame of tive. And she said, ‘Did you commit

16 The READER | February 2007 RADICAL CHRISTIANITY

your life to Christ?’ And I said, ‘I did.’ cious assault on the middle class. Any - Anything that And she said, ‘Did you ask for your for - thing that can be put on software, from can be put on giveness of sins?’ And I said, ‘I did.’ And architecture to engineering to finance, software, from she goes, ‘Does that mean all your sins, will soon be handed to workers over - architecture to or does that mean some of them?’ And seas who will be paid a third what their engineering to I said, ‘I guess it means all of them.’ So American counterparts receive and finance, will she said, ‘Basically, you are thinking who will, like some 45 million Ameri - soon be handed God hasn’t forgiven you for your abor - cans, have no access to health insur - to workers tion because that is a worse sin than ance or benefits. There has been, along overseas who any of your other sins that you have with the creation of an American oli - will be paid a done.’“ garchy, a steady Weimarization of the third what their The film brought her into the fight American working class. The top 1 per - American to make abortion illegal. Her activism cent of American households have counterparts became atonement for her own abor - more wealth than the bottom 90 per - receive and who tion.She struggled with depression cent combined.This figure alone should will, like some after she gave birth to her daughter terrify all who care about our democ - 45 million Rachel. When she came home from the racy. As Plutarch reminded us “an im - Americans, hospital she was unable to care for her balance between the rich and poor is have no access infant. She thought she saw an 8-year- the oldest and most fatal ailment of all to health old boy standing next to her bed. It republics.” insurance was, she is sure, the image of the son The stories believers such as Learned or benefits she had murdered. told me of their lives before they found “I started crying and asking God Christ were heartbreaking. These over and over again to forgive me,” she chronicles were about terrible pain, se - says. “I had murdered His child. I asked vere financial difficulties, struggles with Him to forgive me over and over again. addictions or childhood sexual or phys - It was just incredible. I was possessed. ical abuse, profound alienation and On the fourth day I remember hearing often thoughts about suicide. They God’s voice. ‘I have your baby, now get were chronicles without hope. The real up!’ It was the most incredibly freeing world, the world of facts and dispas - and peaceful moment. I got up and I sionate intellectual inquiry, the world showered and I ate. I just knew it was where all events, news and information God’s voice.” were not filtered through this comfort - ing ideological prism, the world where Pernicious assault they were left out to dry, abandoned by In the United States we have turned a government hostage to corporations our backs on the working class, with and willing to tolerate obscene corpo - much of the worst assaults, such as rate profits, betrayed them. NAFTA and welfare reform, pushed They hated this world. And they though during President Clinton’s willingly walked out on this world for Democratic administration. We stand the mythical world offered by these passively and watch an equally perni - radical preachers, a world of magic, a

February 2007 | The READER 17 RADICAL CHRISTIANITY

Believers, of world where God had a divine plan for to the movement, from liberals, to “sec - course, clinging them and intervened on a daily basis to ular humanists,” to “nominal Chris - to this magical protect them and perform miracles in tians,” to intellectuals, to gays and belief, which is a their lives. The rage many expressed to lesbians, to Muslims. These radicals, bizarre form of me towards those who challenge this from James Dobson to Pat Robertson, spiritual belief system, to those of us who do not call for a theocratic state that will, if it Darwinism, will accept that everything in the world comes to pass, bear within it many of be raptured came into being during a single week the traits of classical fascism. upwards while 6,000 years ago because it says so in the All radical movements need a crisis the rest of us Bible, was a rage born of fear, the fear of or a prolonged period of instability to will be being plunged back into a reality-based achieve power. And we are not in a pe - tormented with world where these magical props riod of crisis now. But another cata - horrors by a would no longer exist, where they strophic terrorist attack on American warrior Christ would once again be adrift, abandoned soil, a series of huge environmental dis - and finally and alone. asters or an economic meltdown will extinguished hand to these radicals the opening they Dangerous theology seek. The danger of this theology of despair Manipulating our fear and anxiety, is that it says that nothing in the world promising to make us safe and secure, is worth saving. It rejoices in cata - giving us the assurance that they can clysmic destruction. It welcomes the vanquish the forces that mean to do us frightening advance of global warming, harm, these radicals, many of whom the spiraling wars and violence in the have achieved powerful positions in the Middle East and the poverty and neg - Executive and legislative branches of lect that have blighted American urban government, as well as the military, will and rural landscapes as encouraging ask us only to surrender our rights, to signs that the end of the world is close pass them the unlimited power they at hand. need to battle the forces of darkness. Believers, of course, clinging to this They will have behind them tens of magical belief, which is a bizarre form millions of angry, disenfranchised of spiritual Darwinism, will be raptured Americans longing for revenge and upwards while the rest of us will be tor - yearning for a mythical utopia, Ameri - mented with horrors by a warrior cans who embraced a theology of de - Christ and finally extinguished. This spair because we offered them nothing obsession with apocalyptic violence is else. CT an obsession with revenge. It is what the world, and we who still believe it is Chris Hedges, a graduate of Harvard worth saving, deserve. Divinity School and former Pulitzer- Those who lead the movement give prize winning foreign correspondent for their followers a moral license to direct The New York Times, is the author of this rage and yearning for violence American Fascists: The Christian Right against all those who refuse to submit and the War on America.

18 The READER | February 2007 THE SPORTING LIFE FOOTBALL AND VIOLENCE GO TOGETHER BY ROBERT FISK

hen I was at school, I World. It confirmed for me what I have Arkan drove a was once beaten by a always suspected: that football and vi - pink Cadillac prefect for reading a olence are intimately linked in cause and sported book on Czech history at and effect and that – far from the first a football wife aWfootball match. Sutton Valence was – being an outlet to avoid the second – – the gorgeous and remains – a minor public school they are mutually interchangeable. retro singer whose straw boaters and long-distance Foer wades in at the deep end with Ceca – whom runs along snow-covered roads and a visit to Belgrade’s top-scoring Red he married brutal punishments were supposed to Star, a team nurtured by Serbia’s in full Serb mimic those wealthier but even more equally top war criminal Arkan, who uniform sadistic character-building sweatshops took his well-armed footballers down such as Rugby and Eton. Sutton Va - the Drina Valley in 1992 on an orgy of lence has since moderated its ways. killing, plunder and mass rape. Arkan But back in 1960, screaming “Come drove a pink Cadillac and sported a on, Sutton!” at a bunch of grunting, football wife – the gorgeous retro muddied idiots in blue, black and white singer Ceca – whom he married in full shirts was deemed more important Serb uniform. Red Star’s pre-war match than the 1948 defenestration of Jan against the Croatian Partizans – Masaryk in Prague. A prefect later beloved of its fascist president Franjo lashed me with a cane on the orders of Tudjman who had adorned the team a spectacularly cruel housemaster he once led with wartime Ustashe whose unwillingness to prevent the icons – ended in a pitched battle. most vicious beatings almost equalled It was Margaret Thatcher who fa - his love of soccer and rugby football. mously described football hooligans as His memory returned to me as I read “a disgrace to civilised society” – the the first sports book of my life over very words we later used about the Christmas, Franklin Foer’s American murderers of Serbia. In Glasgow, best-seller How Soccer Explains the Protestant supporters of Rangers

February 2007 | The READER 19 THE SPORTING LIFE

“Right there, would sit in separate stands – “We’re ies between Serb and Croatian armies in front of the up to our knees in Fenian blood,” they near the city of Mostar. Croats who had would roar in unison – from fans of the “Both sides brought their corpses in brought along Catholic Celtic football club. sacks on lorries and they backed them their Serbian I well remember, covering the beat in up to a small field. But when the Serbs corpses, the Belfast in the early Seventies, how dur - emptied the sacks, it was evident that Serbs began ing Rangers or Celtic matches I would the heads of their Croatian bodies had playing football see more RUC cops patrolling the been chopped off. I didn’t believe what with the heads bridge over the Lagan than I would I would see. Right there, in front of the of the dead ever come across in a weekday sectar - Croats who had brought along their Croatians. ian riot. Serbian corpses, the Serbs began play - They were Come to think of it, the first time I ing football with the heads of the dead laughing ever saw a uniformed British policeman Croatians. They were laughing because because they in France was from the window of the they knew how much this would en - knew how much Eurostar; he was patrolling the plat - rage the Croats.” this would form at Lille station before an England- Odd, isn’t it, how football gets mud - enrage the France match. died by armies. Whenever an Iraqi sol - Croats” Vandalism, assault and murder have dier or a Druze militiaman or an now become so much a part of Euro - Egyptian Islamist wants to hold out the pean football that it has become a hand of friendship to me in the Middle habit. “Football fan shot dead after East, he will always announce that he is racist mob attack,” read a headline as I a fan of Manchester United. In Leb- passed through Paris the other day. anon, needless to say, teams represent Typically, the story – of an off-duty the Shia, Sunni and Christian sects; French cop who killed a white sup - murdered ex-prime minister Rafiq porter of the Paris Saint-Germain team Hariri was the backer of one, just as as he screamed anti-Semitic insults Berlusconi became the owner of Milan while trying to murder a French Jewish and just as the Russian oligarchs fan of Israel’s Tel-Aviv’s Hapoel – was branched out into football ownership – printed on page 27. It is quite normal, including British football ownership – you see, for racist football fans to try to as a symbol of their power. kill their opponents – and for the po - Individual players could disgrace lice to open fire. themselves – George Best could sink into alcoholism, Zidane could headbutt Creepy connections his opponent for insulting his sister – The connections between football and but the team went on for ever. The im - violence – and, by extension, sadism – mense wealth accrued by football’s are truly creepy. An Irish friend who stars – £10m in sponsorship reportedly was a member of the European Union picked up by the Brazilian Pelé – is re - monitoring team in the Balkans re - garded by the poorest of the poor as a counted to me during the Bosnian war tribute to the human worth of Edson how he witnessed an exchange of bod - Arantes do Nascimento (the future

20 The READER | February 2007 THE SPORTING LIFE

Pelé) who grew up in the dirt-poor brutality by British soldiers against “Before they town of Tres Coracoes west of Rio. Iraqi prisoners. In a Basra hospital, I lis - assaulted us, It’s not all bad, I know. I remember tened to a badly wounded ex-prisoner your soldiers flying into Tehran with the Iranian soc - of the British Army as he described gave us cer team in 1997 after they had beaten how his tormentors had entered the all names Australia in a World Cup qualifier and room in which he and his friends were – the names of the outburst of joy which greeted them being held. world-famous – the thousands of Iranian women who “Before they assaulted us, your sol - footballers. poured illegally into the Azadi stadium diers gave us all names – the names of Then they afterwards, the political support the world-famous footballers,” he said. started beating team gave to the reforming but tragi - “Then they started beating and kicking and kicking us cally impotent president, Mohamed us until we screamed and begged for until we Khatami – constituted what Franklin mercy. Why would they do that?” screamed and Foer calls the Middle East “football rev - I suspect I know. CT begged for olution”. mercy” Maybe. But I remember a more dis - Robert Fisk is the author of The Great turbing moment in the Middle East War For Civilsation. when I was investigating one of the This article originally appeared in many – and all too true – incidents of The Independent newspaper of London A FREE E-BOOK FROM COLDTYPE.NET ROBERT FISK RETURN TO KANDAHAR To mark the anniversary of the Sept 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon and US-led ‘war on terror,’ Robert Fisk, Middle East correspondent of London’s Independent returned to Afghanistan where he wrote scathing essays on a bombing offensive to rid the country of its Taliban rulers and Bin Laden’s al-Qa’ida leaders. Download your FREE copy at http://www.coldtype.net/archives.html

February 2007 | The READER 21 BOOK EXCERPT SHOOT THE MESSENGER BY JESSELYN RADACK

That was our This book excerpt is Chapter 1 of unheated and unlit shipping con - first glimpse the book, Canary in the Coalmine, by tainer, threatened him with death, of American-led Jesselyn Radack, available from the and posed with him for pictures. torture and website www.patriotictruthteller.net Parts of his ordeal were captured on we didn’t even – cost is $16, plus postage videotape. Sound familiar? flinch. Lindh The Lindh case foreshadowed was found am the Justice Department attor - what would occur on a much larger barely alive, ney who blew the whistle on gov - scale at Abu Ghraib and elsewhere. shot in the leg, ernment misconduct in the case Like an aggressive, contagious and and suffering of John Walker Lindh, the “Amer - deadly virus, this first outbreak of from iIcan Taliban.” lawless behavior was spread by the dehydration, You remember the famous Decem - CIA and Army intelligence teams to hypothermia ber 2001 trophy photo of John Walker the entire archipelago of American- and frostbite Lindh – one of the most prominent controlled detention centers through - prisoners of the Afghan war – naked, out the world. blindfolded, tied up and bound to a The scandal is not, in President board. That was our first glimpse of George W. Bush’s words, the “dis - American-led torture and we didn’t graceful conduct by a few American even flinch. Lindh was found barely troops” at Abu Ghraib, or in Rums - alive, shot in the leg, and suffering feld’s words, “grievous and brutal from dehydration, hypothermia and abuse and cruelty.” It’s that theBush frostbite. Administration thought it could tor - Although Lindh was seriously ture people and get away with it. wounded, starving, freezing, and ex - When I, a 30-year-old Justice De - hausted, US soldiers blindfolded and partment lawyer and legal ethics ad - handcuffed him naked, scrawled visor, recommended against inter- “shithead” across the blindfold, duct- rogating “American Taliban” John taped him to a stretcher for days in an Walker Lindh without his lawyer, and

