Op-Ed
Back when "tin soldiers and Nixon" were "cutting us down" in 1970, a group of Ohio State University students and campus activists started an underground newspaper in Columbus. Driven mostly by the murder of four students at Kent State - Allison Krause, Jeff Miller, Sandy Scheuer, and Bill Schroeder - shot during a demonstration that was opposing President Nixon's illegal attack on Cambodia and the Vietnam War, the Columbus Free Press was born.
Not surprisingly, the Free Press was the first western newspaper to expose Cambodia's killing fields thanks to international law professor John Quigley's reporting from Southeast Asia.
In the first issue of the Free Press, the October 11, 1970 issue, a Free Press opinion attacked a special grand jury's decision not to indict Ohio National Guardsmen for the Kent State killings. The Free Press wrote at the time: "The jury conveniently disregarded the FBI report which stated that the guardsmen were not 'surrounded,' that they had tear gas, contrary to claims of guardsmen following the shooting."
Not surprisingly, the Free Press was the first western newspaper to expose Cambodia's killing fields thanks to international law professor John Quigley's reporting from Southeast Asia.
In the first issue of the Free Press, the October 11, 1970 issue, a Free Press opinion attacked a special grand jury's decision not to indict Ohio National Guardsmen for the Kent State killings. The Free Press wrote at the time: "The jury conveniently disregarded the FBI report which stated that the guardsmen were not 'surrounded,' that they had tear gas, contrary to claims of guardsmen following the shooting."
War makers, torturers, warrantless spyers, and all sorts of other categories of criminals are still off the hook. But there is a bit of "looking backward" going on. Two out of the three people whom we at StopTheChamber.com have asked for criminal investigations of are now under investigation. We're wondering about the third, the big one, the one that ties the other two and so much more together.
On April 12th, we asked for criminal charges against Massey Energy's Don Blankenship for the homicide of mine workers. We set up Facebook and Twitter campaigns in support. On the 15th, we sent a formal request to the attorney general for a special prosecutor. On the 26th we posted a video of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., calling for the prosecution of Blankenship. Kennedy said that “Massey Energy is a criminal enterprise” that "cannot do business without breaking the law." He said that Don Blankenship should be "in jail."
Massey is now facing a criminal investigation for the mine blasts, and possible bribery.
On April 12th, we asked for criminal charges against Massey Energy's Don Blankenship for the homicide of mine workers. We set up Facebook and Twitter campaigns in support. On the 15th, we sent a formal request to the attorney general for a special prosecutor. On the 26th we posted a video of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., calling for the prosecution of Blankenship. Kennedy said that “Massey Energy is a criminal enterprise” that "cannot do business without breaking the law." He said that Don Blankenship should be "in jail."
Massey is now facing a criminal investigation for the mine blasts, and possible bribery.
On February 1, 1960, four black students took seats at a lunch counter at the Greensboro, North Carolina, Woolworth’s. The white waitresses ignored them. They remained in their seats. Supervisors told them to leave. Woolworth’s in North Carolina didn’t serve colored people. The students refused to move and demanded service.
In the early Spring of 1960, I went with two other students from Madison, Wisconsin, to Montgomery, Alabama, to try to build a civil rights support network. We met with Reverend Ralph Abernathy in Montgomery and established links with his church; then to Birmingham and Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth.
As we descended the steps of his church an Alabama state policeman met us and told us to drive to the Mississippi border without stopping. He followed us, red light on top of his car blinking. As we entered Mississippi, a highway patrol car met us. That cop delivered similar orders and followed us to the Tennessee border. The white power felt uneasy.
In the early Spring of 1960, I went with two other students from Madison, Wisconsin, to Montgomery, Alabama, to try to build a civil rights support network. We met with Reverend Ralph Abernathy in Montgomery and established links with his church; then to Birmingham and Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth.
As we descended the steps of his church an Alabama state policeman met us and told us to drive to the Mississippi border without stopping. He followed us, red light on top of his car blinking. As we entered Mississippi, a highway patrol car met us. That cop delivered similar orders and followed us to the Tennessee border. The white power felt uneasy.
There are good reasons why the tea partyers are mad; however, their solutions are equally mad.
The movement is being joined by independents, republicans, and democrats who have come to believe their government has failed them and that neither political party is doing anything to fix it. This is true; however, all of us are being manipulated by the big corporations and the wealthy elite, who use their corporate-owned, mainstream media to mislead the people into acting against their own interests.
The corporations and wealthy elite have been highly successful in using their money to seize control of the government and the media to spread their lies, most recently in the debate about health care.
The movement is being joined by independents, republicans, and democrats who have come to believe their government has failed them and that neither political party is doing anything to fix it. This is true; however, all of us are being manipulated by the big corporations and the wealthy elite, who use their corporate-owned, mainstream media to mislead the people into acting against their own interests.
The corporations and wealthy elite have been highly successful in using their money to seize control of the government and the media to spread their lies, most recently in the debate about health care.
James Gilligan published a book 13 years ago called "Violence: Reflections on a National Epidemic," in which he diagnosed the root cause of violence as deep shame and humiliation, a desperate need for respect and status (and, fundamentally love and care) so intense that only killing (oneself and/or others) could ease the pain -- or, rather, the lack of feeling. When a person becomes so ashamed of his needs (and of being ashamed), Gilligan writes, and when he sees no nonviolent solutions, and when he lacks the ability to feel love or guilt or fear, the result can be violence.
