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Articles
MARCH
2003
What Fresh Hell is This?
March 31,
2003 · The Bush administration is more
top-heavy in corporate CEOs than any other in living memory,
and as we all know, by now, the modern CEO is decisive, imperative,
and simply won't stand for anything or anyone sullying the
"brand" or the corporate image. In the case of this bunch,
the corporate image is one of the Lone Ranger, Superman, Prince
Valiant and Terry & the Pirates all rolled into one. By punpirate
The NeoDotCom Bubble
March 31,
2003 · If you think back to the late
and unlamented dot com hype, doesn't the whole Rumsfeld/Cheney
package sound a bit familiar, in both style and content? It
was all very high-concept, networked and data-intensive. In
the boardrooms of George W. Bush's self-styled "CEO Presidency,"
the Uniforms were mocked as blinkered traditionalists, patronized,
lectured to on military matters by Rumsfeld and the other
Suits, many of them Neocon chickenhawks who had never served.
By demosthenes
Discerning Dissent
March 31,
2003 · There's a huge misconception being
proliferated in the media about war protestors. I've read
that these misguided seekers of peace don't support our service
men and women; that they are the fringe of society; misfits
that jump on every anti-American bandwagon or cause; that
they, themselves are un-American. By Norma
Sherry
Bush's Promise of Sacrifice:
The Mother of All Bombs
March 29,
2003 · Just before war broke out George
Bush spoke to the world and said, "War has no certainty except
the certainty of sacrifice." Coming from a man of extraordinary
privilege who has never felt the ravages of war, these words
rang hollow. The only thing that quieted the ringing of his
words was the roar of his subtext. By Carol
Norris
A Familiar Odor in the Air:
The Vietnam Connection
March 29,
2003 · Is it just me or is there a smell
of Vietnam in the desert air? Once again, in its haste to
get its war on, the U.S. has gone into a foreign land, ignorant
of its culture, believing that its technological might would
lead to a swift victory, forgetting the force of nationalism
when a people believe themselves to be invaded. By Bernard
Weiner
Fenton, French's and Fatalism
March 29, 2003 · The left has recently
learned the importance of media skills, in part because the
right is so good at it, and in part because the media is so
much a part of the right that the left has to be more skilled
to have any chance at all. By David
Swanson
It's Too Damned Easy to Kill
March 28,
2003 · Yesterday, I looked at a picture
taken in Iraq of a boy, perhaps twelve, who had been killed
in an American attack. His forehead had been ripped open by
a shell fragment. A portion of his brain protruded from the
wound. He was quite dead. Against my will, because of that
photograph, I was forced to remember how I felt at the death
of my daughter. By punpirate
Shock and… Awwww, It’s Not
Working
March 28,
2003 · A tried and true dictum of war
is "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." In fact,
it seems U.S. plans were predicated on the assumption that
angry and repressed Shiites in the South would rise up against
Saddam's regime and greet American liberators with big bowls
of tabouli and hummus. By Phil
Lebovits
Coalition of the Wilting
March 28,
2003 · One of the most outrageous aspects
of this war in Iraq is the administration's distortion of
the truth to purposely lead Americans astray. Take the so-called
"Coalition of the Willing," for example. Americans
have been led to believe that this war is no longer unilateral
and it is backed by a large multinational coalition - one
larger than that of the first Persian Gulf War, according
to Donald Rumsfeld. But Rumsfeld's statement is based on a
complete diversion from the truth. By Justin
Hill
This News Is 12 Years Old
March 27,
2003 · In order to celebrate the droves
of ordinary people who are about to get blown up by smart
bombs as they go about their daily lives, I think we ought
to review a few of the reasons for why it’s all happening.
Again. By
Olivier Jarvis
Guilty In Defense
March 27,
2003 · The Iraqi army is not surrendering
after all, and has, as our military spokesmen put it, "chosen"
to fight back instead. What a surprise. By The
Plaid Adder
George W. President Addresses
the Nation
March 27,
2003 · Dear Uneasy American, As President
during these difficult times, I’d like to offer you some reassurance
about some of the military reform we are offering the terrorist
government of Iraq. Saddam Hussein must be neutralized for
the safety of the citizens of America and others around the
world. By Bill
Christina
As Bad As You Think
March 26,
2003 · With the benefit of hindsight,
Bush & Co.'s early actions seem like a concerted effort to
dismantle global safeguards in preparation for something rather
large and extraordinary; something that had been planned for
some time. By
Joseph Randazzo
A Vietnam-era Dad Talks to
His Protesting Son
March 26,
2003 · In order to build a more effective,
cohesive, broad-based Resistance, we have to be more creative,
more focused on being politically effective rather than being
emotionally cathartic, more dedicated to the long term fight
in front of us rather than the short-term action at the next
intersection. By Bernard
Weiner
Counting Iraq’s Dead
Civilians
March 26,
2003 · U.S. Commander Tommy Franks says
they will not tabulate body counts, especially of Iraqis,
in this war that is as illegitimate as Bush’s claim to the
White House. The bulk of the U.S. media will not report on
civilian casualties, unless they are so large that even our
corporate-and-Republican-controlled media cannot ignore them.
