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Should the Left Cheer the Dollar's Drop? How to make the bankers scream: Robert Pollin, world's best obituarist of Clintonomics, explains it all for you. Do police states make people feel safer? Vicente Navarro on Franco's Spain, Cockburn on Ireland in the Fifties under the Catholic Hierarchy, Alevtina Rea on growing up in Brezhnev-time. Capitalism's true utopia? St Clair on the Pentagon's no-bid arms contracts. How's the press doing in Iraq? Patrick Cockburn tells all to Omar Waraich. 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 |
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Other Lands Have Dreams: From Baghdad to Pekin Prison by KATHY KELLY ![]() Today's Stories May 23, 2005 Esther
Sassaman / Thomas Nagy May 21 / 22, 2005 David
H. Price Gabriel
García Márquez Oren
Ben-Dor Gary
Leupp Laith
al-Saud Elaine
Cassel Greg
Moses Fred
Gardner Dave
Lindorff Alan
Maass William
Blum Tom
Crumpacker Niranjan
Ramakrishnan Doug
Giebel Evelyn
J. Pringle Carolyn
Baker Chris
Floyd Frederick
B. Hudson Ben
Tripp Poets'
Basement
May 20, 2005 Dave
Lindorff Kevin
Zeese Paul
de Rooij Christopher
Brauchli Mark
Engler Joshua
Frank Robert
Jensen Jeffery
R. Webber
May 19, 2005 Bill
Forman Stan
Goff Neve
Gordon Michael
Dickinson Karyn
Strickler Andrew
Freedman Paul
Craig Roberts
May 18, 2005 Jean
Bricmont Laura
Carlsen Mike
Whitney Joshua
Frank George
Galloway Manuel
Garcia, Jr. Dwight
D. Eisenhower Dave
Lindorff May 17, 2005 Mickey
Z. Petuuche
Gilbert Paul
Craig Roberts Ramzy
Baroud Robert
Jensen / Pat Youngblood Stan
Cox Dave
Zirin Diana
Barahona Website
of the Day May 16, 2005 Michael
Gillespie Jason
Leopold Jesse
Muldoon Norman
Solomon Robert
Cray Patrick
Cockburn Website
of the Day
May 14 / 15, 2005 Alexander
Cockburn Saul
Landau Gary
Leupp JoAnn
Wypijewski Ben
Tripp Brian
J. Foley Tom
Barry Mitchell
Verter Mike
Ferner Dan
Smith Mark
Scaramella Don
Fitz Diane
Farsetta Michael
Dickinson Ron
Jacobs Fred
Gardner Farrah
Hassen Douglas
Valentine Poets'
Basement Website
of the Weekend May 13, 2005 Tom
Stephens Patrick
Cockburn Mike
Whitney Chris
Floyd Jenna
Orkin Dave
Lindorff Joshua
Frank Website
of the Day
May 12, 2005 Paul
Craig Roberts Uri
Avnery Greg
Moses Carolyn
Baker Pat
Williams William
S. Lind Jack
Random Gary
Leupp
May 11, 2005 Patrick
Cockburn Kevin
Zeese Christopher
Brauchli Zalman
Amit Robert
Shull Mike
Whitney Dr.
Teresa Whitehurst Norman
Solomon
May 10, 2005 Richard
Drayton Dave
Zirin Jackie
Corr Dave
Lindorff Michael
Donnelly Reza
Fiyouzat Scott
Parkin Stephen
Babcock Alan
Farago Michael
Neumann Website
of the Day
May 9, 2005 Louis
Proyect Robert
Fisk Kevin
Zeese Joshua
Frank Sasha
Kramer Andrew
Wimmer Jeffrey
Webber Jeffrey
St. Clair
May 7 / 8, 2005 Alexander
Cockburn Gary
Leupp Saul
Landau Joe
DeRaymond Daniela
Ponce Heather
Williams Gregory
Elich Anis
Memon John
Chuckman Mike
Whitney Ron
Jacobs Colin
Kalmbacher Lance
Selfa Fred
Gardner Ben
Tripp Mickey
Z. Richard
Joseph Dr.
Susan Block Poets'
Basement
May 6, 2005 Patrick
Cockburn Erin
Yoshioka Sam
Husseini Dave
Lindorff Kevin
Zeese Joshua
Frank Dan
Bacher P.
Sainath
May 5, 2005 Carles
Mutaner Carl
G. Estabrook Farrah
Hassen Kevin
Zeese Michael
Leonardi Bennett
Ramberg Ray
McGovern Norman
Solomon Nicole
Colson Brian
Concannon, Jr.
May 4, 2005 Colin
Kalmbacher John
Walsh Greg
Moses Ali
Khan Chris
Floyd Linda
S. Heard Dave
Zirin William
S. Lind Gary
Leupp Website
of the Day
May 3, 2005 Dave
Lindorff Brian
Cloughley Ira
Kurzban Seth
Sandronsky Gilad
Atzmon Michael
Donnelly Alex
Sanchez Peter
Linebaugh
May 2, 2005 Ron
Jacobs Stan
Goff Karyn
Strickler Joshua
Frank Kevin
Zeese Vicente
Navarro
April 30 / May 1, 2005 Alexander
Cockburn Gabriel
Kolko Jennifer
Loewenstein Lee
Sustar Saul
Landau T.W.
