home / subscribe / donate / about us / books / archives / search / links / feedback / events
![]() |
|
Bolivia's Third Revolution Confused by Bolivia's upheavals? CounterPunch's Newton Garver gives you the history, the politics and a roadmap through the present great upsurge of Indians who say NO to centuries of theft and oppression. On the track of Guatemala's killers: a searing report from John Ross on the US-backed monsters who turned Guatemala into a charnel house and on the heroes who hunt them down. The rise and rise of a corporation called Halliburton: Jeffrey St Clair scours some of Texas' history's dirtiest pages and tells how Halliburton's cash helped put two presidents to the White House. Get the answers you're looking for in the latest subscriber-only edition of CounterPunch ... CounterPunch Online is read by millions of viewers each month! But remember, we are funded solely by the subscribers to the print edition of CounterPunch. Please support this website by buying a subscription to our newsletter, which contains fresh material you won't find anywhere else, or by making a donation for the online edition. Remember contributions are tax-deductible. Click here to make a donation. If you find our site useful please: Subscribe Now! or write CounterPunch, PO BOX 228, Petrolia, CA 95558 |
|
Other Lands Have Dreams: From Baghdad to Pekin Prison by KATHY KELLY ![]() Today's Stories Bond / Brutus
/ Setshedi June 16, 2005 John Walsh Dave Lindorff Adrian Lomax Tom Crumpacker Jeffrey Kolakowski Julene Bair Michael Dickinson Francois Houtart / Isabel Parra,
et al. Tom Barry
June 15, 2005 Stan Goff Daniel Wolff Tim Wise Ricardo Alarcón Joshua Frank John Hilary Norman Solomon Alexander Cockburn
/ Jeffrey St. Clair Website of the Day
June 14, 2005 Paul Craig
Roberts Forrest Hylton Richard Gott Fred Gardner Steve Breyman Dave Zirin Robert Kent Paul Craig
Roberts
June 13, 2005 Gary Leupp Dave Lindorff John Stauber Fred Gardner Evelyn J. Pringle Norman Solomon Winslow T.
Wheeler
June 10 / 12, 2005 Alexander
Cockburn Sharon
Smith Brian
Cloughley Chris
Kromm Heather
Gray Kevin
Zeese Mickey
Z. Gary
Leupp Eli
Stephens Nick
Dearden Oscar
Olivera Robert
Fisk Michael
Dickinson Poets'
Basement Website
of the Weekend
Len
Colodny Christopher
Brauchli Ron
Jacobs Dave
Lindorff Katrina
Yeaw / Alex Schmaus Alan
Farago Saul
Landau June 8, 2005 Jim
Hougan Alan
Maass Jason
Leopold Niranjan
Ramakrishnan Dave
Zirin Derrick
O'Keefe Diana
Johnstone Website
of the Day
June 7, 2005 Forrest
Hylton Greg
Moses / Susan van Haitsma Lenni
Brenner Col.
Dan Smith Joshua
Frank Dave
Lindorff Margot
Veranes / Adrian Navarro Michael
Neumann
June 6, 2005 Stew
Albert Paul
Craig Roberts Nicole
Colson Ali
Khan Jason
Leopold Charles
Walker Poff Ramzy
Baroud Rep.
John Conyers Evelyn
Pringle Gary
Corseri Website
of the Day
June 4 / 5, 2005 Alexander
Cockburn James
Petras Robert
Fisk Patrick
Cockburn Rev.
William Alberts Saul
Landau Mario
Lamo Jimenez Dave
Lindorff Lance
Selfa Tom
Crumpacker Joshua
Frank Fred
Gardner Michael
Dickinson Roger
Martin Reza
Fiyouzat Ben
Tripp Graeme
Greenback Poets'
Basement
June 3, 2005 Paul
Craig Roberts Joseph
Massad Jeff
Halper Tom
Barry Bruce
K. Gagnon Joshua
Frank Mickey
Z. Gary
Leupp Website
of the Day
June 2, 2005 Paul
Craig Roberts Forrest
Hylton Mike
Whitney Brian
Cloughley Mazin
Qumsiyeh Russell
D. Hoffman Norman
Madarasz Norman
Solomon David
Price Website
of the Day
June 1, 2005 James
Petras Justin
Delacour Edward
Jay Epstein Omar
Barghouti / Lisa Taraki Dave
Lindorff Kevin
Zeese Jason
Leopold William
S. Lind
May 31, 2005 Sen.