But some of us will. By Jackson
Thoreau
War May Not Be the Most
Important Story
March 25,
2003 · The only conclusion that one can
draw when considering all the aspects of the post-Iraq War
world is that, far from securing global peace and stability,
this current conflict will only increase the danger of an
apocalyptic future. By
RB Ham
Mr. Potato Head Goes To
War
March 25,
2003 · Remember the Mr. Potato Head toy?
Well, it appears that the BBC inadvertently or maybe intentionally,
managed to catch our own Mr. Potato Head being created for
his most important public appearance. By
Mike McArdle
Statement on the War
in Iraq
March 21,
2003 · We find it difficult to believe
George W. Bush's claim that he has attacked Iraq reluctantly.
By the
Editors
Open Letter to Bush: You
Are Disgracing America - Resign or Be Impeached
March 20,
2003 · Congratulations! With your decision
to bomb and invade Iraq, you are about to make yourself both
an enemy of the state and an international war-criminal. Everyone
has been telling you not to do it, that attacking Iraq - absent
an overt provocation, and without domestic and international
consensus behind you - is neither in America's best interests,
nor in the best interests of world order and the global economy.
By Bernard
Weiner
When Democracy Failed:
The Warnings of History
March 20,
2003 · The 70th anniversary wasn't noticed
in the United States, and was barely reported in the corporate
media. But the Germans remembered well that fateful day seventy
years ago - February 27, 1933. They commemorated the anniversary
by joining in demonstrations for peace that mobilized citizens
all across the world. By Thom
Hartmann
Our Most Christian King
March 19,
2003 · The traditional view is that God
is a better arbiter of moral clarity than George W. Bush.
To those who call George W. Bush "God's president" (this title,
incidentally, is never objected to by George W. Bush) this
must be a disappointment. By Stephen
Sacco
Iraqi and Bullwinkle
March 19,
2003 · Well, here we go: Operation Desert
Sequel. Keep your arms inside the car at all times. Do not
attempt to exit until the car has come to a full and complete
stop. And remember: this is the kind of theme park ride you
can't sue over if you happen to get hurt. By
Kevin Dawson
Crystal Channel Goes to
War
March 19,
2003 · I am a stringer for a large Eastern
daily working on a story at a Midwestern radio station, getting
a perspective on their view of the coming Iraqi War - which
is on the horizon. Here is my story of two interviews with
the "stars" of prime daytime talk: follow closely, through
the looking glass - darkly. Satire
by Marilyn Allen Frith
Bush's Gut is a No-Brainer
March 18,
2003 · Bush appears to have made a conscious
decision to disengage his brain and rely on his non-thinking
gut. Rather than use his brain to weigh the evidence, he trusts
his gut to tell him what's right. And once his gut has spoken,
he instructs his aides to provide talking points that buttress
his gut and shield him from any and all facts that undercut
his gut. By
Dennis Hans
Character is Fate
March 18,
2003 · Mr. Bush's character is flawed,
as evidenced by his propensity toward lies and his manic pursuit
of war for questionable ends. As goes Mr. Bush's fate, so
goes ours and our nation's. By
punpirate
Waging Peace
March 18,
2003 · A curious thing happened on the
way to Baghdad. It seems that somehow during the long dark
night on the road to war, many brave people stood before the
guns unarmed, with only words as weapons, and waged peace.