22 The READER | February 2007 BOOK EXCERPT

blurred, particularly as society chan- One of this ges its expectations about how gov - Administration’s ernment employees should serve the favorite tactics public. is to paint any Our nation’s top leaders pay lip sort of dissent service to the importance of whistle - or criticism blowers, but the conscientious em - – whether it ployee is not welcome in the Bush comes from Administration. Few paths are more whistleblowers, treacherous than the one that chal - anti-war lenges abuse of power and tries to protesters, make a meaningful difference. The or advocates of THE CANARY IN conscientious employees who take the politically THE COALMINE career risks to address problems are unpopular Blowing the Whistle in the Case of precisely the kind of people who best – as disloyal ‘American Taliban’ John Walker Lindh serve the public, but they are invari - at best and By Jesselyn Radack ably the first casualties. unpatriotic Order from Our country has a love-hate rela - at worst www.patriotictruthteller.ne t tionship with whistleblowers. When $16 one thinks of a “whistleblower,” im - ages from movies like “The Insider” or “Erin Brockavich” spring to mind. later blew the whistle when evidence Or more recently, Colleen Rowley of of my advice was destroyed and with - the FBI, Sherron Watkins of Enron, held from the court, the Justice De - and Cynthia Cooper of Worldcom, partment forced me out of my job, Time Magazine’s “Persons of the put me under criminal investigation, Year” in 2002. got me fired from my next job, re - One has visions of determined in - ported me to the state bars in which dividuals risking it all to make explo - I am licensed, and put me on the “no- sive disclosures before Congress or on fly” list. “60 Minutes.” The media glorifies I don’t wear the label “whistle - those who risk everything to expose blower” comfortably. Why should I corruption and illegal activity. And get some special moniker for doing these lionized individuals deserve what I would have done anyway? every ounce of praise they get. But The vast majority of civil servants la - their happy outcomes are not typical. beled as “whistleblowers” never For every success story, there are a thought of themselves in that role. In hundred stories of professional mar - their minds, they were simply doing tyrdom. Mine is one of them. their jobs. Increasingly, the line be - Whistleblowers often find that tween simply doing what is right and they have become the subject of the being a whistleblower has become story. Any personal vulnerability or

February 2007 | The READER 23 BOOK EXCERPT

Ashcroft has peccadillo they possess can, and will, ered exhor- tations have a very real made clear be used against them. Through this chilling effect on the exercise of basic that forgiveness, contortion, the whistleblower’s char- freedom of speech. while perfectly ges become a subsidiary issue. The Although my story is different in its appropriate in Bush Administration is expert at this details, it shares many of the same el - religion, has subterfuge. ements with the experiences of other no place at whistleblowers: abuse of government the Justice Incendiary descriptions power, lack of due process (or any Department The conscientious employee is often process at all), secrecy and silence, po - (except at his portrayed as vengeful, unstable, or litical overkill, and base vengefulness. morning prayer out for attention. I have not been The Administration’s vindictive re - meetings, completely immune from these accu - sponse to its critics goes beyond of course) sations, but the terms that have been questioning their truthfulness, com - used by what the press cites as petence and motives: it seeks to de - “anonymous Justice Department offi - stroy them. cials” to describe me are far more in - In most cases of whistleblowing, cendiary: “traitor,” “terrorist sym- the Executive Branch attacks the per - pathizer,” “turn- coat,” and “unpatri - son rather than the substance of his otic.” Never mind that in debate cir - or her complaint. It shoots the mes - cles, the lowest form of argumenta- senger rather than addressing the tion is name-calling. For an Adminis - message. It silences the critic rather tration attempting to quell opposition than answering the criticism. It en - through a campaign of secrecy and si - gages in intimidation, character as - lence, neither the Bush White House sassination and professional destruc- nor the Ashcroft Justice Department tion of those who break the code of were short of words. silence. One of this Administration’s fa - And it will not let go. As Jerome vorite tactics is to paint any sort of Doolittle, novelist and former White dissent or criticism – whether it House speechwriter, characterized comes from whistleblowers, anti-war the Justice Department’s venomous protesters, or advocates of the politi - attacks on me: “There is something cally unpopular – as disloyal at best primordial about Team Bush’s reac - and unpatriotic at worst. tion to dissent, something reptilian. With a Crusader’s fervor, Ashcroft They’re like the gila monster, its jaws warned in stark terms that critics who holding their poisonous grip even “scare peace-loving people with after its head is severed.” phantoms of lost liberty only aid ter - “You are either with us or against rorists, for they erode our national us” – Bush’s Procrustean mantra dur - unity and diminish our resolve.” In a ing his inexorable march to war in ham-handed way, he tried to portray Iraq – applies with equal or greater the expression of civil liberties con - force to those who cross him, and cerns as treasonous. Such ill-consid - more broadly, to anyone he perceives

24 The READER | February 2007 BOOK EXCERPT

as an “enemy.” a lot of pent up things to say. Also, I If I were a crank Ashcroft shares Bush’s us-or-them feel a moral imperative to say them making wild mentality, and their categorical think - because if a person like me who en - allegations ing is reflected in the increasingly joys relative privilege – being white, a about the Lindh deep division between “Red America” US citizen, educated, and comfort - case, I would and “Blue America,” a synecdoche ably middle-class – can so easily lose be ignored. that pollsters and political consult - her freedom, then maybe people in But when the ants use as shorthand for the US pop - this country can more easily under - Assistant ulation that is Republican and stand the plight of those in post-9/11 Attorney General Democratic, respectively. Bush and America who are Arab or Muslim, starts throwing Ashcroft also share a limitless capac - who are immigrants, who are poor, or his weight ity to nurse incandescent grudges. who don’t speak English. around to keep Ashcroft has made clear that forgive - me quiet, you ness, while perfectly appropriate in “Ashcroft Justice’ have to wonder religion, has no place at the Justice A lot of commentators saw the John what I know Department (except at his morning Walker Lindh case as an example of prayer meetings, of course). “The law the government going after a minnow is not about forgiveness,” he said. “It with a sledgehammer. The same is oftentimes about vengeance, often - thing can be said of my case writ times about revenge.” small. This modus operandi has been dubbed “Ashcroft justice.” Attorney Not isolated General Ashcroft did not get the ver - One of the most disturbing things dict he wanted against Lindh, in some about my story is that it’s not an iso - measure, because of my actions. lated incident. As bizarre, unbeliev - As CBS commentator Andrew able and outrageous as it sounds, it is Cohen noted in writing about my not uncommon. These vicissitudes role, “It was clear, although the gov - have happened to everyone from mil - ernment never explicitly conceded so, itary officers to Muslim guys playing that prosecutors were open to a [plea paintball. It has even happened to bargain] deal with Lindh because of other Justice Department attorneys. the brutal way in which he was I’ve decided to tell my story be - treated by his military captors in cause I vowed that if I could ever Afghanistan and the spurious way in speak safely again, I would not re - which federal law enforcement offi - main silent out of some sort of mis - cials had observed Lindh’s constitu - placed gratitude that I was no longer tional rights. It is no coincidence that being threatened with termination, the Lindh deal came about on the eve criminal prosecution, disbarment or of a scheduled week-long [suppres - ostracization. sion] hearing that was going to bring My ordeal should have ended at into the open the specifics of how many points along the trajectory. I Lindh was treated and by whom.” was muzzled for over a year, so I have In a classic case of “the lady doth

February 2007 | The READER 25 BOOK EXCERPT

I’m here to tell protest to much,” top officials at Jus - neutral when what I have experi - you that the tice took time out of their busy sched - enced has been so personal and so emperor has ules to call Cohen after his article ran driven by emotion, surmise, and par - no clothes, to try to convince him that he was tisan politics? I therefore confess up and that those wrong; specifically, that I had not front that I have an axe to grind, and who expose caused the Lindh case to tank. They nearly $100,000 in legal bills to show the nakedness minimized me and downplayed my for it. of this role in Lindh’s surprise plea bargain. I’m here to tell you that the em - Administration’s If I really had nothing to do with peror has no clothes, and that those policies and the unraveling of the Lindh case (in who expose the nakedness of this practices the words of The New Yorker’s Jane Administration’s policies and prac - should be Mayer, “the prosecution collapsed”), tices should be applauded, not anni - applauded, then query why Ashcroft and his hilated. not annihilated functionaries are wasting so much Public service does not mean blind time, energy and taxpayer money get - obedience to one’s supervisor or sub - ting back at me. If I were a crank servience to an agency agenda that making wild allegations about the subverts the law and the public inter - Lindh case, I would be ignored. But est. Deciding to blow the whistle can when the Assistant Attorney General be the single most important decision starts throwing his weight around to an individual ever makes. It should keep me quiet, you have to wonder not be a question of whether to blow what I know. the whistle, but of how loudly to Whether I played a large role or blow it. And in doing so, public ser - none at all, the government severely vants should not be forced to choose damaged my reputation and my psy - between their conscience and their che. It’s hard to un-ring the bell. One career. person against an entire agency or The past three years have been the government is a David versus Goliath most difficult of my life, but they have struggle. also been a cataclysmic growth period In terms of raw power, the govern - that has cemented my commitment ment holds all the cards. To sic the in - to civil rights and liberties. I realize finite resources of the American that there are many stories like mine, government on someone is more than and that I am just a footnote in a seis - a mismatched contest – it is tyranny. mic shift that is occurring in our It is also a waste of, what we are re - country. But I promised myself that if minded time and again are, precious I could ever speak freely again, then I and limited government resources. would use my voice to try to prevent It has been hard for me to write this sort of political revenge from this memoir because I suffer from the happening to anyone else. cult of objectivity – the mistaken be - My saga began on September 11, lief that impartiality will lend legiti - 2001, as did the life-altering journeys macy to my story. But how can I be of so many others. CT

26 The READER | February 2007 OFF TO WAR SHOW ME THE INTELLIGENCE BY RAY M cGOVERN

ave you noticed? Neither been difficult enough whipping its The White House President George W. Bush fickle but ultimately malleable generals clearly prefers nor Vice President Dick Ch - into line. The civilian intelligence chiefs no NIE to one eney have cited any US in - have proven more resistant. So the that would Htelligence assessments to support their White House is playing it safe, avoid - inevitably fateful decision to send 21,500 more ing like the plague any estimate that highlight the troops to referee the civil war in Iraq. would raise doubts about the wisdom fecklessness This is a far cry from October 2002, of the decision to surge. And that is of throwing when a formal National Intelligence precisely what an honest estimate 21,5000 more Estimate (NIE) was rushed through in would do. With “sham-dunk” former troops into order to trick Congress into giving its CIA director George Tenet and his ac - harm’s way nihil obstat for the attack on Iraq. complices no longer in place as intelli - for the dubious Why no intelligence justification this gence enablers, the White House purpose of time around? Because there is none. clearly prefers no NIE to one that holding off Having successfully cooked intelli - would inevitably highlight the feckless - defeat for two gence four years ago to get authoriza - ness of throwing 21,5000 more troops more years tion for war, the Bush administration into harm’s way for the dubious pur - has zero incentive to try a repeat per - pose of holding off defeat for two more formance. Nor is there any sign that the years. new Democratic chairmen of the Sen - ate and House intelligence committees From mushroom cloud will even think to ask the intelligence to lead balloon community to state its views on the The NIE, which leaned so far forward likely effect of the planned “surge” in to support the White House’s warnings troop strength. This, even though an of a made-in-Iraq “mushroom cloud,” NIE on Iraq has been “almost ready” remains the negative example par ex - for months. cellence of corrupted intelligence. The For the Bush administration, it has good news is that Tenet and his lack -

Febuary 2007 | The READER 27 OFF TO WAR

An NIE produced eys were replaced by officers who, by impending strike-three – this one an in April ‘06 on all indications, take their job of speak - NIE assessing the future in Iraq and ap - global terrorism ing truth to power seriously. Deputy parently casting doubt on the advisa - concluded that Director of National Intelligence for bility of US escalation. In a classic the invasion of Analysis, Tom Fingar, is a State De - Cheneyesque pre-emptive strike, the Iraq led to a partment professional not given to pro - estimate was put on hold; Negroponte marked increase fessionally selling out. And his boss, was given a pink slip and assigned back in terrorism, John Negroponte, is too smart to end to the State Department. There are ru - belying his government career by following the mors that Fingar is clearing out his administration example of his servile predecessors in desk as well. claims that the conjuring up “intelligence” to please invasion and the president – not even for a Presi - NIEs can be important occupation had dential Medal of Freedom. National Intelligence Estimates are the made us “safer” Unvarnished NIEs sent to the White most authoritative genre of analytical House by the Negroponte/Fingar team product, embodying substantive judg - have not shied away from unwelcome ments on key national security issues. conclusions undercutting administra - They are coordinated throughout the tion claims, and have gone over like 16-agency intelligence community and proverbial lead balloons. An estimate then signed by the Director of National on Iran completed in early 2005, for ex - Intelligence in his statutory capacity as ample, concluded that the Iranians will chief intelligence adviser to the presi - not be able to produce a nuclear dent. In times past, presidents and weapon before “early to mid-next their senior advisers actually read them decade,” exposing Cheney’s fanciful and often took their judgments into ac - claims of more proximate danger. And count in the decision making process. an NIE produced in April ‘06 on global There have been good estimates, terrorism concluded that the invasion and bad ones. In the latter category, an of Iraq led to a marked increase in ter - NIE of Sept. 19, 1962, entitled “The Mil - rorism, belying administration claims itary Build-Up in Cuba” estimated that that the invasion and occupation had the Soviet Union would not introduce made us “safer.” strategic offensive missiles into Cuba Worse still from the administration’s (even while such missiles were en point of view, patriotic truth-tellers route). Embarrassing, but an honest (aka leakers) inside the government ap - mistake. parently decided that administration The NIE issued on Oct. 1, 2002, 10 rhetoric on both of these key issues had days before the congressional vote on deliberately misled the American peo - the war, was dishonest from the get-go. ple, who were entitled to know the It was prepared by spineless func - truth. tionaries eager to please their boss The two unwelcome estimates (Tenet) and his boss (Bush) by parrot - meant two strikes on Negroponte. ing the faith-based analysis of senior Then the White House learned of an analyst Dick Cheney. It is by far the

