shock and awe in gaza by jonathan cook california’s water crisis by joshua frank honduras: five years since the coup by nick alexandrov finance capital and inquality by ismael hossein-zadeh beyond the grid with jim jarmusch by kim nicolini TELLS THE FACTS AND NAMES THE NAMES VOLUME 21 NUMBER 7, 2014 NUMBER 7, 21 AND NAMES THE VOLUME THE FACTS TELLS Contact Information Subscriptions CounterPunch Business Office 1- year print edition $55 www.counterpunch.org PO Box 228, Petrolia, CA 95558 1- year digital edition (PDF) $35 CounterPunch Magazine , Volume 21, Toll Free 1 (800) 840-3683 1- year print & digital edition $65 (ISSN 1086-2323) is a journal of progres- 1 (707) 629-3683 1- year institutions/supporters $100 sive politics, investigative reporting, civil editorial: 1- year print for student/low income $45 liberties, art, and culture published by The 1-year digital for student/low income $30 Institute for the Advancment of Journal- [email protected] istic Clarity, 631 Chambers Road, Petrolia, business: [email protected] For speedier (and less expensive) delivery California, 95558.Visit counterpunch. suscriptions and merchandise: of issues, especially if you live outside the org to read dozens of new articles daily, [email protected] US, we encourage you to consider the purchase subscriptions, order books, plus email version of the magazine, which is sent as a PDF and will reach you within a access 18 years of archives. 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Gray, Steve Horn, Lee Hall, Conn Hallinan, Send Letters to the Editor to: Barbara Rose Johnson, Binoy Kampmark, By Mail: CounterPunch Business Office CounterPunch JoAnn Wypijewski, David Macaray, Chase PO Box 228 Madar, Kim Nicolini, Brenda Norrell, PO Box 228, Petrolia, CA 95558 Petrolia, CA 95558 Vijay Prashad, Louis Proyect, Martha by Phone: or email : Rosenberg, Christine Sheeler, Jan Tucker, 1 (800) 840-3683 Mike Whitney 1 (707) 629-3683 [email protected] Poetry Editor By Email (preferred): Marc Beaudin [email protected] SOCIaL MEDIA EDITOR Donations Nathaniel St. Clair Cover Image: CounterPunch’s survival is dependent BUSINESS MANAGER & “A. Cockburn, E. Said, R. Waters upon income from subscriptions, dona- DESIGN PRODUCTION and J. St. Clair at the Wall. Who’s Becky Grant tions and book and merchandise sales. We are a non-profit, tax exempt organization next?” by Nick Roney SUBSCRIPTIONS & ORDER FULFILLMENT under The Institute for the Advancement Deva Wheeler of Journalistic Clarity, DBA Counter- DESIGN CONSULTATION Punch. Donations are welcome year round. In Memory of Tiffany Wardle Donate by mail, telephone or online: www. Alexander Cockburn counterpunch.org. 1941–2012 table of contents letters to the editor . 4 columns Roaming Charges . 5 Tunnel Vision by Jeffrey St. Clair articles Why Israel is losing. Shock and Awe in Gaza Empire Burlesque . 6 Trapped in a Mad by Jonathan Cook . 9 World Let’s Stop Calling It a Drought: the Crisis Over by Chris Floyd In the time of historical amnesia. California’s Water Grasping at Straws . 7 by Joshua Frank . 15 What Recovery? Honduras: Five Years Since the Coup by Mike Whitney The triumph of the investor class. by Nick Alexandrov . 17 Daydream Nation . 8 Parasitic Finance Capital and Inequality Appetite for Destruction by Ismael Hossein-Zadeh . 20 by Kristin Kolb Cancer without melodrama. At the Center for the Whole Person by kathy deacon . 23 culture & reviews The Aesthetics of Jim Jarmusch by Kim Nicollini . 