By punpirate
Let's Pretend
March 14,
2003 · Come on everybody! You know Bush
might not be the best president ever, but for the sake of
unity, for the sake of the country, and for the sake of the
world, let's just pretend that he is. Okay? By Pamela
Troy
Point of No Return
March 14,
2003 · George W. Bush will officially
become a dictator when he announces the United States of America’s
unilateral attack on the sovereign nation of Iraq. Today,
we the people stand alone against our government. Not in revolution
but in a diametrically opposed fashion. We stand without representation
as surely as we did before our country was founded and declared
its separation from the rule of King George of England. By Bridget
Gibson
It's Not About Oil, It's
About Fuel
March 14,
2003 · Bush needs to secure the oil fields
in Iraq to feed his war machine. Sure a lot of his cronies
that tag along are going benefit enormously, one might be
even tempted to say handsomely. If only the whole ruse were
not so ugly. By Scaramouche
Fishing Hole Patriotism
March 13,
2003 · Some folks think that patriotism
is blind acceptance of whatever crazy policy any U.S. president
proposes. I see things a bit differently. I pledge allegiance
to my favorite fishing hole, and to this nation's backbone,
its underpaid and overworked, wage-earning majority. The former
is getting polluted, and the latter is being screwed. By Dennis
Rahkonen
New Studies Show Presidency
Is Hereditary
March 13,
2003 · Research done by scientists at
the University of Cambridge (England), has shown that Presidency,
like Haemophilia and HIV, is passed down from parents to children.
The subject, referred to as "George" in the paper, showed
strong evidence that he had inherited Presidency from his
father. This contradicts earlier studies, which suggested
that the affliction is contracted from close contact with
politics. By Alasdair
Bates
The Plea of Abraham
March 13,
2003 · That the United States is entering
a new phase in its history has gone blithely ignored by the
media. That national policy is being dictated by a Republican
ideology enamored of evangelical arm-waving is declared an
example of "moral clarity," consequences be damned.
By Ari Espinoza
Now Your Vote is the Property
of a Private Corporation
March 12,
2003 · In the November 2002 election,
when some Florida voters pressed the touch-screen "button"
for Bush's Democratic opponent, votes were instead recorded
for Bush. When a losing candidate in Palm Beach sued to inspect
the software of Florida's computerized voting machines, a
local judge denied the petition, citing the privacy rights
of the corporation that wrote the programs. By Thom
Hartmann
George W. Bush, International
Mistress of Mystery
March 12,
2003 · In the greatest achievement of
his still-young presidency, George W. Bush has become the
"international mistress of mystery" for a string of Arab dictators.
A steady stream of news reports have noted that, aside from
Kuwait, the Arab governments in the Gulf region that are providing
various forms of hospitality and assistance to the U.S. commander-in-chief
are doing their best to keep their citizens in the dark about
the illicit relationship. By Dennis
Hans
Onward Christian Soldiers
March 11,
2003 · I don't know about you, but I'm
hearing looney tunes from one end of this administration to
the other - and all in the name of Jesus Christ. I want to
stand up and shout, "Hey - I know Jesus Christ! Jesus is a
friend of mine. And the guy you're hiding behind - the one
you're wagging in everybody's face for political gain - is
no Jesus Christ." By Sheila
Samples
How War Could Be Avoided
at the Last Minute: An Address from the Oval Office
March 11,
2003 · If Bush wanted to pull back from
the brink of war with Iraq, unlikely as that may seem, just
how far might the administration spin it? Satire
by Bernard Weiner
Bush Is About as Serene as
a Cat With a Can Tied to its Tail
March 11,
2003 · Some report that Bush manages
to stay tranquil because he doesn't view attacking Iraq as
a decision at all, but as an "historical inevitability,"
and because he views himself as engaged in a religious battle
for "good" and against "evil." Clearly
such delusional motivations can lead to real-world damage.
By David
Swanson
Apocalypse Next Week
March 8,
2003 · In a sure sign that the nation
will be going to war with Iraq in the very near future the
little man who purports to be America’s leader strode to a
podium Thursday night to answer actual questions from actual
members of the press. By Mike
McArdle
Learning to Be Stupid
in the Culture of Cash
March 8,
2003 · The detritus and debris that American
education has become is both planned and instrumental. It's
why our media succeeds in telling lies. It's why our secretary
of state can quote from a graduate-student paper, claiming
confidently that the stolen data came from the highest intelligence
sources. By Luciana
Bohne
Whose United States of America
Is This Anyway?
March 8,
2003 · As George W. Bush and his minions
work feverishly to deprive us of more and more of our Freedoms
and Liberties, they seem to have forgotten who is in charge
of the United States government; it is We the People of the
United States of America. By Lois
Erwin
History and Courage
March 7,
2003 · In the past there have been people
who have measured patriotism by a citizen's willingness to
walk in lock-step behind those in power, and who have made
it their life's work to harass and humiliate those who don't.
