Global

Without a hint of intended irony, the “NewsHour” on PBS concluded its Sept. 9 program with a warm interview of Henry Kissinger and then a segment about a renowned propagandist for the Nazi war machine. Kissinger talked about his latest book. Then a professor of German history talked about Leni Riefenstahl, the path-breaking documentary filmmaker who just died at age 101.

     The conversation was cozy with Kissinger, the man who served as the preeminent architect of U.S. policy during the last half-dozen years of the Vietnam War. Tossed his way by host Jim Lehrer, the questions ranged from softball to beach ball. And when the obsequious session ended, Lehrer went beyond politeness: “Dr. Kissinger, good to see you. Thank you for being with us. Good luck on your book.”

Shocked and awed, I was today, as I read the news of Americas way.
I wasn't reading the traditional sources, this info was from new discourses.
I read about the U.S.A., thier actions are different than what they say.
With forked tongues they speak, about the sanctity of life.
Careful my friend, behind thier back is a knife.
The richest of the world are controlling thier hand.
Life isn't important, what we want is your land.
But only if oil, or diamonds, or riches, are found
underneath, they'll come dig thier ditches.
They'll come with thier bombs, thier guns, and thier planes.
They'll blow up, they'll shoot down, they'll kill, and they'll maim.
They'll say its for justice, for honor, for right.
God gave them this mission, God gave them thier might.
Thier news outlets glitter with glee, at this show.
They use catchy phrases and righteous slogans, you know.
They weave all thier lies, they distort the truth.
They don't show the horror, the slaughter of youth.
How many civilians did we kill today?  
Ah who cares, they should'nt have been in the way.

Walden O'Dell wrote a letter the other day. He wrote a fund-raising letter to Ohio Republicans. And, in that letter O'Dell said that he was, "committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to (President Bush) next year."   

Walden O'Dell is the Chairman of the Board of Diebold Election Systems, the second largest company in America whose business it is - to count your vote.   

Before the age of computers, there were all kinds of ways for a local politico to "mess" with the voting apparatus. He could arrange for a mechanical machine to count wrong. Or, the names of people in cemeteries could be kept or put on the voter rolls.

But now, in the wondrous age of computers and the internet, it's possible, with a virtually undetectable line of software code that can make itself disappear after its done its dirty work, to wreak corruption on hundreds or thousands of computerized voting machines reflecting hundreds of thousands or millions of votes. A number of recent elections are suspected of being tainted by this voting corruption. We've opened a Pandora's box with computerized voting, not knowing what was going to come out.

But it looks like the Republicans like the way things are, in spite of clear proof of a multitude of  errors and easily corruptible vote counting. US Congressman Russ Holt introduced a bill earlier in the year that would take many of the risks out of computerized voting, and it would add safeguards to prevent theft of elections or computerized tampering with the voting process.

"To address the global economic crisis and to foster broad development, the WTO should be overhauled and reoriented. That was the message coming out of the Seattle WTO meetings in 1999, and it remains the message four years later." - Tom Barry, IRC program director.

While multilateral trade rules are necessary to assure predictability, resolve disputes and eliminate technical barriers, free trade is an ideology whose merits have not been proven in practice. The NAFTA experience and that of developing countries in Asia and throughout the Americas have demonstrated that for much of the poor population, trade and investment liberalization do not lead to fulfillment of development goals. These policies have led to serious environmental, economic and social problems in developing countries, and among workers and small farmers in developed countries, while the big winners have been the transnational corporations. Many of the WTOs rules and functions should be reviewed and revised, to reflect the overall goal of development and poverty alleviation rather than trade liberalization as a goal in itself.

The most important political task of our time is the defeat of George W. Bush. There has rarely, if ever, been a President of such exceedingly limited ability and poor moral judgement, and all the money in the world (which he appears to have) may not be enough to save his bacon a second time.

The most important political task, TOMORROW, is the Annabel Palma election in the Bronx. Annabel is a WFP candidate for City Council, and is taking on a very powerful Bronx political family. If Annabel wins the Democratic primary tomorrow, she will be poised to run a strong WFP-Democrat race in November against Republican and Independence Party candidates.

Starting as a health care aide to senior citizens, Annabel then became a health and safety specialist for her union, SEIU 1199. [George W. Bush didn't get a job until he was 40, and his main idea for senior citizens is to gut their/our Social Security benefits]. A product of the public school system, Annabel put herself through Bronx Community College while raising her son, now 13. [In Ann Richard's immortal phrase, George W. Bush "was born on third base but thought he had hit a triple"].

AUSTIN, Texas -- Well, fellow Texans, they can stick a fork in us, 'cause we're done. Not only has Governor Goodhair called yet another special session (cost now at over $5 million) to implement Tom DeLay's dirty redistricting deal, but we're about to vote an end to public access to the courts, as well.

            Unless a miracle occurs -- like a whole lot of Texans giving up time on a football Saturday to go vote on a bunch of boring propositions -- Sept. 13 will see the end of the open courts provision of the Texas Constitution. Cleverly disguised a cap on medical malpractice awards, Proposition 12 is a direct assault on an independent judiciary.

COLUMBUS, OHIO---The volcano that is Neil Young doing "Down By the River" was erupting to the roar of a sold-out Farm Aid crowd.  Accompanied by Crazy Horse and Willie Nelson, the patron saint of American farming, the stage sagged with a psychedelic constellation of rock stars and native American dancers fully decked in ceremonial garb.  Neil was totally in another world.  Rock and roll does not get better than this. 

Before "Homegrown" and a seismic rendition of "Rockin' in the Free World," Young had a few words.  "We need a Bill of Rights for the farmer," he said.  "Corporate agriculture is killing the family farm.  Don't go to those big stores.  Stay away.  Buy organic, direct from the farmer."

Now in its eighteenth year, Farm Aid has become a national institution, working to save the family farm.  Originating with the ageless Willie Nelson, and with Young and John Mellencamp---"our little band of outlaws," says Nelson---the annual day-long show has become a treasured icon of vibrant culture and progressive politics for an age in desperate need. 

Beating up on neocons used to be a specialized sport without wide appeal. With all due false modesty, I offer myself as an earlier practitioner. Back in the mid-to-late '70s, when I had a weekly column in the Village Voice, I used to have rich sport with that apex neo-con, Norman Podhoretz, editor of Commentary, I nicknamed him Norman the Frother and freighted him with so many gibes that he made the mistake of publicly denouncing me in Commentary, exclaiming that "Cockburn's weekly pieces have set a new standard of gutter journalism in this country," a testimonial I still proudly feature on the back of my books.

AUSTIN, Texas -- Sigh. You write an article advocating what you think would be useful, constructive suggestions about Iraq, and you get an avalanche of right-wing reaction about "failuremongers" and "nattering nabobs of negativism."

Bill Safire is back at the same old stand after all these years, denouncing "merchants of dismay" trying to justify their "decade of appeasement."

Great, anybody who opposed this war in the first place was accused of lack of patriotism, and now anybody who points out that it's not going well is guilty of defeatism. If you raise your hand and ask where the weapons of mass destruction we were told were the reason for this war are, you're instructed to just Get Over It.

Well, I ain't gonna take it anymore. I am not shutting up for Bill O'Reilly or anyone else. I opposed our unprovoked, unnecessary invasion of Iraq on the grounds that it would be a short, easy war followed by the peace from hell. I predicted every terrorist in the Middle East would be drawn to Iraq like a magnet. I was right, and I'm not going to apologize for it.