25 COUNTERPUNCH VOLUME 21 NUMBER 7, 2014 Rights Movement (and I am glad we are) shouldn’t the letters to the editor marginalization of soul and the erasure of blues from the pic- ture be important to mention, The Desert Blues an essay in Commentary a neo-liberals to the increased too? I’m not really complain- generation ago (“Dictatorships ing about the piece, which is I just read Jeffrey’s St. Clair’s presence of Muslim military and Double Standards”) to fine as far as it goes (though I article “Field Notes from a and political power seems raise her visibility. am hardly as gaga about Bowie, Mirage” and wanted to let to be to allow the latter to but then, I preferred T. Rex and you know that it is the best Best regards, redraw boundaries, and still do), just pointing out a thing I have ever read about John Farley then to make conditions contradiction, in the knowl- Las Vegas. I have relatives so intolerable and insecure edge that we’ve all got ‘em. in North Las Vegas and in the newly formed area Spain or Vegas since adulthood have always that competition with the Dave Marsh found the town to be the Dear Jeffrey: Western power is out of the Norwalk, Conn. most disgusting place I have I must let you know how question. The chief goal of much I miss Mr. Cockburn U.S. policy will continue to ever been. Just last night A Work Reprieve I was discussing Martin and how much I enjoyed be the contrrol of oil in the Dear Everyone at Scorsese’s Casino—another reading your article on Middle East, and to compete CounterPunch, great work about Las Vegas. Vegas. While hard to com- with China for this fossil fuel Thank you for the outstand- Gambling, the mob and pare, somehow I live in a resource. The Muslims, pun- ing print magazine, Volume water: a metaphor of the small Vegas, south eastern dits from Wm (“armchair”) 21, Number 6. I found it United States. Spain, sometimes it gets Kristol to Bill O’Reilly opine, up there temperature wise are not capable of political on the kitchen table after a Regards, - I had to use a Fahrenheit sophistication. We peace- long day at the office, and Stephen Slater Celsius converter, and yes, makers (God wills It) must sat down and didn’t get up Eugene, OR water is a big if which is remain in control so the till I’d devoured the whole only going to get bigger. It world can live in “peace” and thing. Cover to cover, every piece was well done. From Inside HRW is a real pleasure to read “democracy.” CounterPunch, it is like a the LTEs, to Jeffrey St Clair’s Thanks for the article by Jay A Gertzman big soother, it makes me acid take-down of HRC, Richard Falk and others about Edgewater, NJ enjoy the english language and Peter Lee’s fascinating Human Rights Watch. and think positive about history of Chinese military In addition to the other people America, not an easy task What About Otis? evolution, to Kristin Kolb’s using the Revolving Door at any of them, the latter espe- Isn’t it odd that Kim Nicolini’s sad litany of gun violence HRW, they might have men- cially. Thanks for your work, review of the D.A. Pennebaker in US schools, and JoAnn tioned Suzanne Nossel, who at keep it coming. music films doesn’t even Wypijewski’s poignant story various times was the COO of mention Otis Redding? In about Bowe Berghdahl, and HRW, Executive Director of Francisco González López fact, when she got to the part more, this was outstanding Amnesty International, and Garrucha - Almería, España. about a black man fronting a journalism. Reading Paul also a high-ranking policymak- white man, I presumed that Krassner’s memories of his er in the US State Department. Middle East Goals was where she was going (not brother was a laugh-out I think she worked Thank you for the article on that Booker T. & the MGs was loud joy. Thank you all so under Samantha Power. corporate bobblehead cover- all white, granted, but the two much for carrying on with Protests shortened her stay at age of the Israeli-Palestinian guys upright were). It’s always CounterPunch. Alexander Amnesty International. Nossel conflict in Gaza. I feel that odd to me how Otis, who Cockburn is surely smiling. authored a number of essays in the scenario of allowing an represented something quite All the Best, Dissent magazine from 2003- area to be relieved of the profound in that context-- as Sue Skinner 2008, calling for a “muscu- presence of a foreign enemy profound as Jimi and maybe Astoria, Oregon lar” (i.e., aggressive) foreign (ie, the Israeli withdrawal more so -- virtually disappears policy.