They have almost always imagined themselves as heroic defenders
of their country, but history rarely agrees with that assessment.
By Pamela
Troy
A Hair's Breadth Away
March 7,
2003 · George W. Bush is a dangerous
man. He fails to regard the true threats to our "homeland."
We face increased threats of terrorism because of the choices
of the Bush administration. We have a diminished capacity
to care for our own because of the Bush economic policies.
He has plundered the treasury and is leading our military
into a quagmire of unrelenting wars with whomever he chooses
in his pursuit of global conquest. By Bridget
Gibson
This Looming Folly
March 6,
2003 · Is the sensational, constant contention
by the White House that Iraq has terrible weapons that pose
an "imminent" threat to everyone (including the far-off United
States) simply a deception designed to create a frenzied pretext
for an aggressive oil grab by the energy interests that Bush,
Cheney, Rice, etc., have a long history of dutifully serving?
By Dennis
Rahkonen
It's My Flag Too!
March 6,
2003 · There has been an upsurge in nationalistic
censure the likes of which has not been seen since the days
of Joseph McCarthy as this country tumbles, stumbles and bumbles
towards war. But to intimidate, threaten, or slander Americans
for expressing their opinion on perhaps the single most important
issue of the day is the very essence of "Un-American."
By a_random_joel
How to Swagger and Bully
Your Way to Disaster: Bush's Foreign Adventurism
March 5,
2003 · It has become more and more clear
that the folks inhabiting the White House are not good people.
Oh, they say publicly that their actions are being taken for
all the right reasons - freedom and liberty and the Constitution
and to protect America - but their motives in private seem
mostly to involve a drive for profits for themselves and their
corporate friends, and a seemingly insatiable lust for power
and control.
By Bernard Weiner
I'm a Celebrity - So
What?
March 5,
2003 · It is safe to say that a government
that is afraid of artists is a government that is afraid of
free expression. Conservative Americans are fond of telling
us that we should be thankful we live in the United States
- that in other, more repressive countries, free speech, including
art, is censored. Yet it is social censoring that these same
conservatives are participating in when they deride artists
for publicly promulgating anti-war sentiments.
By Diane E. Dees
The Disinformation Age
March 4,
2003 · How George W. Bush and Colin Powell
are lying America into an unnecessary war - and what honest
journalists can do about it.
By Dennis Hans
The Truth Ray
March 4,
2003 · I've invented a truth ray. No
really, I have. And I just couldn't bring myself to believe
that so many peope were actually supportive of George W.'s
manic 'Iraq attack' compulsion. So I went to a pro-war rally
to find out first hand what people were really thinking
- and why.
By Kerry Tomasi
With No Regard: Using Political
Paradox to Escape from Democratic Constraints
March 4,
2003 · In what seems a major irony of
the current situation, W and his advisors truly don't care
what anybody thinks about their plans, and yet they go about
their cynical political manipulations just as though public
opinion still mattered deeply to them. Nor are they troubled
in the slightest by this apparent inconsistency, because for
them it doesn't exist.
By Tom Pain
A Deja Vu of Apocalyptic
Proportions
March 4,
2003 · If the Bush Administration gives
the go-ahead to attack Iraq any time in March, particularly
on or around March 13th (Ashura), it could be used forever
as the ultimate anti-American, anti-West, and anti-non-Muslim
battle-cry.
By Jerome P. Van Wert
A Letter to the Grandkids:
How Did We Get to War With Iraq?
March 1,
2003 · Within a few weeks, the world
is going to change drastically. A terrible war is about to
be unleashed, and it will affect your parents and Gran and
me, indeed all of us in this country and around the globe.
And, even though you probably won't realize it at first, the
unfolding events will affect you as well.
By Bernard Weiner
The Crimes of 9/11
March 1,
2003 · The recently-concluded Congressional
Joint 9/11 Inquiry confirmed that ranking Bush Administration
national security and intelligence officials negligently mishandled
counterterrorism operations, misconduct which makes them liable
to criminal prosecution and huge civil damages. By Mark
G. Levey
Bush's Imperfect Storm
March 1,
2003 · Over the course of the past few
weeks a series of developments have taken place that have
altered the political climate to the point where what seemed
to have been a preordained decision to wage war on Iraq, now
must be seen in an entirely different light. By Michael
Shannon
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