Civil War in Iraq, Made in the USA Civil War in Iraq
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July20_cover.qxd 07.21.05 3:28 AM Page 1 London Bombings, p.10 + Psychedelic Splatter, p. 13 + Brooklyn Greens, p.3 THEINDYPENDENT a FREE paper for free people Issue #73, July 21 – August 10, 2005 Civil War in Iraq, Made in the USA page 8 ginobarzizza.com letters & comment CONFESSIONS OF AN UNREPENTANT LOCAL: nyc.indymedia.org | NATIONAL: indymedia.us | GLOBAL: indymedia.org FLAG-BURNER Laws against flag burning are repres- A free press belongs to none and all, and free speech makes no promises. Letters mailed to The Indypendent, and comments sive and stupid. But flag burning itself taken from the nyc.indymedia.org newswire, may be edited for clarity and length. Signed comments & letters get priority. is just as self-indulgent. It’s an art project, not a revolutionary act. If you think that flag burning only offends Edward Herman responds to Jackson Allers’ Nowhere to Roma the white rich right-wing crackers, NEW YORK CITY think again. Allers’ summary of the NATO war is the establishment party line on the Balkans INDEPENDENT You want to signal to the workers conflict: “The 78-day campaign ended the Serbian crackdown on Kosovo’s inde- and the poor that you are from the pendence-minded Albanian majority.” He fails to note that the crackdown was MEDIA CENTER upper classes? Burn a flag. It’s more part of a civil war stoked by the U.S. and NATO. It is now on the record that effective than wearing a Rolex. But if Phone: before the NATO bombing war, the Serbs had allowed a thousand or more OSCE you want to make revolution, then 212.684.8112 observers into Kosovo, and reduced their operations there, but NATO failed to enough already with the “student art Email: projects” and take that flag back curb KLA provocations. The CIA was arming the KLA and encouraging it to hope [email protected] from the marauders who stole it. for a NATO war. The CIA helped stir up conflict, which they then used to justify a Web: –Harriet Tubman war that was clearly planned and desired by the United States. indypendent.org The USA and NATO did less than nothing to negotiate a settlement that would NYC: nyc.indymedia.org What the flag means depends a lot preclude war, and they deliberately sabotaged the Rambouillet conference U.S.: us.indymedia.org on where you’re standing. because the Serbs “needed a little bombing.” The summary by Allers also glosses GLOBAL: indymedia.org – Random Name Generator over the fact that the bombing war was in violation of the United Nations Charter and eventually became a war on Serb civilian life, in violation of international law. Office and Mail: When “student art projects” break sexual power over women. That’s NYC Independent Media Center Allers article has some useful material on the plight of the Roma, which is the the vacant consensus that prevails, liberation, baby! I just hope my par- main thrust of his piece, but he fails to point out that the Roma did reasonably 34 E. 29th St. 2nd Floor good for them. So what if many peo- ents don’t find out. Then I’d be in well under Serb rule, and he softens what happened to them under NATO-KLA NY, NY 10016 ple support the idea of what America real trouble. rule. Under the latter they have become targets of a major ethnic cleansing oper- is supposed to be. They are wrong. –Dudeman WHAT IS INDYMEDIA? ation that has involved the destruction of over 10,000 Roma homes and many With autonomous chapters in more America is what it is. This country killings. He fails to stress that the crisis of the Roma has been a NATO-UNMIK than 120 cities throughout the world, burns people and then says debating It’s far simpler to be a self-employed the Independent Media Center is an its role in the world is forbidden. sex worker than to get a job in an responsibility, with NATO utterly failing to curb the KLA, their war and prewar ally. international network of volunteer media When the defenders of the flag tell office... and who can blame us? I don’t Under this regime we’ve seen the greatest ethnic cleansing operation in the activists. me what year it wasn’t being used to miss getting up at 6 a.m., or the other Balkans in proportionate terms, and ecumenical as well – extending to Jews, The IMC seeks to create a new media occupy some country, steal some hazards of working 9-to-5. Legalizing Turks, Serbs and Roma. Kosovo is also now a drug and sex-trade capital of Europe. ethic by providing progressive, in-depth land or impose the worst of capital- prostitution will at least keep women Remember that