THE G-20 IN PITTSBURGH
by Tom Over 9-23-09
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On Tuesday, Sept 22, activists from Philadelphia, New York City, Pittsburgh and other cities held a mock funeral procession to demand better policies for addressing the AIDS pandemic, a day ahead of the arrival of delegates for the G-20.
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The approximately 50 participants in the New Orleans-style funeral march drew a mix of interest, irritation, and amusement from onlookers in the business district of downtown Pittsburgh.
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At the head of the funeral march where pallbearers carried a cardboard coffin, a man shouted into a microphone while someone else carried a portable amplifier, “when people with AIDS are under attack, what do we do ?” and marchers shouted in unison, “fight back!”
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Amidst the early afternoon bustle of an weekday, the demonstrators repeated this call-and-answer and similar chants as the funeral march made its way around the perimeter of the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, the site of the G-20 Summit later this week.
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Erica Goldberg works with ACT UP Philadelphia. She said global health is not on the agenda of the G-20 Summit.
“One of the things that some of the G-20 nations have promised us is funding for the global fund to fight, TB, malaria, and HIV/AIDS. This is all really important, especially if we want to meet the United Nations’ Millennium goal of eradicating these diseases by 2015. As of right now, this won’t be met. We have to hold our leaders accountable. They are the ones making decisions for the poorer countries,” Goldberg said.
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She commented on the timing of the demonstration. “We wanted this to be the first thing they (the G-20 delegates) see. They’re coming here tomorrow. We’re holding them accountable. This needs to be on the agenda.”
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She said AIDS activists chose Sept 22, two days before the official start of the G-20 Summit, and one day before the arrival of the delegates, so as to not have to compete with other protests. Also, she said the AIDS activists figured there would be less of a chance of conflict with police if they staged their protest earlier in the week.
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“We hope that this will hit the papers tomorrow, that it’s the first thing they see when they walk in, that they have this on their conscience and know we’re not going away,” Goldberg said. She urges people to contact legislators about supporting the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.
“President Obama, as much as I love him, went back on his promise to fulfill the funding,” Goldberg said.
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She commented on how drug companies factor into all of this. “ Medication does not need to be this expensive. They can definitely lower their prices. We have big drug interests lobbying to prevent AIDS medication from getting” to developing nations.
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Goldberg said debt cancellation for developing nations is a factor that comes into play.
“When you don’t cancel debts of nations and they have to pay back loans to the IMF and the World Bank, they won’t have the funds necessary for getting AIDS medication, or they might get the medication but can’t pay the health professional because of their debt.
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She said vested interested motivated by huge profits stand in the way of doing a better job of addressing tuberculosis, malaria, and HIV/AIDS. “We have the power, the ability, and the medication.”
World News
Norman Solomon is a syndicated columnist on media and politics, as well as founder and executive director of the Institute for Public Accuracy, a national consortium of policy researchers and analysts. His new book, “War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death,” has been described by the Los Angeles Times as “a must-read for those who would like greater context with their bitter morning coffee, or to arm themselves for the debates about Iraq that are still to come.” Writer-journalist Adrian Zupp interviewed Solomon about the book, which was published in July.
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What prompted you to write the book?
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What prompted you to write the book?
In recent weeks President Bush has given several speeches promoting Turkey
as the type of democracy that Iraq and Afghanistan should strive to
emulate. Mr. Bush even went so far as to state, “Turkey’s democracy is an
important example for the people in the broader Middle East.” Turkey is
far less repressive than many other Muslim countries. But it is a nation
with such serious problems that it should not serve as a role model, even
for fledgling Islamic democracies.
Torture and mistreatment are commonplace in Turkey. In 2004, citizens from all parts of the country reported that local police departments beat them while in custody. Many others reported incidents of electric shock, sexual assault, attempted drowning, and partial hanging. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture issued a report after visiting Turkey documenting, “consistent reports of electric shock…and medical evidence consistent with beatings.” The report noted that in southeastern Turkey the majority of citizens detained by the police are denied access to legal representation.
Torture and mistreatment are commonplace in Turkey. In 2004, citizens from all parts of the country reported that local police departments beat them while in custody. Many others reported incidents of electric shock, sexual assault, attempted drowning, and partial hanging. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture issued a report after visiting Turkey documenting, “consistent reports of electric shock…and medical evidence consistent with beatings.” The report noted that in southeastern Turkey the majority of citizens detained by the police are denied access to legal representation.
BANGKOK, Thailand -- The world's most famous political prisoner, Burma's Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, will not be celebrating a happy birthday on Sunday (June 19) when she turns 60, because she is locked under house arrest.
