Of Cowardice, Dignity, and Solidarity
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Woodstock Free Acts of conscience… International make a difference. International, National, and Community News—From a Left Perspective Vol. 1 No. 6 July/August 2010 Inside: Page 2: Evo Morales: ‘The Central Enemy of Mother Earth Is Capitalism’ Page 4: Michael Steven Smith: Lost Liberties in the Age of Obama Page 5: Chris Hedges : We Need a Few Good Communists Page 14: David Linderoff: Eyewitness to the Israeli Assault on the Mavi Marmara Page 19: Ali Abunimah: We Must Hold Israel Accountable Page 21: Eve Ensler: Congo Atrocities Are Very Deliberate Page 23: Chris Floyd: The Poetry of Death Back page: Dave Zirin: And THAT’s Bill Russell! And more . Of Cowardice, Dignity, Woodstock International is a voice for upholding freedom and democracy and Solidarity through the written word. Communication and By Mazin Qumsiyeh, PhD Qalandia, injuring a friend. Twenty-two-year-old Emily and was shocked to see people claiming to represent critical thinking are key Henochowicz lost her left eye after being hit with an Jews mimic some Nazi crimes (and for this the Israelis components to knowledge personally know more than 80 of those Israeli gas canister. We met Emily in several events strip-searched and humiliated this elderly woman). and understanding. Critical kidnapped on the Freedom Flotilla. It angers us here in Palestine. She is a visual artist who was There was Nobel peace laureate Mairead Corrigan- thinking requires access to not having any information from all survivors. information. I documenting popular resistance (her art blog is Maguire. There is Joe Meadors, a survivor of the June The only footage received after the vicious attack is Corporate-owned newspapers thirstypixels.blogspot.com). A visual artist losing an 1967 Israeli attack on the U.S.S. Liberty (a U.S. ship brief and released by the Israeli authorities who have ignore important news items eye is beyond words. in international waters), which killed many good … and much of the news is otherwise put a complete news blackout. If Israel has Americans, but political considerations buried this reported from a capitalist- nothing to hide, why not allow the kidnapped to talk Each one of the hundreds abducted is a hero for joining Israeli crime. For Israel to repeat its atrocity against oriented point of view. An to the media or at least to lawyers and to their country the flotilla. Patriarch Hilarion Capuchhi, who was jailed alternative news source, U.S. citizens as the United States commemorates representatives? In one video, we see three or four in Israel for many years and lived in Italy, was one of Woodstock International Memorial Day is unconscionable. For the Obama intends to give greater recognizable friends escorted by the Israeli pirates; the abductees. Sheikh Raed Salah, a Palestinian from administration to continue to shield Israel from coverage of news that my mind imagines justice prevailing and those Israeli the areas occupied in 1948, is head of a branch of the reflects the reality International law makes us angry. criminals being led in handcuffs to International Islamic movement. Hedy Epstein is an 86-year-old of our times. criminal courts. Our anger increased when Israeli Jewish woman who lost her family in Nazi con cen- Those of us angry enough to get out and demonstrate woodstockinternational.us forces attacked unarmed demonstrators near tration camps and subsequently came to Palestine continued on page 13 … 2 July/August 2010 Woodstock International Morales: ‘The Central Enemy of From the Editors esterday I was buying some Mother Earth is Capitalism’ pain killers for my back in our Y local drugstore. On my way Bolivian President Blames Capitalism for Global Warming out I glanced at the Sunday New York Times sitting on the newspaper rack. OCHABAMBA, Bolivia—In a speech opening an international conference on A headline screamed at me—“One C climate change and the “rights of Battalion’s Wrenching Deployment to Mother Earth,” Bolivian President Evo Morales said Afghanistan.” There was a poignant capitalism is to blame for global warming and the picture of a soldier cradling his small accelerated deterioration of the planetary baby, his wife, eyes closed, leaning her ecosystem. head on his shoulder, and the soldier obviously seconds away from crying. More than 20,000 indigenous, environmental, and civil society delegates from 129 countries were in As I read down about another soldier, attendance, as President Morales welcomed them to Sgt. Tamara Sullivan, bracing for a the conference at a soccer stadium in the village of night of tears, I wanted to scream or Tiquipaya, on the outskirts of the city of Cochabamba. cry with rage. She was leaving her two children, ages 3 and 1, and her “The main cause of the destruction of the planet husband in North Carolina for a year to Earth is capitalism, and in the towns where we go to Afghanistan; here I was, I thought, have lived, where we respected this Mother Earth, buying pain killers while this young we all have the ethics and the moral right to say