28 The READER | February 2007 OFF TO WAR

worst NIE ever produced by the US in - dictating that we give it to policymak - With Fingar telligence community. But, hey, it ers straight, without fear or favor. We and Negroponte achieved its primary purpose of scaring had career protection for doing that. and their Congress into approving a war of ag - And – truth be told – we often took a benighted gression. perverse delight in it. ideas about In the wake of that debacle, few of Our judgments (the unwelcome fact-based, us intelligence alumni harbored much ones, anyway) were pooh-poohed as rather than hope that honesty could be re-intro - negativism; and policymakers, of faith-based, duced into the estimative process any course, were in no way obliged to take intelligence time soon. Former CIA Director Stans - them into account. The point is that analysis, field Turner went so far as to tell a TV they continued to be sought. Not even it is far host that he thought the CIA should be Lyndon Johnson or Richard Nixon better “dismantled.” Thus, it was a very wel - would be likely to decide on a signifi - to duck come surprise to learn, thanks to patri - cant escalation without seeking our the issue otic truth-tellers, of the gutsy judg- best guess as to how US adversaries altogether ments of more recent NIEs – and to would likely react to this or that esca - discover that a remnant of analysts of latory step the old truth-to-power school have been able to ply their trade unencum - What about now? bered under Fingar and Negroponte. As noted above, an intelligence esti - mate on Iraq has been in process for Some history: Estimates months – and months – and months. on Vietnam It is not that the analysts are slower As one of the intelligence analysts these days; it is that the White House watching Vietnam in the sixties and has decided that, for political reasons, seventies, I worked on several of the no estimate at all is better than an un - NIEs produced before and during the welcome one. The White House war. All too many bore this title: “Prob - thought process seems to be this: able Reactions to Various Courses of With Fingar and Negroponte and Action With Respect to North Viet - their benighted ideas about fact-based, nam.” Typical of the kinds of question rather than faith-based, intelligence the president and his advisers wanted analysis, it is far better to duck the issue addressed: Can we seal off the Ho Chi altogether – at least for as long as the Minh Trail by bombing it? If the US congressional oversight committees were to introduce X thousand addi - continue to slumber. Besides, if tional troops into South Vietnam, will Cheneyesque pressure were again to be Hanoi quit? Okay, how about XX applied to intelligence analysts, there is thousand? a growing risk that this might turn Our answers regularly earned us some of them into patriotic truth- brickbats from the White House for not tellers. Besides, we already have the being “good team players.” But in those needed authorization – and even days we labored under a strong ethos enough funding to send 21,500 addi -

February 2007 | The READER 29 OFF TO WAR

It seems quite tional troops. that he is “unaware” of the existence of clear that the It seems quite clear that the addi - an NIE draft on prospects for Iraq. Sen. additional tional troop decision was made with - John Warner, R-Va., raised the subject troop decision out any formal input from the with Gates, saying that Negroponte was made intelligence community. There would had assured him the NIE would be is - without any be no NIE on “Probable Reactions to sued at the end of the month. formal input Various Courses of Action With Re - Don’t hold your breath. CT from the spect to Iraq” – no formal paper that intelligence could make the president’s decision ap - Ray McGovern chaired NIEs and community pear highly questionable. Let the on- prepared the President’s Daily Brief again-off-again NIE on prospects for during his 27-year career as a CIA Iraq languish. analyst. He now works with Tell the And let former CIA director, now Word, the publishing arm of the Secretary of Defense Robert Gates pre - ecumenical Church of the Saviour in tend, as he did on Jan. 12 before the Washington, D.C. This essaay originally Senate Armed Services Committee, appeared on the tompaine.com web site

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30 The READER | February 2007 A NATION’S IMAGE LOOKING FOR AN EXTREME MAKEOVER BY BILL BERKOWITZ

t hasn’t been the best of times for ton Times, Israel is turning to “the wis - “When the Israel. There was last summer’s dom of Madison Avenue”. word ‘Israel’ widely condemned attack on Leb- Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni is said outside anon and the recent disclosure by has “met with public relations execu - its borders, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert tives, branding specialists and diplo - we want it that his country has a nuclear arsenal, mats in Tel Aviv to brainstorm about to invoke not not to mention the ongoing death and improving the country’s image by using fighting or destruction resulting from the Israeli- the marketing insights first developed soldiers, but Palestinian conflict. to sell peanut butter and Pontiacs,” the a place that Former US President Jimmy Carter’s newspaper reported is desirable to strongly criticised Israel in his new “When the word ‘Israel’ is said out - visit and invest bestselling book Palestine: Peace Not side its borders, we want it to invoke in, a place Apartheid , and a recent international not fighting or soldiers, but a place that that preserves consumer survey found that Israel has is desirable to visit and invest in, a place democratic the worst “brand name” of any coun - that preserves democratic ideals while ideals while try in the world. Finally, The Sunday struggling to exist,” Livni was quoted as struggling Times of London reported at the be - saying by Reuters. to exist” ginning of this year that the Israeli Air John Stauber, executive director of Force may be preparing to use low the Centre for Media and Democracy, grade, tactical nuclear weapons to whose website PRWatch.org has been strike at Iran’s nuclear facilities. So per - tracking developments in the public re - haps it is not surprising that Israel – lations world for several years, told IPS, whose international image is of a coun - “These days branding, which has most try in continuous conflict – would en - frequently been associated with creat - gage in a serious long-term effort to ing a feel-good, positive impression for reshape global perceptions of itself. a product, service, or a company, is now As part of its “re-branding” strategy, being used more and more by coun - according to a report in the Washing - tries.

February 2007 | The READER 31 A NATION’S IMAGE

“If Israel’s “Branding campaigns by nations are searcher and an adviser to govern - intention a type of propaganda designed to man - ments on branding, who is also the is to promote age and manipulate the perception of founding editor of “Place Branding,” a itself as a in-country citizens or foreigners toward quarterly British journal devoted to the desirable place a government,” he said. “Countries en - relatively new practice of place brand - to live and gaged in controversies, just like compa - ing. invest in, the nies, will turn to branding methods as The Anholt Nation Brand Index re - challenge a crisis management technique to man - cently polled 25,903 online consumers appears to be age and manipulate public opinion and from 35 countries in North America, a steep one” press coverage. Europe, Asia and Latin America and “Often nations with serious PR or found that Israel finished dead last in image problems involving social justice the survey, behind Estonia, Indonesia issues are engaging in branding efforts. and Turkey. For instance, after 9/11 the United Among the factors considered in a States launched a branding campaign nation’s “brand” are the quality of the that has spent hundreds of millions of country’s government, its culture, its dollars in a failed effort to improve the people, its business and investment cli - image of the US in Arab and Muslim mate, and its desirability as a tourist countries.” destination. “Given recent developments involv - “A nation’s brand is a deep-seated ing Israel, it is not at all surprising that perception that does not change a great it would ratchet up its spending on deal,” Anholt pointed out. “There is no public relations and branding,” added evidence that re-branding campaigns Stauber. change people’s minds. “If Israel’s intention is to promote it - Long-term perception self as a desirable place to live and in - Although the new public relations ef - vest in, the challenge appears to be a fort is still in its formative stages, and a steep one,” Anholt concluded. budget for it has yet to be developed, a David Saranga, the counsel for staff person with the London-based media and public affairs at the Israeli global advertising firm Saatchi and Consulate in New York, told PR Week Saatchi acknowledged that it is already that the government was in consulta - working with the Israelis free of charge tion with a number of public relations on the re-branding effort. and advertising firms and had not yet Unlike public relations campaigns decided what the re-branding cam - that are more immediately targeted paign would focus on. Saranga did and less durable, branding aims at point out that two important groups changing long-term perceptions. The that the government wanted to reach Anholt Nation Brands Index is an ana - are “liberals” and people aged 16 to 30. lytical ranking of the world’s nations as Ambassador Gideon Meir, deputy brands developed by author Simon director general for media and public Anholt, an independent British re - affairs at Israel’s Foreign Ministry, re -

32 The READER | February 2007 January 2007 | The READER 32 A NATION’S IMAGE

cently spent time in the US meeting Kahn, who recently wrote a piece on Meir told with media professionals working in nation branding for Foreign Policy Haaretz’s the various Israeli consulates across magazine, pointed out that “In the ab - chief US North America. Meir told Haaretz’s sence of political transformation, nation correspondent chief US correspondent that he would branding often amounts to nothing that he would “rather have a Style section item on Is - more than misdirection. “rather have a rael, then a front page story.” “The transformation of a country’s Style section In a paper titled “The Israel Brand – image can only come after the country item on Israel, Policy Paper Proposal,” Rommey Has - is transformed. Throwing millions at then a front sman, a marketing communications public relations firms, hiring marketing page story” strategist and consultant to leading of - consultants, creating snappy slogans or ficials, corporations and organisations cool logos is basically a monumental in Israel’s government, non-govern - waste of time, money and energy,” he ment and business sectors, pointed out said. that “Nation-branding is still in its in - “Israel also recently spent three fancy; scholars have yet to conceive a years and millions of dollars develop - theoretical basis for it.” ing and test marketing an advertising There have been successes and fail - campaign,” Kahn noted. “And yes, Is - ures, Hassman, who heads Tel Aviv rael does indeed ‘start with I’, as the University’s Nation Branding Project, country’s new tag line helpfully points notes: “Spain presented the MIRO- out. But so does Intifada – and it will based national logo at the Barcelona take more than a new marketing cam - Olympics in 1992, to much acclaimà paign to get potential investors and [while] in contrast, the United King - tourists to forget Israel’s ongoing con - dom’s controversial ‘COOL Britannia’ flict with the Palestinians. In fact, it campaign was abandoned as a failure might require something beyond the four years after its 1997 inception.” abilities of even the most talented mar - Jeremy Kahn, former managing edi - keting consultant: peace.” CT tor at the New Republic and a former writer at Fortune magazine, recently Bill Berkowitz is a longtime observer of told American Public Media’s ‘Market - the conservative movement. His place’ that countries are “not a cereal WorkingForChange column box that can be retooled quickly. To “Conservative Watch” documents the transform a country’s image, first you strategies, players, institutions, victories have to transform the country. “ and defeats of the US Right.

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February 2007 | The READER 33 ROAD TO ARMAGEDDON RAPTORS, ROBOTS & RODS FROM GOD BY FRIDA BERRIGAN

The same Army e are not winning the about half his or her body weight in that can’t war on terrorism (and gear and suffers the resulting back pain. provide such would not be even if we Body armor, weapon(s), ammunition, basics of knew what victory water, first aid kit – it adds up in the 120 modern war is Wlooked like) or the war in Iraq. Our degree heat of Basra or Baghdad. now promising track record in Afghanistan, as well as Ask soldiers in Iraq what they need the Future in the allied “war” on drugs, is hardly most and answers may include: well- Combat Systems better. Yet the Pentagon is hard at armored Humvees (many soldiers are network (FCS), work, spending your money, planning jerry-rigging their own homemade a “family of and preparing for future conflicts of Humvee armor); more body armor (an systems” that every imaginable sort. From wars in unofficial 2004 Army study found that will enable space to sci-fi battlescapes without sol - one in four casualties in Iraq was the soldiers to diers, scenarios are being scripted and result of inadequate protective gear), or “perceive, weaponry prepared, largely out of pub - even silly string (Marcelle Shriver found comprehend, lic view, which ensures not future vic - out that her son was squirting the goo shape, and tories, but limitless spending that into a room as he and his squad dominate Americans can ill-afford now or 20 searched buildings to detect trip wires the future years from now. around bombs). battlefield at Even though today the Armed The same Army that can’t provide unprecedented Forces can’t recruit enough soldiers or such basics of modern war is now levels” adequately equip those already in uni - promising the Future Combat Systems form, the Pentagon is committing itself network (FCS), a “family of systems” to massive corporate contracts for new that will enable soldiers to “perceive, high-tech weapons systems slated to comprehend, shape, and dominate the come on-line years, even decades, from future battlefield at unprecedented lev - now, guaranteed only to enrich their els.” The FCS network will consist of a makers. “family” of 18 manned and unmanned The typical soldier in Iraq carries ground vehicles, air vehicles, sensors,

