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Empty Platform, Empty Town

The hype and hysteria reached even the sleepy North Shore of Boston. In the weeks leading up to the summer's seminal event in The Big City, local police chiefs were predicting endless commutes and near-constant gridlock. Many advised locals to "go to New Hampshire for the week and don't look back." Thanks to the comfort of an overwhelming Police (State) presence, the terrorists, tourists, troublemakers and travelers were kept at bay.

Poor Boston. $60 million on security, and 0 income for tolls. By the second day, the secret started to leak that our charming provincial capital had become somehat of a ghost town. Of course, there were dissenters in the streets: Veterans for Peace and the Boston Social Form held their own conventions, and United for Peace and Justice, Black Tea Society, Food Not Bombs and many other groups made their presence known as usual. Of course, many activists--including many of us who tried in vain to yank the Democratic Party out of its pro-war stupor--were also convinced to stay home, or run the gauntlet of the Protest Pen, a court-sanctioned cage for protesters designed to make the effort of free

Greens cite reasons for a new, independent 9/11 probe

More investigation needed: Bush conflicts of interest; who paid for the 9/11 hijackings; the role of US foreign policy; exploitation of 9/11 to justify war on Iraq.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Leaders of the Green Party called the results of the 9/11 Commission a valuable first step in the probe of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the U.S., but called for more far-reaching investigation into the failure to discover and prevent the attacks and into the White House's response to the attacks.

"Instead of merely extending the current commission, which Sen. Kerry favors, we need to see a new, independent Commission to continue to the investigation into the 9/11 attacks, with family members of 9/11 victims given a prominent role," said Patrick Driscoll, Green candidate for Congress in California (5th District).

Greens note that, contrary to President Bush's claims that Americans are now safer, the U.S. response to 9/11 has increased the risk of terrorism throughout the world. At home, the response has included curtailment of civil liberties, including the detention of thousands of Americans without being charged with any crime.

Hope is not on the way, but hopefully Bush is on the way out

No, hope does not gallop in like Paul Revere. And it certainly doesn't arrive breathless from a corporate party convention.

Movements for peace and social justice can bring realistic hope -- not with rhetoric but with the tough daily tedious uplifting work of political organizing.

Yes, we'd be better off with John Kerry in the White House instead of the Rove-Cheney-Bush regime. And the only way that's going to happen is if enough people in swing states vote for Kerry on November 2.

But I'm already getting tired of the bulk email messages claiming that Kerry is the embodiment of progressive dreams. Please. We can simultaneously walk, chew gum and be clear about the reality that Kerry embraces a centrist matrix of militarism and corporatism -- and, at the same time, in a world of contradictions, it's extremely important that George W. Bush lose the election on November 2... Let's not make stuff up. And let's not imitate the Democratic Party's hype machine. Just because you think people should hold their nose and vote for Kerry, don't act like there isn't a stench.

Daring To Hope

This week the Democratic Party successfully launched a great ship of hope from Boston harbor. And while the winds of change that would guide it grow mightier, it is by no means certain that it will reach its destination come this November.

As the election draws nearer, the many millions of us aboard this great ship should expect to be told and told again by the powers that be to be frightened of our voyage. They will dare us to imagine what terrors lie in wait within the seas of change. They will manufacture a dense fog of fear, and then claim only they can protect us from the unspeakable dangers that only they can see within it.

Over the next few weeks and months, the powers that be will seek to reinstate the primacy of fear, and transform our hope into despair. Lest we remain hopeful, color-coded threat charts and warnings of imminent unknowable events will be broadcast again and again to remind us to become fearful. With increasing urgency, we will be directed to proceed in an orderly fashion, duct tape and plastic sheeting in hand, to our muster stations so to abandon our great ship of hope for their shores of safety.

The ice cream man's Farenheit 9/11

50 Ways You Can Show George the Door in 2004
By Ben Cohen and Jason Salzman
Pages: 196; Price: $9.95
Publisher: Westview Press (Perseus Books Group)
ISBN: 0-8133-4282-1

Ice Cream man Ben Cohen has his own "Farenheit 9/11." It's a book, not a movie, and has no footage of George W. Bush reading "My Pet Goat" while the World Trace Center burns.

But as it joins the flood of anti-Bush books, it takes a uniquely funny, compelling must-read niche for the hordes of us desperate to see King George of the "Haves and Have mores" exit the presidency, and always looking for new ways to help.

Among the 50 ways the irascible icon of super-premium ice cream recommends are turning your dog into a political organizer. Giving your "pet for regime change" a name like Big Oil allows you to shout the slogan when you're calling for obedience. The animal can also be adorned with "Bite Bush" and other subtle slogans on buttons or bumper stickers.

Cohen and co-author Jason Salzman, a former Greenpeace media mogul, also

Maybe empire is not as bad-if Kerry is the one doing it

Well, I haven't been checking my mail much lately, and it sure isn't because of the Democratic Convention. I would rather jump off a two-story building into a open train car filled with razorblades. Anyhow, I have a few minutes and some troubling thoughts occurred to me. I thought maybe someone would comment on them.