The choice to engage in violence is not a rational one, and often involves magical thinking, as Gilligan explains by analyzing the meaning of crimes in which murderers have mutilated their victims' bodies or their own.
The choice to engage in violence is not a rational one, and often involves magical thinking, as Gilligan explains by analyzing the meaning of crimes in which murderers have mutilated their victims' bodies or their own.
Congress is about to consider whether to vote for another $33 billion, not to continue but purely to escalate the level of war in Afghanistan by sending more troops and contractors. A No vote needs to be rewarded, and a Yes vote punished. So I am committing to vote for the reelection of any incumbent who votes No and against any who votes Yes. Here's a whip list:
Defund War
The peace movement shrank dramatically when a Democrat was elected president and the wars became "good wars." But it's been crawling its way back. After a small but impressive campaign against the June 2009 war supplemental, one would have expected a larger campaign against this spring's escalation supplemental. After all, the war in Afghanistan has worsened as a result of last year's escalation, the "this is the last supplemental" excuse looks even dumber the second time, the shine has worn off the new president in Washington, and a No vote just leaves the war at its current level (no "abandoning the troops" scares possible).
Defund War
The peace movement shrank dramatically when a Democrat was elected president and the wars became "good wars." But it's been crawling its way back. After a small but impressive campaign against the June 2009 war supplemental, one would have expected a larger campaign against this spring's escalation supplemental. After all, the war in Afghanistan has worsened as a result of last year's escalation, the "this is the last supplemental" excuse looks even dumber the second time, the shine has worn off the new president in Washington, and a No vote just leaves the war at its current level (no "abandoning the troops" scares possible).
Congress will soon vote on whether to spend another $33 billion of our money to escalate a war in Afghanistan that makes us less safe, violates the basic rule of law, kills innocent people, puts our children in debt, empowers the oil industry, and protects the heroin industry. The only decent, legal, or humane thing a member of Congress could do would be to publicly and privately whip his/her colleagues to vote No and defeat the bill. No caucus is engaged in that effort. As far as I know, Congressman Dennis Kucinich is the only one making any gestures in that direction. But a block of congress members is working to propose an amendment to the bill that will allow them to support it while (1) appearing to oppose wars, and (2) making the bill even worse. And even Kucinich supports this counterproductive campaign, as do many peace activists.
The Climate Bill is due on Earth Day. By all accounts it will be a nuclear bomb.
It will be the ultimate challenge of the global grassroots green movement to transform it into something that can actually save the planet.
For the atomic power industry, the bill will cap a decade-long $640-million-plus virtual cleansing of its radioactive image.
It will have the Obama Administration and Senators John Kerry (D-MA), Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Lindsay Graham (R-SC) embracing very substantial taxpayer subsidies for building new nuclear plants.
Ditto new offshore drilling and "clean coal." The markers have been laid for a greenwashed business-as-usual approach toward pretending to deal with global climate change and the life-threatening pollution in which our corporate power structure is drowning us. All without actually threatening certain corporate profits.
It will be the ultimate challenge of the global grassroots green movement to transform it into something that can actually save the planet.
For the atomic power industry, the bill will cap a decade-long $640-million-plus virtual cleansing of its radioactive image.
It will have the Obama Administration and Senators John Kerry (D-MA), Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Lindsay Graham (R-SC) embracing very substantial taxpayer subsidies for building new nuclear plants.
Ditto new offshore drilling and "clean coal." The markers have been laid for a greenwashed business-as-usual approach toward pretending to deal with global climate change and the life-threatening pollution in which our corporate power structure is drowning us. All without actually threatening certain corporate profits.
The Editorial Board of the only daily newspaper of a major city plays an important role in addressing the conscience of the community. Your editorial of April 15 accusing Governor Strickland and Chief Justice Eric Brown of politicizing the court sounds like an appeal to conscience but in its historical context appears more an act of hypocritical political partisanship. The Court was targeted for politicization in 2000 when even though Republicans held a five to two advantage, Democratic Justice Alice Robie Resnick was writing for a bipartisan four judge majority in the most important cases. The Ohio and U.S. Chambers of Commerce spent $7 million of illegal corporate treasury money to defame Justice Resnick with a view to securing a more "business friendly" court.
Congressman Dennis Kucinich said on Friday that he is working with Congressman Jim McGovern, a member of the Rules Committee, who has drafted a letter asking that the upcoming war supplemental be a clean vote not muddied by the inclusion of unrelated measures, such as aid to Haiti. I asked Kucinich if that request for a clean vote included a commitment by McGovern not to propose his own amendments, and Kucinich clearly did not know or did not want to speak for his colleague, but he expressed his own support for McGovern's exit timetable proposal. Kucinich said he expected the vote on $33 billion to escalate the war in Afghanistan to come up in the next two weeks.
Kucinich is, thus far, the only member of Congress who, to my knowledge, has publicly urged his colleagues to vote No. I asked him if he would urge them to join him in publicly committing to vote No ahead of time and in urging others to do the same. Kucinich said he was writing letters urging them to vote No, but did not reply on the matter of urging them to go public and whip.
Kucinich is, thus far, the only member of Congress who, to my knowledge, has publicly urged his colleagues to vote No. I asked him if he would urge them to join him in publicly committing to vote No ahead of time and in urging others to do the same. Kucinich said he was writing letters urging them to vote No, but did not reply on the matter of urging them to go public and whip.