34 The READER | February 2007 ROAD TO ARMAGEDDON

and munitions, including: agile, networked force capable of ma - Pentagon * eight new, super-armored, neuver in the third dimension” in the planners super-strong ground vehicles to words last March of retired Major Gen - prefer the replace current tanks, infantry eral Robert H. Scales in a Boeing Pow - military they, carriers, and self-propelled how - erPoint presentation entitled “FCS: Its or their itzers Origin and Op Concept.” blue-sky * four different planes and Defense Secretary Rumsfeld once fa - dreamers, wish drones that soldiers can fly by re - mously asserted, ‘’You go to war with to have for the mote control; the Army you have, not the Army you kinds of wars * several “unmanned” ground might want or wish to have.” Pentagon they dream vehicles. planners seem to have taken the oppo - about fighting Put together these are supposed to site tack. They prefer the military they, plunge soldiers into a video-game-like or their blue-sky dreamers, wish to version of warfighting. The FCS will have for the kinds of wars they dream theoretically allow them to act as about fighting. And it won’t be cheap. A though they are in the midst of enemy March 2005 GAO report found that the territory – taking out “high value” tar - total program cost of Future Combat gets, blowing up “insurgent safe Systems alone “is expected to be at houses,” monitoring the movements of least $107.9 billion.” In 2005, the Penta - “un-friendlies”– all the while remain - gon had already allocated $2.8 billion ing at a safe distance from the bloody in research and development funds to action. FCS and, in fiscal year 2006, that was To grasp the futuristic ambitions expected to increase to $3.4 billion. (and staggering future costs) of FCS, (Keep in mind, that all such complex, consider this: The Government Ac - high-tech, weapons-oriented systems counting Office (GAO) notes that “an almost invariably go far over initial cost estimated 34 million lines of software estimates by the time they come on code will need to be generated” for the line.) project, “double that of the Joint Strike Fighter, which had been the largest de - “The Maserati of the skies” fense undertaking in terms of software In 2006, the F-22 Raptor began rolling to be developed.” off the assembly line. The Air Force In charge of this ambitious sci-fi style plans to buy 183 of these high-tech, fantasy version of war are Boeing and radar-evading stealth planes, each at a SAIC (Science Applications Interna - price tag of $130 million, being manu - tional Corporation). They are the “Lead factured in a joint venture between Systems Integrators” of this extraordi - Lockheed Martin and Boeing. But it narily complex undertaking, but they turns out that the $130 million per are working with as many as 535 more plane cost is just one-third of the total companies across 40 states. They pro- price, once development costs are fac - mise future forces the ability to break tored in. The whole program is slated “free of the tyranny of terrain” and “an to cost the Pentagon 65 billion big ones.

February 2007 | The READER 35 ROAD TO ARMAGEDDON

In 2007, the In July 2006, the Government Account - $46.67 a share – and began 2007 at a only reason the ability Office asserted. “The F-22 ac - celebratory $92.07. military might quisition history is a case study in need such a increased cost and schedule inefficien - The next generation fighter plane is to cies.” Of course, the lesson drawn from this outfight its Even if it were a bargain, however, it is to produce yet more futuristic planes. predecessor, is a classic case of future-planning run The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, built by a the F-16, which amok. The plane was originally con - team led (yet again!) by Lockheed Mar - Lockheed Martin ceived to counter Soviet fighter planes, tin, made its initial flight on December has sold to which haven’t menaced the US for 15, 2006. The total program could sur - numerous more than 15 years. The plane itself is pass $275 billion, making it the most countries that technologically awe-inspiring, report - expensive weapons program in US his - benefited from edly having a twice-the-speed-of- tory. Prime contractor Lockheed Mar - the corporation’s sound cruising speed of Mach 2. (The tin is sharing the work and profits with vociferous Pentagon jealously guards its maxi - partners Northrop Grumman and BAE lobbying for new mum speed as top secret.) Systems (not to speak of scads of sub - markets and our In 2007, the only reason the military contractors). government’s might need such a plane is to outfight The Air Force already hails the F-35s lax enforcement its predecessor, the F-16, which Lock - “transformational sensor capability” of arms-export heed Martin has sold to numerous and “low-observable characteristics” controls countries that benefited from the cor - that will “enable persistent combat air poration’s vociferous lobbying for new support over the future battlefield. Fur - markets and our government’s lax en - thermore, [the] F-35 will help enable forcement of arms-export controls. the negation of advanced enemy air de - In this classic case of boomeranging fenses because it will possess the ability weaponry, Lockheed Martin has tri - to perform unrestricted operations umphed three times: First, General Dy - within heavily defended airspace.” namics sold F-16 fighters to the Air Somewhere in there it is implied Force beginning in 1976; second, Lock - that this plane launches missiles that heed (which bought General Dynam - kill people, but it is very deeply embed - ics) sold the planes to Turkey, United ded. Nowhere does it say that its op - Arab Emirates, Venezuela, and other ponent in the skies could be the F-22 nations from the 1980s to the present Raptor, once it is sold to all those na - moment; and third, Lockheed Martin tions who find their F-16s woefully out (having merged with Martin Marietta of date. in 1995 and adjusted its name accord - ingly) now gets to produce an even What’s next next next next? higher tech plane for a US Air Force Even with such spiraling, mind-bog - that fears it might be outclassed by for - gling investments in advanced weapons eign military hardware that once was systems, the aerospace industry is our own. The Bethesda-based com - never satisfied. The quest for new justi - pany ended 2001 with a stock price of fications for ever “better” versions of al -

36 The READER | February 2007 ROAD TO ARMAGEDDON

ready advanced weapons systems is the ments” which, sadly, cannot be carried Air Force holy grail of the business. These justifi - out by tomorrow’s F-22 and F-35 fighter planners cations pile up in industry magazines planes. (They “may not have enough envisioned a like Aerospace America, the organ of range to attack critical ground targets world with the the American Institute of Aeronautics far inside enemy territory, repeatedly, United States and Astronautics. and under all circumstances.”) even more In a typical article in that magazine, Not surprisingly, Lockheed Martin embattled and the industry makes much of a com - tried to knock two birds out of the sky unpopular than ment then-Air Force Vice Chief of Staff with one stone, responding to criticism it was at that Gen. T. Michael Moseley made to Con - that the F-22 was irrelevant and too ex - moment, and gress in March 2004. In charge of the pensive, while rushing to meet the Air where we US air campaign over Iraq, he observed Force’s perceived need for a new long- lacked all that most of the sorties originated from range bomber by suggesting yet an - powers of neighboring countries that were allies other plane: the F/B (for fighter- persuasion to in Operation Enduring Freedom. But bomber)-22. As they described it, in a entice other what if, he wondered, you wanted to vision of a kind of high artistry of death, nations to join go to war and there were no local allies this wonder of modern air war would future willing to offer basing facilities. On the even be capable of changing color to “coalitions of classic Boy Scout theory, be prepared, match the sky. the willing” he promptly warned in written testi - A January 2005 article in the Atlanta mony to the House Armed Services Journal Constitution gave Lockheed Committee, “In the future, we will re - Martin visionaries a chance to share quire deep-strike capabilities to pene - their chameleon of a “high-speed, high- trate and engage high-value targets altitude bomber” which could also during the first minutes of hostilities change shape, becoming “slimmer and anywhere in the battlespace.” more aerodynamic as its fuel tanks And he was only making a public drain on long-distance flights. It would point of already popular Air Force doc - be invisible to radar, carry precision trine. The 176-page Air Force Transfor - bombs and missiles, and fly fast enough mation Flight Plan was issued in all its to outrun most fighters.” Sounds cool, glittering verbosity in November 2003, right? This might be one instance bristling with a dismal, hyper-milita - where the weapons designers and rized view of the future. imagineers took a few steps too far into In it, Air Force planners envisioned a fantasy land. There has not been any world with the United States even progress on the idea since 2005, but more embattled and unpopular than it don’t be surprised if the chameleon was at that moment, and where we fighter-bomber changes color and lacked all powers of persuasion to en - shape and soars again in the race for fu - tice other nations to join future “coali - ture weapons funding. tions of the willing.” Even without the magical fighter- The solution: new bombers that bomber, over the next eight years or so could fulfill those “deep-strike require - the Air Force imagines fielding systems

February 2007 | The READER 37 ROAD TO ARMAGEDDON

The Air Force like the Common Aero Vehicle– “a rap - KDD(X) program could end up total - and the Army idly responsive, highly maneuverable, ing $100 billion for some 70 warships in - are not alone in hypersonic glide vehicle that would be cluding destroyers, cruisers, and a imagining rocket-launched into space” according seagoing high-tech killer called LCS fabulously wild to the Air Force documents. The CAV (Littoral Combat Ship). wars of the would be equipped with sensors and Generously, the Pentagon decided to future and the bristle with weapons it could launch give the project to two different ship multi-billion from space against fixed and moving building companies – Northrop-Grum - dollar weapons targets on land, and that could be de - man Ship Systems (Ingalls, Mississippi) systems they livered anywhere on earth within two and General Dynamics (Bath Iron can build to hours. Works, Maine). According to the Pen - fight them. The As John Pike, a weapons expert and tagon’s “Program Acquisition Cost by Navy has its own director of GlobalSecurity.org, told the Weapons System,” the DD(X) will in - gold-plated Washington Post in March 2005, CAV clude “full-spectrum signature reduc - crystal ball programs will allow the US “to crush tion, active and passive self-defense someone anywhere in world on 30 systems and cutting-edge survivability minutes’ notice with no need for a features.” At $3.3 billion for two ships nearby air base.” in 2007, it better. Looking beyond 2015, the Air Force Building one ship in each location sees systems like the B-X Bomber; with each contractor raised the cost by space-based Hypervelocity Rod Bun - $300 million per ship, according to dles (nicknamed “rods from God”), a GlobalSecurity.Org, but to members of mystical sounding system that prom - Congress representing each district that ises “to strike ground targets anywhere is a small price to pay for maintaining in the world”; the Guardian Urban “flexibility.” In this business, one be - Combat Weapon, an “air-launched lurk comes accustomed to flexibility’s mag - and loiter reconnaissance, rotary ical spending properties. In its 2006 winged, unmanned, combat air vehicle report, the White House’s Office of designed for urban warfare”; and the Budget and Management commented High Powered Microwave Airborne that the Littoral Combat Ship and Electronic Attack, an “anti-electronics other systems mentioned above have a high powered microwave weapon “high potential to meet current and fu - against ‘soft’ electronic-containing tar - ture threats.” gets” that would be operated “from an Congress, where so much of the airborne platform at military significant game is bringing the bacon (i.e. ship - ranges.” building contracts) back to the Baths of The Air Force and the Army are not the nation, wholeheartedly concurred. alone in imagining fabulously wild That was just about the sum total of wars of the future and the multi-billion the debate about these multi-billion- dollar weapons systems they can build dollar ship systems, multi-million- to fight them. The Navy has its own dollar boons for a few companies, and gold-plated crystal ball. Their new the dark specter of the future threats

38 The READER | February 2007 ROAD TO ARMAGEDDON

these ships will theoretically protect us gressional Budget Office projects that “I know we’ve against. annual missile-defense costs will, in spent a lot of fact, increase to $15 billion by 2016.) money on Missile Defense: The great And it is not just in the Pentagon developing misnomer in the sky where such blue-sky spending for an missile defense, While many of the systems described overarmed world is underway. but I have so far are, at least, futures that, in some Hidden in the innocuous sounding believed since heated imagination, exist, the mis - Department of Energy is the National the Reagan named Ballistic Missile Defense System Nuclear Security Administration, administration is moving full steam ahead despite which has big plans laid through 2030. that if we can being irrelevant, unworkable, and ob - Their Complex 2030 vision, released in develop that scenely expensive in our less-than- April 2006, sees a “responsive nuclear kind of futuristic present moment. infrastructure” that can continuously capability, The BMD program got another dismantle and rebuild nuclear wea- it would be boost recently when incoming Defense pons, reducing their numbers and in - a mistake Secretary Robert Gates gave it his full creasing their potency, while ensuring for us not to” support, telling the Senate Armed Serv - that, at any moment an American ices Committee: “I know we’ve spent a leader might want to destroy the lot of money on developing missile de - planet many times over, nuclear pro - fense, but I have believed since the duction rates can be rapidly increased. Reagan administration that if we can The Department of Energy estimates develop that kind of capability, it would that Complex 2030 will require a mere be a mistake for us not to.” capital investment of $150 billion, but The mistake is wasting one more the Government Accountability Office dime on decades-worth of failure and suggests that, as with so many initial bombast that have cost an estimated estimates for future weapons systems, $200 billion so far without producing a that number was far too low. Even if single workable system to shoot down the program cost only a dollar, it is but an enemy missile or even the sitting- another typically dangerous and pro- duck targets that have taken the place vocative step by the military-industrial of such missiles in half-baked tests of complex that threatens, in this case, to the woeful project. encourage yet more global nuclear pro - Missile defense funding is set to soak liferation. up another $9.4 billion in fiscal 2007 – Complex 2030 would, in fact, plunge part of the Pentagon’s ongoing corpo - us back into a Cold War atmosphere, rate welfare system – and the Defense but with far more nuclear-armed ad - Department’s Future Years Defense versaries. It even promises a return to Program report proposes that funding the underground testing of nuclear averaging $10 billion annually be con - weapons and could require upping the tinued for research and development of production of new plutonium pits (the the system through… (this is not a fissile heart of nuclear weapons). misprint) 2024. (The nonpartisan Con - As engineers and physicists at Lock -