All those progressives the last time who ripped up Gore, who said he was about as bad as Bush, where are they? Harvey Wasserman, Bob Fitrakis, Jim Hightower, Michael Moore, Howard Zinn, Chomsky, etc, etc, etc.

Even the Columbus Free Press is noticeably absent from criticizing Kerry. Case in point: The Summer issue of the 2000 Free Press contained several articles supporting Nader or criticizing Bush and Gore. The Autumn issue of 2000 had Nader on the cover and contained article after article in support of Nader.

Contrast that with the July-August edition of the Free Press, 2004. The Norman Solomon of the Autumn 2000 Free Press was anti-Gore, pro-Nader, in an article entitled "Paying Homage to the two-party system." In the July-August 2004 edition of the Free Press, Solomon criticizes Nader for

Police and Abortion

I DONT UNDERSTAND HOW IF WE IN COLUMBUS GOT A POLICE SHORTAGE WHY THERE WOULD BE OVER 100 POLICE ON BIKES IN CARS ON HORSES UNDERCOVER AND EVERYTHING ELSE AT CITY HALL THE OTHER DAY JUST FOR SOME ANTI ABORTION EVENT.

I MEAN THINK ABOUT IT IVE NEVER HEARD OF ABORTION RIGHTS PEOPLE PRO CHOICE BOMBING CLINICS OR ACTING LIKE TERRORISTS. THE ONLY ONES I EVER KNEW TO BOMB CLINICS HARASS PEOPLE ARE PRO LIFERS. IM NOT SAYING THAT ABORTION ISNT WRONG ON SOME LEVEL BUT I MEAN IT LOOKS LIKE THEY HAVE ALL THE POLICE THERE TO PROTECT PEOPLE AGAINST ABORTION FROM THOSE THAT SUPPORT IT. THOSE POLICE WAS JUST DOWN THERE WASTING TIME TALKING LAUGHING USING CAMERAS AND NOTHING ELSE.

I MEAN I JUST DONT UNDERSTAND HOW YOU NEED ALL THAT MANPOWER TO PROTECT THOSE THAT ARE USUALLY BOMB CLINICS AND SUPPORT DEATH PENALTY AND WAR FROM PEOPLE THAT ARE USUALLY PEACEFUL. THATS A WASTE OF OFFICERS. SO I SAY NO WE DONT NEED MORE OFFICERS THEY JUST NEED TO BE USED PROPERLY. THATS WHAT I GOT TO SAY.

Gay Marriage Amendment

I spoke with Greg Quinlan, founder of the "Pro-Family" Network yesterday when he was on "Open Line: with Fred Anderle". There is nothing "pro-family" about his views. This self-avowed "former" gay man appeals, not to the best, but the worst, in his drive to get an amendment on the ballot that would ban the legal recognition of any relationship but the marriage of a man and a woman. He and others of his ilk, appeal to the prejudices, misconceptions and fears that people have towards same-gender couples.

This amendment would exclude not only same-gender couples, but also cohabitating different gender couples. And, while it would not prohibit companies from offering benefits to domestic partners, it would cause significant hardship in court disputes arising from these benefits as it would prohibit the courts from even recognizing these relationships.

"Pro-Family"...I think not. Pro-fear, Pro-ignorance, Pro-intolerance are more appropriate to Mr. Quinlan and his merry band.

Protect our oceans!

Oceans cover over 70 percent of the planet. They provide irreplaceable wildlife habitat, food for hundreds of species (including people), and endless hours of recreation. But, though they seem limitless, our oceans are in crisis.

Over the past four months, I've told you about the work being done confirming that there is a crisis facing the oceans and what we can do to solve the problem. Thanks to your timely action, 37 governors have weighed in on the side of protecting our oceans.

Now, the White House is about to get a report from the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy - whose members were appointed by President Bush - that lays out the problems facing our oceans and how to solve them.

Please take a moment to call and urge the White House to heed the recommendations made by these ocean experts and take advantage of this chance to make real progress towards protecting our oceans. Then, ask your family and friends to help by forwarding this message to them.

You can call James Connaughton, Chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, at 202-456-6224. Here's a sample message you can leave:

Irish Northern Aid listed as a "Peace" group

I picked up a copy of your magazine in a local coffee shop and found many of the articles to be outstanding. Keep up the good work.

However, I was more than nonplussed to see Irish Northern Aid listed in your "Organize" section, and as a PEACE GROUP nonetheless. Perhaps it is your magazine's policy to accept any listings (though I doubt you would accept a listing from a neo-nazi organization). Perhaps the editors took Irish Northern Aids claims to be a peace group at face value.

You should know that Irish Northern Aid's activities have little to do with promoting peace. The professed objective of their fundraising is to support the families of Irish Republican prisoners. This goal might legitimately be considered a "humanitarian" one, but there is plenty of evidence that over the last quarter century, Irish Northern Aid has used charitable donations to purchase weapons for the IRA. The IRA are also known as the PROVOS, and you might note that the contact email provided for your Irish Northern Aid listing is "provo@columbus.rr.com." There is little attempt to hide this.

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