Mike Gravel David
Krieger Tad
Daley Joshua
Frank Richard
Gott Norman
Solomon Tom
Segev Walter
Brasch Diana
Johnstone
May 28 / 30, 2005 Alexander
Cockburn Richard
Lichtman Sharon
Smith Paul
Craig Roberts Dave
Lindorff Ramzy
Baroud Brian
Cloughley Fred
Gardner Lee
Sustar Joshua
Frank Justin
E.H. Smith Jackie
Corr Michael
Kimaid Toufic
Haddad Justin
Taylor Amir
Butler Ben
Tripp Poets'
Basement
May 27, 2005 Gary
Leupp Daniel
Estulin Kevin
Zeese Robert
Fisk Dave
Zirin Website
of the Day
Hot Stories Alexander Cockburn Subcomandante
Marcos Norman Finkelstein Steve Niva Dardagan,
Slobodo and Williams Steve
J.B. Sheldon
Rampton and John Stauber Wendell
Berry CounterPunch
Wire Cindy
Corrie Gore Vidal Francis Boyle
Subscribe Online
|
June 17, 2005 Pennies for AfricaBush's Phony MoneyBy CHRISTOPHER BRAUCHLI
One of Mr. Bush's great skills is the ability to turn a small amount of money into a large amount of money with virtually no effort. Another is to give the impression that small amounts of money given for worthy projects are a much greater gift than they in fact are. The first skill was demonstrated long before he became governor of Texas. Having failed in a number of business ventures Mr. Bush discovered one in which he was highly successful. He bought a 1.8 percent interest in the Texas Rangers Baseball team for $606,302. Prior to the time the team was sold, his co-owners gave him an additional 10 percent interest at no additional cost to him, presumably because they liked him and wanted to reward him for being who he already was. When the team was sold he received $14.9 million, proof that hard work is no substitute for having rich generous friends. As president he has demonstrated that he can appear to be more generous than he actually is by making a big production of promising money for worthy causes that is less than it seems to be. He first demonstrated that skill when, on January 28, 2003, in his state of the union address he announced the Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, a five-year, $15 billion initiative to turn the tide in the global effort to combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic. It sounded like it was a lot of money and it was. Less than $10 billion was new money, however, as the president acknowledged. Five billion had already been promised. According to the White House Press Release following the speech:
What the spokesman did not say was that the president was slowing down payment of $1 billion he had earlier pledged for The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The president had pledged to provide $500 million for 2001 and $500 million for 2002. Under the January 28 plan the fund was to get $200 million a year for 5 years. What the spokesman also did not say, since he could not see into the future, was that when Mr. Bush submitted his budget for 2004 a few weeks after his speech he only asked for $900 million in new funding. In the 2005 budget he only asked for $1.2 billion in new funding and in the 2006 budget he only asked for $1.6 billion in new funding. These requests were made notwithstanding his January 28 promise to obtain new funding of $2 billion a year for 5 years. If he is to make good on the January 28 promise he will have to ask for and get from Congress $6.3 billion in the next two years. If history is a guide, he won't ask for it. On June 7th we again saw how Mr. Bush can use sleight of hand to make a little money seem more than it actually is. On that date Mr. Bush met with Tony Blair who had two things he wanted to discuss with Mr. Bush. One was Global Warming, something Mr. Bush does not understand and, not understanding, does not believe in. The other was funding for Africa. Mr. Blair hoped to persuade Mr. Bush to provide more money for that beleaguered part of the world than the U.S. is now giving. (Although the United States contributes more aid to Africa than any other country, providing approximately one-quarter of the total amount of aid that is given, it gives only $.16 for every $100 of national income compared with the major European nations that presently give $.36 for each $100 of national income and have pledged to increase that to $.51 by 2010. Japan has pledged to double its contribution within three years.) During the meeting Mr. Bush promised to release $674 million in aid. What he didn't point out but the media did, was that it was money that had already been appropriated by Congress. Mr. Bush promised no new money at that meeting. Commenting on Africa's plight Mr. Blair said Africa's poverty is: "the fundamental moral challenge of our time." Mr. Blair hopes to develop a Marshall Plan for Africa. Mr. Bush won't help out. According to the New York Time when asked about Mr. Blair's proposal he responded: "It doesn't fit our budgetary process." Compassion often doesn't. Christopher Brauchli is a lawyer in Boulder, Colorado. He
can be reached at: Brauchli.56@post.harvard.edu
or through his website: http://hraos.com/
|