February 2007 | The READER 39 ROAD TO ARMAGEDDON

Only the heed Martin and the Air Force dream Frida Berrigan money – up new weapons – shaping bombers ([email protected]) is a Senior billions and out of polymer and pixels – politicians Research Associate at the World Policy billions of and Pentagoneers imagine the threats Institute’s Arms Trade Resource Center. dollars those super-bombers of the future will Her primary research areas with the – is real… blast to bits. project include nuclear-weapons policy, Only the money – billions and bil - war profiteering and corporate crimes, lions of dollars – is real… But as those weapons sales to areas of conflict, and billions are sucked away, what happens military-training programs. She is the to our dreams of clear skies, cures for author of a number of Institute reports, pandemics, solutions to global warm - including Weapons at War 2005: ing and energy depletion? To make Promoting Freedom or Fueling Conflict. more human dreams our future reality, we have to stop feeding the military’s This essay first appeared on the web site nightmare monsters. CT tomdispatch.com

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40 The READER | February 2007 ANTI-EMPIRE REPORT JOHNNY GOT HIS GUN BY WILLIAM BLUM

n the past year Iran has issued sev - structive in this regard. A report of the As if American eral warnings to the United States US Congress in 1994 informed us that: leaders have about the consequences of an Approximately 60,000 military per - been deeply American or Israeli attack. One sonnel were used as human subjects in stabbed by pain Istatement, issued in November by a the 1940s to test two chemical agents, about throwing high Iranian military official, declared: mustard gas and lewisite [blister gas]. youthful “If America attacks Iran, its 200,000 Most of these subjects were not in - American bodies troops and 33 bases in the region will formed of the nature of the experi - into the be extremely vulnerable, and both ments and never received medical bottomless American politicians and military com - followup after their participation in the snakepit called manders are aware of it.” [1] research. Additionally, some of these Iraq, or were Iran apparently believes that Amer - human subjects were threatened with restrained by ican leaders would be so deeply dis - imprisonment at Fort Leavenworth if fear of tressed by the prospect of their young they discussed these experiments with retaliation men and women being endangered anyone, including their wives, parents, or by moral and possibly killed that they would for - and family doctors. For decades, the qualms while swear any reckless attacks on Iran. Pentagon denied that the research had feeding 58,000 As if American leaders have been taken place, resulting in decades of suf - young lives deeply stabbed by pain about throw - fering for many veterans who became to the Vietnam ing youthful American bodies into the ill after the secret testing. [2] beast bottomless snakepit called Iraq, or were In the decades between the 1940s restrained by fear of retaliation or by and 1990s, we find a remarkable variety moral qualms while feeding 58,000 of government programs, either for - young lives to the Vietnam beast. As if mally, or in effect, using soldiers as American leaders, like all world leaders, guinea pigs – marched to nuclear ex - have ever had such concerns. plosion sites, with pilots sent through Let’s have a short look at some mod - the mushroom clouds; subjected to ern American history, which may be in - chemical and biological weapons ex -

February 2007 | The READER 41 ANTI-EMPIRE REPORT

If the Pentagon periments; radiation experiments; be - more forthcoming from the outset had been much havior modification experiments that about what it knew all along about more washed their brains with LSD; wide - these various substances and weapons, forthcoming spread exposure to the highly toxic the soldiers might have had a proper from the outset dioxin of Agent Orange in Korea and diagnosis early on and received appro - about what Vietnam ... the list goes on ... literally priate care sooner. The cost in terms of it knew all along millions of experimental subjects, sel - human suffering has been incalculable. about these dom given a choice or adequate infor - Soldiers have also been forced to various mation, often with disastrous effects to take vaccines against anthrax and substances their physical and/or mental health, nerve gas not approved by the FDA as and weapons, rarely with proper medical care or even safe and effective; and punished, some - the soldiers monitoring. [3] times treated like criminals, if they re - might have In the 1990s, many thousands of fused. (During World War II, soldiers had a proper American soldiers came home from the were forced to take a yellow fever vac - diagnosis early Gulf War with unusual, debilitating ail - cine, with the result that some 330,000 on and received ments. Exposure to harmful chemical of them were infected with the hepati - appropriate or biological agents was suspected, but tis B virus. [5] ) care sooner the Pentagon denied that this had oc - And through all the recent wars, curred. Years went by while the veter - countless American soldiers have been ans suffered terribly: neurological put in close proximity to the radioac - problems, chronic fatigue, skin prob - tive dust of exploded depleted ura - lems, scarred lungs, memory loss, mus - nium-tipped shells and missiles on the cle and joint pain, severe headaches, battlefield; depleted uranium has been personality changes, passing out, and associated with a long list of rare and much more. terrible illnesses and birth defects. It Eventually, the Pentagon, inch by poisons the air, the soil, the water, the inch, was forced to move away from its lungs, the blood, and the genes. (The denials and admit that, yes, chemical widespread dissemination of depleted weapon depots had been bombed; uranium by American warfare – from then, yes, there probably were releases Serbia to Afghanistan to Iraq – should of deadly poisons; then, yes, American be an international scandal and crisis, soldiers were indeed in the vicinity of like AIDS, and would be in a world not these poisonous releases, 400 soldiers; so intimidated by the United States.) then, it might have been 5,000; then, “a The catalogue of Pentagon abuses of very large number”, probably more American soldiers goes on ... Troops than 15,000; then, finally, a precise num - serving in Iraq or their families have re - ber – 20,867; then, “The Pentagon an - ported purchasing with their own nounced that a long-awaited computer funds bullet-proof vests, better armor model estimates that nearly 100,000 US for their vehicles, medical supplies, and soldiers could have been exposed to global positioning devices, all for their trace amounts of sarin gas.” [4] own safety, which were not provided to If the Pentagon had been much them by the army ... Continuous com -

42 The READER | February 2007 ANTI-EMPIRE REPORT

plaints by servicewomen of sexual as - Panama in December 1989, which killed When asked by sault and rape at the hands of their anywhere from 500 to a few thousand a reporter: male counterparts are routinely played totally innocent people, guilty of no “Was it really down or ignored by the military brass harm to any American, the first Presi - worth it to send ... Numerous injured and disabled vets dent George Bush declared that his people to their from all wars have to engage in an on - “heart goes out to the families of those death for this? going struggle to get the medical care who have died in Panama”. [7] To get they were promised ... One should read When asked by a reporter: “Was it Noriega?”, “Army Acts to Curb Abuses of Injured really worth it to send people to their Bush replied: Recruits” (New York Times, May 12, death for this? To get Noriega?”, Bush “Every human 2006) for accounts of the callous, bor - replied: “Every human life is precious, life is precious, dering on sadistic, treatment of soldiers and yet I have to answer, yes, it has and yet I have in bases in the United States ... Re - been worth it.” [8] to answer, yes, peated tours of duty, which fracture Speaking in November 1990 of his it has been family life and increase the chance not imminent invasion of Iraq, Bush, Sr. worth it” only of death or injury but of post-trau - said: “People say to me: ‘How many matic stress disorder (PTSD). [6] lives? How many lives can you ex - National Public Radio’s “All Things pend?’ Each one is precious.” [9] Considered”, on December 4 and other While his killing of thousands of days, ran a series on· Army mistreat - Iraqis was proceeding merrily along in ment of soldiers home from Iraq and 2003, the second President George suffering serious PTSD. Bush was moved to say: “We believe in At Colorado’s Ft. Carson these af - the value and dignity of every human flicted soldiers are receiving a variety of life.” [10] abuse and punishment much more In December 2006, the White House than the help they need, as officers ha - spokesman for Bush, Jr., commenting rass and punish them for being emo - about American deaths reaching 3,000 tionally “weak.” in Iraq, said President Bush “believes Keep the above in mind the next that every life is precious and grieves time you hear a president or a general for each one that is lost.” [11] speaking on Memorial Day about Both father and son are on record “honor” and “duty” and about how expressing their deep concern for God much we “owe to the brave young men and prayer both before and during and women who have made the ulti - their mass slaughters. “I trust God mate sacrifice in the cause of freedom speaks through me,” said Bush the and democracy.” younger in 2004. “Without that, I And read “Johnny Got His Gun” by couldn’t do my job.” [12] Dalton Trumbo for the ultimate abuse After his devastation of Iraq and its of soldiers by leaders of nations. people, Bush the elder said: “I think that, like a lot of others who had posi - The conscience of our leaders tions of responsibility in sending some - After he ordered the bombing of one else’s kids to war, we realize that in

February 2007 | The READER 43 ANTI-EMPIRE REPORT

Is it not prayer what mattered is how it might later, Indonesia invaded East Timor. remarkable that have seemed to God.” [13] The invasion was launched the day in the numerous God, one surmises, might have after US President Gerald Ford and articles in the asked George Bush, father and son, Secretary of State Henry Kissinger had American daily about the kids of Iraq. And the adults. left Indonesia after giving President press following And, in a testy, rather ungodlike man - Suharto permission to use American President Ford’s ner, might have snapped: “So stop arms, which, under US law, could not death last wasting all the precious lives already!” be used for aggression. month, there In the now-famous exchange on TV But Indonesia was Washington’s most was not a single in 1996 between Madeleine Albright valuable ally in Southeast Asia and, in mention of his and reporter Lesley Stahl, the latter any event, the United States was not role in the was speaking of US sanctions against inclined to look kindly on any govern - East Timor Iraq, and asked the then-US ambassa - ment of the left. massacre? dor to the UN, and Secretary of State- Indonesia soon achieved complete to-be: “We have heard that a half control over East Timor, with the help million children have died. I mean, of the American arms and other mili - that’s more children than died in Hi - tary aid, as well as diplomatic support roshima. And – and you know, is the at the UN. Amnesty International esti - price worth it?” Replied Albright: “I mated that by 1989, Indonesian troops think this is a very hard choice, but the had killed 200,000 people out of a pop - price – we think the price is worth it.” [14] ulation of between 600,000 and Ten years later, Secretary of State 700,000, a death rate which is probably Condoleezza Rice, continuing the fine one of the highest in the entire history tradition of female Secretaries of State of wars. [16] and the equally noble heritage of the Is it not remarkable that in the nu - Bush family, declared that the current merous articles in the American daily horror in Iraq is “worth the invest - press following President Ford’s death ment” in American lives and dollars. [15] last month, there was not a single men - And don’t forget that we can’t pull tion of his role in the East Timor mas - out of Iraq now because it would dis - sacre? honor the troops who haven’t died yet. A search of the extensive Lexis- Nexis and other media databases finds The American media as the mention of this only in a few letters to Berlin Wall the editor from readers; not a word In December 1975, while East Timor, even in the reports of any of the news which lies at the eastern end of the In - agencies, like the Associated Press, donesian archipelago, was undergoing which generally shy away from contro - a process of decolonization from Por - versy less than the newspapers they tugal, a struggle for power took place. A serve; nor a single mention in the main - movement of the left, Fretilin, prevailed stream broadcast news programs. and then declared East Timor’s inde - Imagine if following the recent death pendence from Portugal. Nine days of Augusto Pinochet the media made

44 The READER | February 2007 ANTI-EMPIRE REPORT

no mention of his overthrow of the Al - lief that capitalism defeated socialism Tony Snow lende government in Chile, or the mass in the Cold War. A victory for a supe - would have murder and torture which followed. rior idea. The boys of Capital chortle in us believe that Ironically, the recent articles about Ford their martinis about the death of so - the government also failed to mention his remark a year cialism. The word has been banned is no match after Pinochet’s coup. President Ford from polite conversation. And they for the private declared that what the United States hope that no one will notice that every sector in had done in Chile was “in the best in - socialist experiment of any significance efficiently terest of the people in Chile and cer - in the past century has either been cor - getting large tainly in our own best interest.” [17] rupted, subverted, perverted, or desta - and important During the Cold War, the American bilized ... or crushed, overthrown, things done. government and media never missed bombed, or invaded ... or otherwise But is that an opportunity to point out the news had life made impossible for it, by the really true? events embarrassing to the Soviet United States. Union which became non-events in the Not one socialist government or communist media. movement – from the Russian Revolu - tion to Cuba, the Sandinistas in Man shall never fly Nicaragua and the FMLN in Salvador, The Cold War is still with us. Because from Communist China to Grenada, the ideological conflict that was the Chile and Vietnam – not one was per - basis for it has not gone away. Because mitted to rise or fall solely on its own it can’t go away. As long as capitalism merits; not one was left secure enough exists, as long as it puts profit before to drop its guard against the all-pow - people, as it must, as long as it puts erful enemy abroad and freely and fully profit before the environment, as it relax control at home. must, those on the receiving end of its Even many plain old social democ - sharp pointed stick must look for a bet - racies – such as in Guatemala, Iran, ter way. British Guiana, Serbia and Haiti, which Thus it is that when Venezuelan were not in love with capitalism and President Hugo Chávez announced a were looking for another path – even few days ago that he plans to national - these too were made to bite the dust by ize telephone and electric utility com - Uncle Sam. panies to accelerate his “socialist It’s as if the Wright brothers’ first ex - revolution”, the spokesperson for Cap - periments with flying machines all italism Central, White House press sec - failed because the automobile interests retary Tony Snow, was quick to the sabotaged each test flight. And then attack: “Nationalization has a long and the good and god-fearing folk of Amer - inglorious history of failure around the ica looked upon this, took notice of the world,” Snow declared. “We support consequences, nodded their collective the Venezuelan people and think this is heads wisely, and intoned solemnly: an unhappy day for them.” [18] Man shall never fly. Snow presumably buys into the be - Tony Snow would have us believe