Bill Clinton had said we fought that war in Kosovo to help bring and accurate coverage of issues. We ism, then maybe I’ll change my mind. from being thrown in jail because they about a “multi-ethnic and tolerant society!” The war was built on lies, and continues are a community-based organization When were America’s glory years? do what they have to to live. to elude the criticism that it deserves because those lies have been institutionalized. using media to facilitate political and It’s not like the flag was “taken from Not all sex workers are rich girls cultural self-representation. We seek to us.” Some of us never had it. who are addicted to endless green- analyze issues affecting individuals, –33 1/3 backs. For most, this is livelihood. Even communities and ecosystems by provid- with an impressive college degree, Americans will “cut and run” and THE CRUSADE ing media tools and space to those We should look at the red, white and there are no guarantees of security. then the reactionaries will take over. & THE CLOSET seeking to communicate. We espouse blue with as much disgust as people Give us decent, affordable hous- Our right-wing government declared The system co-opted LGBT culture open dialogue and placing the means who are being shot down by soldiers ing, job protection and security, and this unjust, criminal war, but that does- years ago. Ideas like “Queer is the new of communication and creativity back in wearing it. food, protection from violence and n’t mean our responsibility to Iraq can straight” used to market products only the hands of the people, away from the –Shebab harassment, and maybe you’ll see end so easily. Will our consciences be serve consumerism. One oppressed drive of profit. fewer girls selling themselves on okay when they are slayed and driven group can be disarmed by the privi- The Indypendent is funded by bene- Show me someone whose politics Craigslist. Don’t look at the symp- into exile once again by Islamists, leges extended to it, while the inequal- fits, subscriptions, donations, grants are first to go and listen to the peo- tom, but the problem. Baathists and ethnic conflict? ity continues. And the real divides and ads from organizations and individ- ple, what the common person out –Lady Dommi –Leftists Need To Answer remain. My hope is that LGBT can be a uals with similar missions. there wants and desires, and acts bridge across race and class lines. WHAT CAN I DO TO GET INVOLVED? obeying the people, and I’ll show Barnard College girls: Will you pee on You can’t take what people say at a –Thanks The IMC has an open door. You can you a true revolutionary. my lawyer? bunch of two-hour meetings at face write for The Indypendent, about film Most of the rest of what happens – Damfino value. The event’s sponsor, U.S. Labor Why is it that all queers should be fer- events and rallies, self-publish articles to in the name of being “radical” is not- Against War, is trying to pretend all the vent anti-capitalists? Is this some sort the web, take photos or just help us run ready-for-prime-time artists and Most men treat women like whores Iraqi trade unions stepped out of the of “Queer Womyn’s Burden?” Maybe the office. As an organization relying on attention-seekers trying to get an anyway. What’s wrong with exploit- pages of the Nation magazine by the attitudes of the LGBT “elite” are volunteer support, we encourage all audience. Period. Maybe “radicals” ing that fact and just being more doing infomercials on how progres- more or less reflective of the attitude forms of participation. feel no duty to the people, but “revo- clear about things? That’s capital- sive, secular, and democratic they are. in the community. I have some good The print team reserves the right to lutionaries” do. ism, right? Armed actions against U.S. mili- queer friends down here in Toronto, edit articles for length, content and clar- – Deb –Anon tary in Iraq are overwhelmingly pop- and they’re not smashing bank win- ity.Wewelcome your participation in ular in Iraq, and they amount to about dows. And why is it, exactly, that they’re the entire editorial process. RICH GIRLS, 60 media-ignored incidents a day. expected to? Because anarchists have VOLUNTEER STAFF: HOBBY WHORES IRAQ UNION TOUR –Dig Deeper some cock-eyed theory about how cap- KatAaron, Chris Anderson, Jackson I thought the article was going to be CONTROVERSY italism oppresses gay people? Allers, Silvia Arana, Jay Bachhuber, Gino about knitting or crafts... you know, American leftists don’t need to Undoubtedly there are fundamental- Queers are a market segment.