mother and others would soon become here that the central enemy of Mother Earth is killers themselves, derived from a capitalism,” said Morales, who is Bolivia’s first fully much deadlier medicine—corporate- indigenous head of state in the 470 years since the Poster for the third international water fair, celebrating 10 years since the successful controlled and manipulated-for-profit, Spanish invasion. struggle in Cochabamba against the privatization of the water supply modern-day warfare. Morales is the leader of a political party called What sort of society are we living Movimiento al Socialismo, the Movement for Those talks produced a weak political agreement, the Kyoto Protocol expires at the end of 2012. This in that will take a mother away from Socialism, which aims to give more power to the the Copenhagen Accord, instead of a strong, legally year’s round of international negotiations toward her children to fight a brutal un- country’s indigenous and poor communities by binding set of limits on greenhouse gas emissions an agreement began earlier this month in Bonn, winnable war— never necessary in means of land reforms and redistribution of wealth to take effect at the end of 2012, as Bolivia and Germany, and the next annual U.N. climate the first place? What kind of heartless from natural resources, such as gas. many other countries had hoped. conference is scheduled for Cancún, Mexico, politicians do we have who perpetrate starting November 29. “The capitalist system looks to obtain the maximum Named “World Hero of Mother Earth” by the U.N. this endless horror not only on our own possible gain, promoting unlimited growth on a finite General Assembly last October, President Morales “Global food production will be reduced by soldiers—mothers, fathers, sons, and planet,” said Morales. “Capitalism is the source of warned of dire consequences if a strong legally approximately 40 percent and that will increase daughters, but also on the people— asymmetries and imbalance in the world.” binding agreement to limit greenhouse gas the number of hungry people in the world, which men, women, and children—of this emissions is not reached. already exceeds a billion people,” Morales warned. small, impoverished-by-war country The Bolivian president called this conference in the “Between 20 and 30 percent of all animal and plant we invaded? wake of what he considered to be failed U.N. A new agreement is needed to govern greenhouse species could disappear.” climate negotiations in Copenhagen in December. gas emissions after the first commitment period of I wonder how many of our well-fed Global warming will cause the melting of the polar politicians, with full healthcare ice caps and the glaciers of the Andes and the benefits and retirement pensions, Woodstock International Himalayas, and several islands will disappear under have their children fighting, dying, and is published by Scoop Progressive Media, LLC. the ocean,” he warned. killing in these wars they so obediently fund (with our tax dollars) and Woodstock International The convocation at the Cochabomba conference P.O. Box 1362, Woodstock, NY 12498 perpetrate? And, this president, this included a multicultural blessing ceremony by www.woodstockinternational.us imposter, who so many believed gave indigenous peoples from across the Americas. us hope for change—real substantive Speeches by representatives of social movements Editors Political Cartoons/Art Chris Hedges change—has done nothing except from five continents focused on the urgency of the Nicholas Abramson Carlos Latuff Stéphane Frédéric Hessel perpetuate and increase all the worst Ed Kinane climate crisis and the need for bold action that Tarak Kauff Guest Writers evils of the previous administration. Sally Kohn Helaine Meisler Max Ajl protects both human rights and the environment. Joel Kovel Design/Layout Johnny Barber Barack Obama, his administration, Dave Lindorff The delegates met in working group sessions to Steve Best Ellen Davidson Helaine Meisler and the Democratic Congress that Elaine Brower develop strategies and make policy proposals on Linda Morselli rubberstamps his policies, are Advisory Board Robert Dreyfuss John Pilger issues such as forests, water, climate debt, and Joel Kovel Noor Elawshi murderers by proxy. They are, with only Masin Qumsiyeh finance. Michael Ratner Eve Ensler a handful of exceptions, no better—in M.J. Rosenberg Michael Smith Chris Floyd Michael Steven Smith President Morales has pledged to bring these fact worse—than common gangsters. Ann Wright Ghassan Hage Brian Terrell strategies and proposals to the U.N. climate Diane Wilson continued on page 27 … continued on page 3 … Woodstock International July/August 2010 3 The Naked Truth about the BP Disaster: Where There Is Oil, There Is Tragedy By Diane Wilson the tragedy little more than a traffic accident, reinstated the charges against Union Carbide and put out extradition papers to have Warren Photo by Eight years ago—pre CODEPINK—30 very unreasonable women Anderson, former CEO of Union Carbide, returned to India to stand met for a week in a canyon in California.