February 2007 | The READER 45 ANTI-EMPIRE REPORT

And by the way, that the government is no match for – that they don’t want more govern - Tony, the great the private sector in efficiently getting ment, or less government; they don’t majority of large and important things done. But is want big government, or small govern - the population that really true? ment; they want government on their in the last years Let’s clear our minds for a moment, side. of the Soviet push our upbringing to one side, and And by the way, Tony, the great ma - Union had a remember that the American govern - jority of the population in the last years much better ment has landed men on the moon, of the Soviet Union had a much better quality of life, created great dams, marvelous national quality of life, including a longer life, including a parks, an interstate highway system, under their “failed nationalized” econ - longer life, the peace corps, built up an incredible omy, than they have had under unbri - under their military machine (ignoring for the mo - dled capitalism. “failed ment what it’s used for), student loans, None of the above, of course, will nationalized” social security, Medicare, insurance for deter The World’s Only Superpower economy, than bank deposits, protection of pension from continuing its jihad to impose they have had funds against corporate misuse, the En - capitalist fundamentalism upon the under unbridled vironmental Protection Agency, the world. capitalism National Institutes of Health, the Smithsonian, the G.I. Bill, and much, Unwelcome guests at the table much more. of the respectable folk In short, the government has been Sen. Joseph Biden, Democrat from quite good at doing what it wanted to Delaware, the new chairman of the do, or what labor and other move - Senate Foreign Relations Committee, ments have made it do, like establishing has announced four weeks of hearings worker health and safety standards focused on every aspect of US policy in and requiring food manufacturers to Iraq. He really wants to get to the bot - list detailed information about ingredi - tom of things, find out how and why ents. things went so wrong, who are the When George W. took office one of ones responsible, hold them account - his chief goals was to examine whether able, and what can be done now. The jobs done by federal employees could committee will hear the testimony of be performed more efficiently by pri - top political, economic and intelligence vate contractors. Bush called it his top experts, foreign diplomats, and former management priority. By the end of and current senior US officials, like 2005, 50,000 government jobs had been Condoleezza Rice, Brent Scowcroft, studied. And federal workers had won Samuel Berger, Zbigniew Brzezinski, the job competitions more than 80 per - Henry Kissinger, Madeleine Albright cent of the time. [19] and George Shultz. [20] All the usual sus - We have to remind the American pects. people of what they’ve instinctively But why not call upon some unusual learned but tend to forget when faced suspects? Why do congressional com - with statements like that of Tony Snow mittees and committees appointed by

46 The READER | February 2007 ANTI-EMPIRE REPORT

the White House typically not call ex - [7] New York Times, December 22, People who called perts who dissent from the official ex - 1989, p.17 the war illegal planations? Why not hear from people [8] New York Times, December 22, and immoral, who had the wisdom to protest the in - 1989, p.16 said we should vasion of Iraq and condemn it in writ - [9] Los Angeles Times, December 1, never start it, ing before it even began? People who 1990, p.1 and predicted called the war illegal and immoral, said [10] Washington Post, May 28, 2003 much of the we should never start it, and predicted [11] Washington Post, January 1, 2007, horrible outcome. much of the horrible outcome. Surely p.1 Surely they may they may have some insights and [12] Washington Post, July 20, 2004, have some analyses that will not be heard from p.15, statement attributed to President insights and the mouths of the usual suspects. Bush in the Lancaster (Pa.) New Era analyses that Likewise, why didn’t the September newspaper from a private meeting with will not be heard 11 Committee, or any of the congres - Amish families on July 9. The White from the mouths sional committees dealing with the ter - House later said Bush said no such of the usual rorist attack, call upon any of the thing. Yes, we know how the Amish lie. suspects numerous 9-11 experts who have done [13] Los Angeles Times, June 7, 1991, extensive research and who question p.1 various aspects of the official story? [14] CBS “60 Minutes”, May 12, 1996 Traditionally, of course, such com - [15] Associated Press, December 22, mittees have been formed to put a 2006 damper on dissident questioning of of - [16] National Security Archive – ficial stories, to ridicule them as “con - www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/ – Search spiracy theorists”, not to give the ; William Blum, Rogue dissidents a larger audience. CT State, p.188-9 [17] New York Times, September 17, NOTES 1974, p.22 [1] Fars News Agency, November 21, [18] Washington Post, January 10, 2006 2007, p.7 [2] Senate Committee on Veterans’ [19] Washington Post, March 23, Affairs, “Is Military Research Haz - 2006, p.21 ardous to Veterans’ Health? Lessons [20] Washington Post, January 5, Spanning Half a Century”, December 8, 2007 1994, p.5 [3] Ibid., passim William Blum is the author of: [4] Washington Post, October 2 and Killing Hope: US Military and CIA 23, 1996 and July 31, 1997 for the esti - Interventions Since World War 2 mated numbers of affected soldiers. Rogue State: A Guide to the World’s [5] “Journal of the American Medical Only Superpower; West-Bloc Dissident: Association”, September 1, 1999, p.82 A Cold War Memoir; Freeing the World [6] Washington Post, December 20, to Death: Essays on the American 2006, p.19 Empire

February 2007 | The READER 47 PLOTS UNCOVERED BUSH ANTI-TERROR SUCCESSES ARE ALL FICTION BY DAVID SWANSON

In other words, resident Bush claimed in his operational aspects of the war on ter - a regime that State of the Union speech to rorism,” who said that “the Library appears to be have prevented four terrorist Tower plot was one of many Al Qaeda barely holding plots. Phew! It’s a good thing to operations that had not gone much on to its power Pknow that we tossed out our Bill of past the conceptual stage….The official is being Rights for some actual REASON – I spoke on the condition of anonymity, supported mean other than turning Iraq into a saying that those familiar with the plot with unabashed training ground for terrorism. feared political retaliation for providing US military Except that we didn’t. a different characterization of the plan power – to that that of the president.” the tune of 1.“We stopped an al Qaeda plot Michael Scheuer, an al Qaeda expert approximately to fly a hijacked airplane into in the CIA’s counter-terrorism center, 180 million the tallest building on the West told the Voice of America: “This doesn’t dollars per day Coast.” sound like anything that I would recall An October 8, 2005, LA Times story, as a major threat, or as a major success headlined “Scope of Plots Bush Says in stopping it….My impression [was Were Foiled Is Questioned,” cited “sev - that the National Security Council] eral counter-terrorism officials” as say - culled through information to look for ing that “the plot never progressed past something that resembled a serious the planning stages.... ‘To take that and threat in 2002. It doesn’t strike me, ei - make it into a disrupted plot is just lu - ther as someone who was there or as dicrous,’ said one senior FBI official … someone who has followed al Qaeda At most it was a plan that was stopped pretty closely, that this was really a se - in its initial stages and was not an op - rious sort of effort.” erational plot that had been disrupted A February 10, 2006 Washington by authorities.” Post story cited “several U.S. intelli - On Feb. 10, 2006, the LA Times gence officials” who “said there is deep quoted a “US official familiar with the disagreement within the intelligence

48 The READER | February 2007 PLOTS UNCOVERED

community over the seriousness of the Instead of the Library Tower scheme and whether it 3.-“Just last August, British emergency was ever much more than talk.” authorities uncovered a plot to requests A February 10, 2006, New York Daily blow up passenger planes bound Messrs. Bush News story cited one senior countert - for America over the Atlantic and Cheney tend errorism official who said: “There was Ocean.” to prefer, the no definitive plot. It never materialized Democrats want or got past the thought stage.” Well, the British “authorities” did arrest the war funding Back on June 17, 2004, the New York two dozen people at the insistence of requests to be Daily News quoted John Pistole, the the Bush Administration, but numer - included in the FBI’s counterterrorism director. Asked ous reports found consensus among annual budget to comment on a CIA agent’s statement experts that those arrested could not that “I think we’ve probably prevented have possibly mixed together on an air - a few aviation attacks against both the plane the liquid explosives they al - East and West coasts,” legedly planned to use. And common Pistole at first said he was “not sure sense suggested that if they had man - what [the CIA] was referring to.” The aged such a sophisticated plot, it was Daily News reported that “Even after unlikely anyone else was working on consulting CIA officials, Pistole still the same thing (the assumption that would not call the alleged threat un - prevents us all from traveling with covered in the summer of 2003 an ad - toothpaste and deodorant unless vanced plot.” sealed in a proper protective plastic bag, and leads to government employ - 2.-“We uncovered an al Qaeda ees carelessly tossing deadly dangerous cell developing anthrax to be toothpaste tubes into trashcans in the used in attacks against middle of unsuspecting crowds). America.” Craig Murray, former British Ambas - An October 31, 2006, Washington Post sador to Uzbekistan, summed this case article describes al Qaeda’s efforts as up well: well short of “developing” and the “None of the alleged terrorists had case to tie them to the anthrax at - made a bomb. None had bought a tacks in the United States as leading plane ticket. Many did not even have nowhere. A September 25, 2006, passports, which given the efficiency of Washington Post article describes the the UK Passport Agency would mean FBI’s investigation of the anthrax at - they couldn’t be a plane bomber for tacks in the United States as still quite some time. In the absence of open, but just barely active. If that in - bombs and airline tickets, and in many vestigation has reached any conclu - cases passports, it could be pretty diffi - sion, or if Bush has discovered a plot cult to convince a jury beyond reason - of some other attacks that were pre - able doubt that individuals intended to vented, he should produce evidence go through with suicide bombings, of such. whatever rash stuff they may have

February 2007 | The READER 49 PLOTS UNCOVERED

If we recall bragged in internet chat rooms. of our Bill of Rights intact? Is this the the protests “What is more, many of those ar - “tallest building on the West Coast” in Seattle in rested had been under surveillance for story by another name in order to ex - 1999 against over a year - like thousands of other pand the list? I’ve seen a lot of reports the WTO, British Muslims. And not just Muslims. on Bush’s speech, but no explanation we will Like me. Nothing from that surveillance of what he’s talking about here. remember how had indicated the need for early arrests. Of course, such claims are not new: effective they Then an interrogation in Pakistan re - They follow the pattern of the Padilla were in raising vealed the details of this amazing plot radiation bomb claim. The announce - the level of to blow up multiple planes – which, ment of that supposed success was awareness rather extraordinarily, had not turned made at a time when Bush needed a and opposition up in a year of surveillance. Of course, boost in the media, even though the to the aims the interrogators of the Pakistani dic - man had been locked up for a month of global tator have their ways of making people already; and then the charges were capitalism sing like canaries. As I witnessed in later dropped. Uzbekistan, you can get the most ex - Keith Olbermann once ran a seg - traordinary information this way. Trou - ment highlighting the suspicious tim - ble is it always tends to give the ing of ten such announcements, each interrogators all they might want, and one of which ended up amounting to more, in a desperate effort to stop or nothing at all. Olbermann’s story left avert torture. What it doesn’t give is the out plenty of more recent examples, truth.” but then, so did Bush’s speech. Have we forgotten the heroic way in which he 4.-“We broke up a Southeast saved the Sears Tower already? CT Asian terror cell grooming operatives for attacks inside the Richard Matthews provided research United States.” assistance for this article. Was this the one broken up in 1995, First published at before Bush, when we still had much AfterDowningStreet.org

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50 The READER | February 2007 GLOBAL DIMMING MONEY VERSUS THE MONSOON BY STAN COX

ou probably haven’t noticed, cally drought-stricken district of Anan - Continued but days aren’t as bright as tapur here at the southern end of the dimming over they used to be. Sunlight in - Indian state of Andhra Pradesh may Asia could well tensity, averaged across hun - provide a grim preview of South Asia’s mean more dYreds of locations on all continents, future. Lying between Hyderabad and erratic monsoon decreased by 1.5 to 3% per decade from Bangalore – the country’s two great rains and less the 1950s to 1990s. The dulling of the traffic-choked foreign-investment cap - food for sky can be traced largely to the burn - itals and major sources of the brown 2 billion people ing of fuels, which releases soot, sul - haze that blankets the subcontinent fates, nitrates, and other substances every year from November to April – that absorb and reflect a portion of the this impoverished rural region never sunlight that normally would reach the sees a very good monsoon. The area Earth’s surface. lies in a “rain shadow” from India’s When reported a few years ago [1] , southeastern mountains, and as a re - these findings were controversial, but sult, its average annual rainfall is only subsequent research has helped con - about 20 inches, often concentrated in a firm the reality of “global dimming.” few downpours between June and Sep - However, to paraphrase the old saying tember. And even that meager mon - about politics, all global climate change soon is increasingly undependable: Of is local. Over the past decade, clean-air the nine years since 1930 that saw rain - laws and export of dirty industries have fall below 16 inches, six have occurred halted dimming and even led to some since 1980 and two since 2002. brightening (and warming) in the US A recent study by India’s National and Europe. Meanwhile, as we shall Climate Center showed that over the see, continued dimming over Asia past century, 12 of 36 regions in India, could well mean more erratic monsoon including the region that includes rains and less food for 2 billion people. Anantapur, have seen decreasing an - If that indeed happens, the chroni - nual rainfall. But despite living in the