Suu Kyi -- pronounced "Soo Chee" -- languishes behind spiked gates which guard her spacious garden and tranquil, two-story, lakeside villa in Rangoon, the capital of impoverished Burma.
In what has become depressingly routine, the U.S. State Department and other monitors reiterated their condemnation of Burma for its grim human rights record.
London-based Amnesty International said at least 1,350 political prisoners are locked up in the Southeast Asian country.
To score diplomatic points, the regime occasionally releases some inmates, but later arrests more dissidents.
Suu Kyi has spent more than nine of the past 16 years in detention.
Her latest sentence of house arrest began on May 30, 2003 after deadly clashes erupted between government supporters and her National League for Democracy (NLD) party sympathizers.
Suu Kyi -- pronounced "Soo Chee" -- languishes behind spiked gates which guard her spacious garden and tranquil, two-story, lakeside villa in Rangoon, the capital of impoverished Burma.
In what has become depressingly routine, the U.S. State Department and other monitors reiterated their condemnation of Burma for its grim human rights record.
London-based Amnesty International said at least 1,350 political prisoners are locked up in the Southeast Asian country.
To score diplomatic points, the regime occasionally releases some inmates, but later arrests more dissidents.
Suu Kyi has spent more than nine of the past 16 years in detention.
Her latest sentence of house arrest began on May 30, 2003 after deadly clashes erupted between government supporters and her National League for Democracy (NLD) party sympathizers.
Every year on the 3rd of May journalists all over the world celebrate
World Press Freedom Day to reiterate their commitments to fundamental
principles of press freedom and freedom of expression. As internal and
cross-border conflict continues across the world, journalism remains a
glamorous, yet one of the most risky professions. Altogether 78
journalists were killed in the year 2004 while covering violent
conflicts. Twenty-three journalists were killed in Iraq alone.
Since the Philippines gained independence in 1986 some 56 journalists have been killed there including 12 in 2004. More than 300 journalists have been murdered in Latin America in the past 15 years; that is, at the rate of more than 20 journalists every year. Under Castro's Cuba, 30 journalists were slapped prison terms during a crackdown last year.
Since the Philippines gained independence in 1986 some 56 journalists have been killed there including 12 in 2004. More than 300 journalists have been murdered in Latin America in the past 15 years; that is, at the rate of more than 20 journalists every year. Under Castro's Cuba, 30 journalists were slapped prison terms during a crackdown last year.
WASHINGTON -Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese made the
following statement today in reaction to Pope Benedict's anti-gay
comments regarding marriage. In talking about marriage equality the Pope
referenced "pseudo-matrimonies" and said, "Matrimony and the family are
not, in reality, a casual sociological construction or the fruit of
specific historic and economic situations."
"It is unfortunate that the Pope would choose so early in his pontificate to sweepingly condemn so many faithful Catholics. There is a long Biblical tradition of showing love and compassion for all. It is from that tradition that so many fair-minded Catholics want to see their Pope speaking. It's sad that he's choosing to ignore that tradition and to divide his followers."
"No one in the fight for marriage equality is asking any church to perform or recognize these marriages. What we're asking for are equal rights and responsibilities under the law. There are millions of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Catholics who should feel welcomed by their Church. Today they do not."
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"It is unfortunate that the Pope would choose so early in his pontificate to sweepingly condemn so many faithful Catholics. There is a long Biblical tradition of showing love and compassion for all. It is from that tradition that so many fair-minded Catholics want to see their Pope speaking. It's sad that he's choosing to ignore that tradition and to divide his followers."
"No one in the fight for marriage equality is asking any church to perform or recognize these marriages. What we're asking for are equal rights and responsibilities under the law. There are millions of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Catholics who should feel welcomed by their Church. Today they do not."
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In Guatemala sexual harassment is not illegal. In El Salvador and Honduras hundreds of thousands of children work illegally. The minimum wage for a Nicaraguan manufacturer worker is $55.74 a month, less than what a U.S. union worker with a similar job will make in a day.
There are also reports in Central America of worker blacklists, physical abuse by employers, and foreign companies closing operations after being informed workers want to form a union. None of these countries are in compliance with international labor standards. I could go on for pages. And actually I have, by reading the U.S. State Department’s annual Human Rights report.
“The enforcement of labor laws in the region needs more attention and resources,” said assistant U.S. Trade Representative Peter Allgeir in testimony to the House Ways and Means Committee last month.
There are also reports in Central America of worker blacklists, physical abuse by employers, and foreign companies closing operations after being informed workers want to form a union. None of these countries are in compliance with international labor standards. I could go on for pages. And actually I have, by reading the U.S. State Department’s annual Human Rights report.
“The enforcement of labor laws in the region needs more attention and resources,” said assistant U.S. Trade Representative Peter Allgeir in testimony to the House Ways and Means Committee last month.