February 2007 | The READER 51 GLOBAL DIMMING

Some analysts driest part of southern India, the 3.6 ago, sulfates from industrial Europe now say the million people of Anantapur district – and North America weakened atmos - sudden 2.7 million of them in small villages – pheric circulation in the intertropical onslaught of continue to rely on agriculture as the convergence zone, causing rains to fail hot years over foundation of their economy, indeed in Africa’s Sahel region, south of the Sa - much of the their existence. Now, immense, drifting hara desert [3]. The resulting Sahelian world since brown clouds produced by the boom - drought of the 1970s and 80s ended up since 1990 ing, mostly urban, demand for electric killing more than a million people. actually appliances, automobiles, and other fos - Now, food production in South Asia represents sil-fuel-guzzling features of twenty- is imperiled by phenomena known as a longer, more first-century Indian life could under- “atmospheric brown clouds.” Rapidly gradual mine Anantapur’s survival in way that industrializing areas of Asia and the warming trend centuries of persistent “natural” surrounding oceans have seen contin - that was droughts have not. ued darkening, associated with the masked back emergence of extensive, murky clouds in the 60s, 70s, Playing with the dimmer switch with lifetimes measured in weeks. Fed and 80s by a The deepest dimming during the past increasingly by combustion of coal, shady layer half-century occurred in the Northern diesel, and gasoline, brown clouds have of soot and Hemisphere, most intensely in the been returning, darker and larger each sulfates most heavily populated regions [2] , and winter, over South Asia and the north - especially in the United States, with its ern Indian Ocean [3] . voracious energy consumption. Anti- The brown clouds have cut the pollution efforts in the industrialized amount of sunlight reaching the land West, along with the 1990s economic and ocean surfaces by approximately crash in the former Soviet Union and 8% between 1930 and 2000 [4] . While Eastern Europe and the large-scale re - shading and thereby cooling the sur - location of manufacturing to Asia, face, the brown clouds absorb heat and curbed the release of pollutants in the warm the atmospheric layer in which West, and that appears to have led to they hover. That has several nasty con - overall global brightening in the last sequences: reduced evaporation from decade or so. Some analysts now say the ocean surface (which means less the sudden onslaught of hot years over moisture available for rain); warmer- much of the world since since 1990 ac - than-normal clouds that contain more tually represents a longer, more grad - fine particles of pollution and can hold ual warming trend that was masked more moisture without releasing it as back in the 60s, 70s, and 80s by a shady rain; and perhaps most ominously, a layer of soot and sulfates. potential weakening of the climatic en - But dimming continues across large gine that drives the monsoon rains [4,5] . parts of the globe, and history shows That could mean lower crop yields that the result can be severe drought across much of India, Pakistan, and and plummeting crop production. Re - Bangladesh, and it could tip already cent research has shown that decades drought-afflicted areas like Anantapur

52 The READER | February 2007 GLOBAL DIMMING

District into ecological and humanitar - assisted by the nonprofit group Acción The water table ian crisis. Fraterna, are using water-harvesting has dropped as methods, a more diverse array of crops, much as 15 feet Living with drought and natural pest control in an effort to in some places, Traditionally, Anantapur’s farmers have sustain their communities and food and more wells dealt with their bad draw in the cli - supplies over the long haul. There, and are being drilled matic lottery by growing tough subsis - in other villages in the district, it’s clear ever-more tence crops: pearl millet, finger millet, that communities accustomed to sur - deeply to get at deep-rooted legumes like pigeonpea, viving hard times are not going to give ever-less water. and, on better soils, chickpea. Over the up without a fight. It’s also reported past two decades, cash-crop peanut With the help of engineers, hydrolo - that 10 to 15% of mania swept the district, eventually gists, agronomists, and local laborers, farmers have covering its arable land in a near- and organizing themselves into teams fled the crisis to monoculture. But drought, soil exhaus - of 15 farm families (of various low castes look for work in tion, and a plant virus have driven and non-castes, but none of them well- urban areas peanut yields down and reduced the to-do), people in Velikonda and a host typical seed’s oil content from almost of other villages are planning and 50% down to 36%. Because the crop is building large water-conservation net - grown mainly for cooking oil produc - works. Using mostly hand labor, they tion, farmers are getting lower prices have built thick, chest-high earthen for smaller crops. berms around the downhill edges of Fully 80% of the district’s rural peo - fields to trap precious rainwater that ple are small farmers, not fat-cat land - would otherwise run off into gullies lords or landless laborers, but that during storms. More than 100,000 acres relatively well-balanced farm economy in the district are now protected by is getting harder to maintain. Economic such berms. pressures, coming on top of increas - In the same way, they are hand-dig - ingly erratic rainfall and depletion of ging ponds of 40,000-gallon capacity groundwater supplies, have helped that can hold rainwater to be hand-car - push Anantapur toward the top of the ried to new orchards of mango or cus - list of districts for numbers of farmer tard-apple trees. Farmers pay a percen- suicides, which are reported to number tage of the cost of berms, drainage out - in the thousands. The water table has lets, and ponds on a sliding scale (with dropped as much as 15 feet in some the rest coming from Acción Fraterna, places, and more wells are being drilled which is a part of India’s Rural Devel - ever-more deeply to get at ever-less opment Trust. Indian government pro - water. It’s also reported that 10 to 15% of grams are now also helping fund such farmers have fled the crisis to look for projects.) work in urban areas. They also are moving away from a I recently visited farmlands around food economy based on selling peanuts the village of Velikonda, one of 54 wa - and buying nutrient-poor, government- tersheds in the district where farmers, subsidized rice. In an effort led largely

February 2007 | The READER 53 GLOBAL DIMMING

India’s captains by women, they are re-diversifying cheaper merchandise and services for of industry are their cropping system with nutritious Western consumers and greater wealth achieving crops they can both consume and sell: for an upper slice of India’s urban mi - prosperity the millets, sorghum, pigeonpea, broad nority. But India’s captains of industry same way the beans, cluster beans, chilis, coriander, are achieving prosperity the same way powerhouse and many more. They have stopped the powerhouse economies of the West economies of buying costly pesticides, turning in - were built: with products and tech - the West were stead to natural products like neem nologies that burn every kilogram of built: with seed extract. They are growing non- fossil fuel that comes within reach. products and crop plants like milkweed to trap in - If the boom continues to darken and technologies sects instead of trapping themselves in thicken the atmospheric brown clouds that burn every debt to buy chemicals. They are grow - that, in turn, are threatening to disrupt kilogram of ing large leguminous plant species on the monsoon, it could destroy every - fossil fuel that the water-holding berms, to be cut and thing that the resolute farm communi - comes within spread back on the land to add organic ties of Anantapur have managed to reach matter and nutrients. accomplish. Moreover, it could under - Where these self-organized commu - cut the livelihood and food supply of nity efforts have taken root, individual the rural majority all across the coun - despair under the brutal logic of the na - try. tional and international economy has Computer models predict that na - withered. The work is on a colossal tionwide monsoon droughts, which scale and no doubt exhausting, but the historically occur an average of two to atmosphere in the villages is electric. three years per decade, could rise to as Velikonda and the other places where I many as six years per decade under the saw such cooperative work happening influence of brown clouds [4] . If Anan - are not the places that continue to be tapur is affected as badly as the nation plagued by farmer suicides. as a whole (and the models appear very uncertain about local variations), Darkness on the horizon agriculture might just become impossi - But even if the people of Velikonda and ble. People there say they already thousands other villages make every count on drought at least six years in right move within their local, water- ten; brown clouds conceivably could limited means, the global economy make that a perfect ten out of ten. may not be finished with Anantapur. Foreign investment and production India’s rapid industrialization has for export in India have not come close added 50% on top of the pollutant to the levels they have reached in emissions that have come with popu - China, but they have played an indis - lation growth since 1930 [4] . That foul pensable role in creating the country’s output has accelerated with the open - urban economic explosion (and they ing of the nation’s economy over the have dwarfed by orders of magnitude past decade and a half. India’s integra - the foreign funds that have come in to tion into the world market has meant support rural nonprofits like Acción

54 The READER | February 2007 GLOBAL DIMMING

Fraterna). Such upheavals never come States to take the lead in slashing con - With the without surprises. And no sudden, sumption. average human-made climatic change in a ran - Instead of that, scientists and policy - American using dom direction has, as one might expect, makers are focusing on technological 10 times as an equal chance of being either harmful fixes like carbon sequestration, stratos - much energy as of beneficial. Because life on Earth pheric sulfur seeding [7] , and colossal, the average evolves toward equilibrium with its space-based mirrors [8] . Growth-depen - person in China, current environment – and on a long dent economies were built around the and 24 times as time scale – and because industrial civ - fossil-fuel power bonanza and have no much as the ilization has become so complicated, way to handle the consequences of the average Indian, fragile, and vulnerable, any rapid cli - deep energy cuts that are necessary. it’s the clear matic change, including dimming, is al - Global capitalism will not – indeed, duty of the most guaranteed to prove a disaster cannot – give up the easy exploitation United States to with no silver lining. of concentrated energy that need only take the lead in No one knows, for example, how the be mined or pumped. And with its slashing complex tug-of-war between global global reach, it will probably entrap consumption warming and local dimming will turn even communities like Velikonda that out. But the results for South Asia are seem determined to wriggle free. Over - unlikely to be pleasant. The leader of all, it makes for some pretty dim the Atmospheric Brown Clouds Project, prospects. CT Dr. V. Ramanathan of the Scripps Insti - tution of Oceanography, has said, Stan Cox is a plant breeder and writer “Some years the aerosols [i.e., the pol - in Salina, Kansas. Write him at lutants causing dimming] might win [email protected]. and in some years the greenhouse ef - You can visit Acción Fraterna’s website at fect may win. So we are concerned that http://www.accionfraterna.org/home.html in coming decades the variability be - tween the two will become large and it Notes will be difficult to cope with rapid 1. Stanhill, G. and S. Cohen. 2001. changes from year to year.” [6] Global dimming: a review of the evi - The straightforward approach to dence for a widespread and significant both warming and dimming is, of reduction in global radiation with dis - course, to make deep cuts in energy cussion of its probable causes and consumption planet-wide. The rapidly possible agricultural consequences. industrializing nations of the South will Agricultural and Forest Meteorology have to find their own ways to get the 107:255-278. energy they need without ecological 2. Alpert, P., P. Kishcha, Y.J. Kauf - devastation. But with the average man, and R. Schwartzbard. Global American using 10 times as much en - dimming or local dimming?: Effects of ergy as the average person in China, urbanization on sunlight availability. and 24 times as much as the average Geophysical Research Letters 32: [web Indian, it’s the clear duty of the United reference] L17802,

February 2007 | The READER 55 GLOBAL DIMMING

DOI:10.1029/2005GL023320. (http://www.rrcap.unep.org/issues/air 3. Rotstayn, L.D. and U. Lohmann. /impactstudy/index.cfm) 2002. Tropical rainfall trends and the 6. Scripps Institution of Oceanogra - indirect aerosol effect. Journal of Cli - phy press release (http://scripp - mate 15:2103-2116. snews.ucsd.edu/article_detail.cfm?art 4. Ramanathan, V., C. Chung, D. icle_num=731) Kim, T. Bettge, L. Buja, J.T. Kiehl, W.M. 7. Crutzen, P. 2006. Albedo en - Washington, Q. Fu, D.R. Sikka, and M. hancement by stratospheric sulfur in - Wild. 2005. Atmospheric brown jections: A contribution to resolve a clouds: Impacts on South Asian cli - policy dilemma? Climatic Change: mate and hydrologic cycle. Proceed - [web reference] DOI 10.1007/s10584- ings of the National Academy of 006-9101-y Sciences 102:5326 8. Govindasamy, B., and K. 5. United Nations Environment Caldeira. 2000. Geoengineering Earth’s Program, “The atmospheric brown radiation balance to mitigate CO2 -in - cloud: climate and other environmen - duced climate change. Geophysical tal impacts” Research Letters 27:2141.

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56 The READER | February 2007 ENDANGERED SPECIES KILLING JOURNALISTS IS A WAR CRIME BY AMY GOODMAN

he Committee to Protect filming from the balcony below. He While in this Journalists recently released was also killed. country there its 2006 report on threats to The difference between the re - was hardly a journalists. Iraq is by far the sponses by the mainstream media in peep of protest, Tdeadliest place for the fourth year in a the United States versus Europe was Spanish row, with 32 journalists killed this stunning. While in this country there journalists year. Sad to say, the violence follows a was hardly a peep of protest, Spanish engaged in a trend that started with the US inva - journalists engaged in a one-day one-day strike. sion of Iraq. strike. From the elite journalists down They refused to When you step off the elevator at to the technicians, they laid down record the words the Reuters news offices in Washing - their cables, cameras and pens. They of then-Spanish ton, D.C., you see a large book sitting refused to record the words of then- Prime Minister on a wooden stand. Each entry de - Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Jose Maria scribes a Reuters journalist killed in Aznar, who joined British Prime Min - Aznar, who the line of duty. Such as Taras Prot - ister Tony Blair and President Bush in joined British syuk. The veteran Ukrainian camera - supporting the war. Prime Minister man was killed on April 8, 2003, the When Aznar came into parliament, Tony Blair and day before the US seized Baghdad. they piled their equipment at the President Bush Protsyuk was on the balcony of the front of the room and turned their in supporting Palestine Hotel when a US tank posi - backs on him. Photographers refused the war tioned itself on the al-Jumhuriyah to take his picture and instead held bridge and, as people watched in hor - up a photo of their slain colleague. ror, unleashed a round into the side At a news conference in Madrid of the building. The hotel was known with British Foreign Secretary Jack for housing hundreds of unembedded Straw, Spanish reporters walked out reporters. Protsyuk was killed in - in protest. Later, hundreds of journal - stantly. Jose Couso, a cameraman for ists, camera people and technicians the Spanish network Telecinco, was marched on the US embassy in

February 2007 | The READER 57 ENDANGERED SPECIES

Pentagon Madrid, chanting “Murderer, mur - to be shot at willy-nilly, not to be ha - spokeswoman derer.” rassed in doing their professional Victoria “Torie” About four hours before the US jobs.” Clarke, who has military opened fire on the Palestine The U.N. Security Council agrees. since become a Hotel, a US warplane strafed Al- On Dec. 23, it passed a unanimous news consultant Jazeera’s Baghdad office. Reporter resolution insisting on the protection for CNN and Tareq Ayyoub was on the roof. He of journalists in conflict zones. ABC, said died almost instantly. More than 120 reporters and other at the time that When interviewed after his death, media workers have been killed in Baghdad “is not Ayyoub’s wife, Dima, said: “Hate Iraq since the invasion. In August a safe place. breeds hate. The United States said 2003, Reuters cameraman Mazen They should not they were doing this to rout out ter - Dana was filming outside Abu Ghraib be there” rorism. Who is engaged in terrorism prison when a machine-gun bullet now?” This summer, she sued the US tore through his chest. The Pentagon government. said the soldiers had “engaged a cam - The family of Jose Couso has also eraman.” taken action. They know the names Not long before his death, Dana of the three US servicemen who fired won the International Press Freedom on the Palestine Hotel. On Dec. 5, Award. “We carry a gift,” he said. “We 2006, the Spanish Supreme Court said film and we show the world what is the men could be tried in Spanish going on. We are not part of the con - courts, opening the possibility for in - flict.” In receiving his award, Dana re - dictments against the US soldiers. flected, “Words and images are a The military response to the journal - public trust, and for this reason I will ists’ deaths? continue with my work regardless of Pentagon spokeswoman Victoria the hardships and even if it costs me “Torie” Clarke, who has since become my life.” a news consultant for CNN and ABC, But it shouldn’t have. The Penta - said at the time that Baghdad “is not gon should adopt the U.N. standard a safe place. They should not be and send a clear message to its ranks: there.” Shooting the messenger is a war David Schlesinger, global managing crime that will not be tolerated. CT editor of Reuters, said: “It seems in my interactions with the US military Amy Goodman hosts the radio news – to paraphrase, basically – if you are program “Democracy Now!” Her latest not embedded, we cannot do any - book, co-written with her brother David, thing to protect you. Journalists need is Static, Government Liars, media to be accorded the rights under the Cheerleaders and The People Who Fight Geneva Convention, of civilians not back.

58 The READER | February 2007 AFTER COLBERT WHITE HOUSE PRESS CORPS LEARNS ITS LESSON BY DAVID WALSH

he decision by the White right, he declaimed: “We’re not so dif - His monologue House Correspondents’ Asso - ferent, he and I. We get it. We’re not received no ciation to invite impersonator brainiacs on the nerd patrol. We’re not mention from Rich Little to provide enter - members of the factinista. We go the New York tTainment at its annual dinner in April straight from the gut, right sir?” Times in its first captures something essential about the And: “I stand by this man. I stand by article and the American media. this man because he stands for things. Washington Post Last year’s event was dominated by Not only for things, he stands on buried his the appearance of comic Stephen Col - things. Things like aircraft carriers and commentary, bert, who skewered George W. Bush rubble and recently flooded city leaving out the and his administration, as well as the squares. And that sends a strong mes - most pointed Washington press corps. The latter, sage: that no matter what happens to jokes. The along with the White House, was not America, she will always reboundwith performance amused. Initially, the media attempted the most powerfully staged photo ops only became to conceal Colbert’s comments from the in the world.” The comic rejected the widely known public. His monologue received no claims of those who were suggesting through a video mention from the New York Times in that a personnel shakeup at the White that appeared its first article and the Washington Post House was merely rearranging deck on the Internet buried his commentary, leaving out the chairs on the Titanic. “This administra - most pointed jokes. The performance tion is not sinking. This administration only became widely known through a is soaring. If anything, they are rear - video that appeared on the Internet, ranging the deck chairs on the Hinden - which was downloaded millions of burg!” times within the first 48 hours. Colbert reserved one of his sharpest At the dinner, Colbert, assuming his barbs for the White House press corps persona of a right-wing buffoon, ironi - itself, whose leading lights were in at - cally mocked Bush. Referring to the tendance: “Over the last five years you president, seated only a few feet to his people were so good – over tax cuts,

February 2007 | The READER 59 AFTER COLBERT

Having learned WMD intelligence, the effect of global On January 17, the Las Vegas Re - its lesson, the warming. We Americans didn’t want to view-Journal ran an article on Little’s spineless White know, and you had the courtesy not to appearance at the correspondents’ din - House try to find out. Those were good times, ner. It noted that Little wouldn’t “be Correspondents’ as far as we knew. mentioning Iraq or ratings when he ad - Association “But, listen, let’s review the rules. dresses the White House Correspon - (WHCA) decided Here’s how it works: the president dents’ Dinner April 21. Little said to avoid makes decisions. He’s the Decider. The organizers of the event made it clear controversy in press secretary announces those deci - they don’t want a repeat of last year’s 2007 by inviting sions, and you people of the press type controversial appearance by Stephen the 68-year-old those decisions down. Make, announce, Colbert, whose searing satire of Presi - Little, whose type. Just put them through a spell dent Bush and the White House press impersonation check and go home. Get to know your corps fell flat and apparently touched of Richard Nixon family again. Make love to your wife. too many nerves. ‘They got a lot of let - in the early Write that novel you’ve got kicking ters,’ Little said Tuesday. ‘I won’t even 1970s around in your head. You know, the mention the word “Iraq.”‘ Little, who represented the one about the intrepid Washington re - hasn’t been to the White House since height of his porter with the courage to stand up to he was a favorite of the Reagan admin - contribution to the administration. You know – fic - istration, said he’ll stick with his usual political humor tion!” schtick – the impersonations of the Having learned its lesson, the spine - past six presidents. ‘They don’t want less White House Correspondents’ As - anyone knocking the president. He’s re - sociation (WHCA) decided to avoid ally over the coals right now, and he’s controversy in 2007 by inviting the 68- worried about his legacy,’ added Little, year-old Little, whose impersonation of a longtime Las Vegas resident.” Richard Nixon in the early 1970s repre - Steve Scully, a producer at C-Span sented the height of his contribution to and the current WHCA president, de - political humor. nied putting pressure on Little: “I can - Little dropped out of the limelight not be more clear that we never some time in the 1980s. He lives in Las mentioned Iraq, we never gave him any Vegas and continues to tour his act. His guidelines. The only thing we told him schedule for January and February in - is that we want to follow the policy of cludes shows at the Suncoast Casino the Gridiron Dinner, which is ‘singe, and Hotel in Las Vegas; the Soboba don’t burn.’“ Casino in San Jacinto, California; the After Little denied having even made North Iowa Community Auditorium in the remarks to the Las Vegas newspa - Mason City, Iowa; Youkey Theatre at per, its reporter commented: “Let’s go the Lakeland Center, Lakeland, Florida; to the replay. Early in the interview, Lit - the Cumberland County Civic Center tle said, ‘I won’t even mention the word Crown Theatre in Fayetteville, North Iraq. It’s not appropriate. You just want Carolina; and the Central Auditorium to be entertaining.... I won’t do any - in Findlay, Ohio. thing close to over the line.’ He added,

60 The READER | February 2007 AFTER COLBERT

‘They said, from ...,’ he paused, without then, after he ran through about a “One of the finishing the sentence. ‘They thought dozen voices, I finally had to say, ‘Can reasons they my approach was more appropriate for you imitate anybody’s who’s alive?’ Mr. picked me is their kind of thing. They don’t want Bill Little was not amused.” because I’m not Maher or a comedian who’s going to be Exemplifying the American media’s controversial.... biting and perhaps knock the president spirit of self-censorship and all-round They did get in any way.’“ philistinism, Scully remarked to the some flak about In an interview with the Washington press, “My approach is to try to make it the guy they had Post’s Paul Farhi, Little made the same [the annual dinner] a comfortable last year. I don’t point: “One of the reasons they picked venue that is enjoyable, funny and in - think they me is because I’m not controversial.... teresting.... But you don’t want to of - wanted They did get some flak about the guy fend anyone.” According to Editor & someone they had last year. I don’t think they Publisher, he “contends that Colbert’s political or wanted someone political or controver - appearance was a success and played controversial sial again.” no part in the choice of Little. ‘I think again” Little seems a safe choice. On his some of the criticism of Colbert was personal web site, he includes an ex - overblown,’ he said. ‘We didn’t hear tended and heartfelt tribute to the late anything from the White House.’ ... Ronald Reagan, which includes these Scully added that getting the hottest, gems: “He was unlike any celebrity I hippest entertainer is not always the have ever known. When talking with best thing for the Washington crowd, him, you became unaware of the fact whose participants span many differ - that you were talking with the Presi - ent decades. ‘There are some people dent of the United States. The quickest who think if you don’t know Stephen way to become Ronald Reagan’s friend Colbert, you don’t get his brand of was to tell him a great joke. He would humor,’ Scully said. ‘You want someone then come right back at you with a joke who appeals to the [right-wing colum - of his own. You could then tell him an - nist] Bob Novaks and the bloggers of other joke, and he’d have another story the world.’“ In another comment, to tell you. This could go on endlessly, Scully suggested that the correspon - even if there was a war on. ... dents didn’t want to make Bush a “po - “He was nice to everyone and al - litical piñata.” ways appeared interested in anything No one with a brain in his or her you had to say. I think he was a great head will believe that the WHCA did - President because everyone liked him, n’t hear from the White House about even if they were opposed to his poli - Colbert’s performance, directly or indi - tics.... I will miss Ronald Reagan ... to rectly. Bush was obviously livid, as was me he was a lovable grandfather.” his wife. One top Bush aide was quoted Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun- as saying, “Colbert crossed the line.” Times noted in a recent column that Several aides and supporters walked Little “was a guest on a radio show I out before the comic had finished. hosted about 10 years ago, and even Ron Hutcheson, a McClatchy News -

February 2007 | The READER 61 AFTER COLBERT

These are papers reporter and former correspon - the White House, Capitol Hill and individuals who dents’ association president, acknowl - through seven presidential campaigns. fly on Air Force edged that Colbert’s impact had played She is the National correspondent for One, who joke a role in the choice of Little. “It is cer - ABC News Radio, based [in] Washing - around with tainly a safe choice, which might be ton, DC. On September 11, 2001, Ms. Bush and his nice,” he said. “My personal feeling is Compton was the only broadcast re - cohorts, whose that this [the selection of Little] is porter allowed to remain onboard Air careers depend about ENOUGH.... We don’t need to Force One during the dramatic hours on their ability have a blogfest and a partisan slugfest when President Bush was unable to re - to be intimate after the dinner. We don’t need that.” turn to Washington.” with the What can one say? The media and Another WHCA officer, its treasurer, president political establishment is impervious to is Jennifer Loven of Associated Press. the sentiments of the population. The Her husband, Roger Ballentine, was a war in Iraq is a disaster, the adminis - senior adviser to the John Kerry cam - tration’s policies have been rejected by paign in 2004 and is currently president the population, Bush is widely de - of Green Strategies Inc, an environ - spised. Colbert spoke for millions last mental lobbying firm. year, telling the president of the United Ballentine was a senior member of States what a scoundrel he was. the Clinton White House staff, serving The media, on the other hand, lives as chairman of the White House Cli - and breathes in Bush’s universe. They mate Change Task Force and deputy felt Colbert had been too harsh, unfair, assistant to the president for Environ - bullying. mental Initiatives. Prior to being named In the case of the White House cor - deputy assistant to the president, Bal - respondents, they literally breathe the lentine was special assistant to the same air. These are individuals who fly president for Legislative Affairs, where on Air Force One, who joke around he focused on energy and environment with Bush and his cohorts, whose ca - issues. reers depend on their ability to be inti - WHCA secretary Peter Maer of mate with the president. They may be “CBS News”, according to the net - Republicans or Democrats, it hardly work’s biography, “has covered the matters, but they are part of Washing - White House since 1986.... A frequent ton’s well-heeled, incestuous in-crowd. flyer on Air Force One, Maer has trav - In addition to Scully, who worked as eled to nearly 40 countries and every a teenager on Jimmy Carter’s presiden - State of the Union with Presidents tial campaign, the WHCA includes George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George among its officers Ann Compton of H.W. Bush, Ronald Reagan and Jimmy ABC News (she serves as the organiza - Carter.” tion’s vice president). Her official biog - WHCA board member Steve Hol - raphy reveals that Compton “is now land of Reuters was cited in a USA covering a sixth President for ABC Today article in 2001 on Bush’s “West - News in a career that has taken her to ern White House” in Crawford, Texas.

62 The READER | February 2007 AFTER COLBERT

“Holland, who started covering the Bush administration, truths which the By their White House when Bush’s father was mass media knows but never repeats. ridiculous in charge, is wistful when he recalls By their ridiculous actions, the mem - actions, the cooler summer sojourns in Kenneb - bers of the White House press corps members of the unkport, Maine. ‘If only he had his fa - only confirm the point the comic was White House ther’s preference for vacation spots,’ making about their toadying. Indeed, press corps only Holland says. Despite fond memories by bending over backward so far with confirm the of Kennebunkport and President Bill their choice of the anodyne, Reagan- point the comic Clinton’s trips to chic Jackson Hole, loving, all-but-forgotten Little, the was making Wyo. ... and Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., White House correspondents have about their Holland says he’s content at the West - demonstrated their subservience and toadying ern White House.” cowardice more graphically than Col - It comes as no surprise that these bert could possibly have done. CT people were made unhappy by the per - formance of Colbert, who committed This essay was first published on the the fatal error of telling certain elemen - World Socialist Web Site at tary, indisputable truths about the www.wsws.org

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