Telephone interview by Bernie Dwyer for
www.cubadebate.cu with Professor Noam Chomsky of the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 28th August
2003.
[Bernie Dwyer] A couple of new popular books have recently been published such as Weapons of Mass Deception and Stupid White Men. Do you see them as a viable alternative to the corporate media?
[Noam Chomsky] No, they are not trying to be an alternative to the corporate media. They are just books among the many books written about the way the corporate media function and there is by now, in the United States, more than any other western country that I know, a rather significant popular movement concerned with the corporate media, which is virtually all the media within the United States, and the way they function as a kind of propaganda system.
[Bernie Dwyer] A couple of new popular books have recently been published such as Weapons of Mass Deception and Stupid White Men. Do you see them as a viable alternative to the corporate media?
[Noam Chomsky] No, they are not trying to be an alternative to the corporate media. They are just books among the many books written about the way the corporate media function and there is by now, in the United States, more than any other western country that I know, a rather significant popular movement concerned with the corporate media, which is virtually all the media within the United States, and the way they function as a kind of propaganda system.
On Jan. 11 Guatemalan President Oscar Berger spoke to a group of reporters in Guatemala City about ongoing protests against a World Bank mining project in the northern part of the country. He said that his government had to establish law and order.
“We have to protect investors,” said Berger.
Hours later the Guatemalan military and police forces armed in riot gear opened fire on protesters, murdering one man and leaving dozens injured. Berger’s comments about establishing law and order in Guatemala to protect investors and the ensuing violence and state repression that followed that day and in the following months are not isolated incidents indicative of that country’s democratic shortcomings. Rather they illustrates the violent forces employed to secure the expansion of capitalist globalization being forced on people through neoliberal reforms and free trade agreements pushed by transnational corporations, Northern governments, and international lending agencies.
All that glitters isn’t gold
“We have to protect investors,” said Berger.
Hours later the Guatemalan military and police forces armed in riot gear opened fire on protesters, murdering one man and leaving dozens injured. Berger’s comments about establishing law and order in Guatemala to protect investors and the ensuing violence and state repression that followed that day and in the following months are not isolated incidents indicative of that country’s democratic shortcomings. Rather they illustrates the violent forces employed to secure the expansion of capitalist globalization being forced on people through neoliberal reforms and free trade agreements pushed by transnational corporations, Northern governments, and international lending agencies.
All that glitters isn’t gold
During the summer of 2002, in the run-up to President Bush’s invasion of Iraq, the US military staged the most elaborate and expensive war games ever conceived. Operation Millennium Challenge, as it was called, cost some $250 million, and required two years of planning. The mock war was not aimed at Iraq, at least, not overtly. But it was set in the Persian Gulf, and simulated a conflict with a hypothetical rogue state. The “war” involved heavy use of computers, and was also played out in the field by 13,500 US troops, at 17 different locations and 9 live-force training sites. All of the services participated under a single joint command, known as JOINTFOR. The US forces were designated as “Force Blue,” and the enemy as OPFOR, or “Force Red.” The “war” lasted three weeks and ended with the overthrow of the dictatorial regime on August 15.
At any rate, that was the official outcome. What actually happened was quite different, and ought to serve up a warning about the grave peril the world will face if the US should become embroiled in a widening conflict in the region.
At any rate, that was the official outcome. What actually happened was quite different, and ought to serve up a warning about the grave peril the world will face if the US should become embroiled in a widening conflict in the region.
It's unfortunate that Bush doesn't understand what is happening in the world he so arrogantly believes he owns. The European trip he's on now is a barely concealed attempt to strong-arm support for his upcoming invasion of Iran. An invasion, according to former UNSCOM weapons inspector Scott Ritter, that Bush has already approved, and is slated for June 2005.
Although the mainstream media is steadfastly refusing to investigate or report this startling news, Ritter, speaking on Feb. 19 to a packed house in the Capitol Theater in Olympia, Wash., maintains that "an official involved in the manipulation" was his source. In a release from United for Peace of Pierce County, Wash., reporter Mark Jensen wrote that Ritter said this announcement would "soon be reported by a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist in a major metropolitan magazine -- an obvious allusion to The New Yorker reporter Seymour Hersh."
Although the mainstream media is steadfastly refusing to investigate or report this startling news, Ritter, speaking on Feb. 19 to a packed house in the Capitol Theater in Olympia, Wash., maintains that "an official involved in the manipulation" was his source. In a release from United for Peace of Pierce County, Wash., reporter Mark Jensen wrote that Ritter said this announcement would "soon be reported by a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist in a major metropolitan magazine -- an obvious allusion to The New Yorker reporter Seymour Hersh."