Croft Nikolas
Kozloff William
Blum Dave
Lindorff Joshua
Frank Doug
Giebel Steven
Erlanger Fred
Gardner Mike
Whitney Kurt
Nimmo Joe
DeRaymond Michael
Dickinson Mickey
Z. Justin
Taylor Poets
Basement Website
of the Weekend
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
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May 23, 2005 Censoring the "Carnival of Chaos"Pictures at an ExhibitionBy MICHAEL DICKINSON I first tried my hand at political collage in a London bed-sit in early eighties London, using pictures from discarded magazines I'd collected from bins and skips. First efforts were vaguely about poverty and ecology, but as my political awareness increased I began to include the figures of Power at that time, mainly Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan. I molded their well known faces onto alien bodies and put them in strange situations and backgrounds, getting cheekier as I discovered I could get away with it, and even have the pictures shown at places where people enjoyed seeing their masters ridiculed in such a manner. Thatcher's jaws yawned dangerously as Ridley Scott's Alien; a grinning Ronald Reagan swept down to tear the suspended body of Christ in eagle talons. By the mid eighties I'd moved out of the bedsit into a Brixton squat and the pictures were still making themselves. Shuffling through the cut out pictures, images would suggest themselves and I'd either reject or agree and glue them down. A front cover of the 'Sunday Times' supplement of the Queen gingerly sipping from the coconut in her white gloved hand during a South Seas visit, and an 'Observer' one of the Pope slumped on his throne, plus a hard-on cut out of a gay porno mag, merged into the image of Her Majesty giving His Holiness a blow job in the depths of Hell! (That was a popular one - black and white photocopies were seen as far as Germany.) In a rut in 86, tired of being arrested at demos and evicted from squats, I left the country vowing never to return until Thatcher was out of power. And I didn't either. Yes, time passed and my collage making days seemed to be over. Until along came the eleventh of September 2001 - and the reaction to it of the American President, George Walker Bush. My itching fingers sought out scissors, gum and magazines. A thousand images later in 2005, (of Bush, Blair, Bin Laden, Condi, the Popes, Sharon, his late pal Arafat, old Uncle Colin Powell and all), apart from exhibitions in Istanbul and London, I was showing the pictures on the website I set up in 2002, 'Carnival of Chaos' -- named after the description a Turkish journalist wrote in a review. Leading up to the first attack on Iraq the pictures poured out daily. A depressed cease-fire lasted for months after the invasion, but then a renewed assault began. On all of them who keep the corrupt system going -- Church, Royalty, and Politicians and Corporations. After nearly three years 'Carnival of Chaos' had become quite popular, sometimes with hundreds of visitors a day, making it necessary to pay for extra bandwidth every month. So it was a bit of a surprise when I logged in on Sunday morning, only to find that the site had been removed. It was gone. Disappeared. Checking out my Site Builder I found the following message:
I wrote to Tripod asking them to explain the reason for the removal, but so far have only received this auto-acknowledgement:
During its three year lifespan 'Carnival of Chaos' has carried some fairly disturbing and/or amusing images reflecting the interesting times we live in, but Tripod bravely allowed all to pass. Images such as Mother Teresa teaching Birth Control; Donald Rumsfeld performing a ceremony with the decapitated head of an Iraqi child, Jesus throwing up at the Apartheid Wall in Occupied Palestine, Blair being lobotomized, and Sharon assassinating Arafat. Most of the images were self explanatory, but some required background information. To fully appreciate 'The Royal Wedding' picture of a used tampon sticking out of a souvenir mug celebrating the nuptials of Charles and Camilla, it helped to remember the infamous taped phone conversation where the future King wished he could be with her in such a form. But President Bush was definitely the star of the show. Bush as a vampire; Bush as a baby; a monkey; a cowboy; as an insect, a madman, every kind of animal, Hitler, Crusader, Pharoah, entertainer, warrior, dummy, alien, terrorist, hostage, jester, monster, king, threat to the world. In four of the collages he is being assassinated by the only person suitable for the job -- good old Jesus! On Friday the British newspaper The Sun flashed a smuggled picture on its front page of prisoner Saddam Hussein in his underpants. Bush pledged an investigation. 'Carnival of Chaos' has featured nudes in the past and got away with it. Sharon's ample form has been laid bare several times; Condi's been done; and even Laura, the President's charming wife has revealed all on the website without complaint or closure by server Tripod. But it seems they finally lost patience at the posting of this latest image -- TYRANT'S PANTS. A wise friend commented:
President Bush is always going on about 'freedom'. Where is my freedom of artistic expression? Where is freedom in general -- anywhere? America should be a beacon of liberalism and freedom. It should be helping and healing the world, not attacking, robbing and raping it. Not 'Land of the Free and Home of the Brave' at all, but Land of the Fee and Home of the Slave!' Whatever -- here for your delectation is the last image displayed on 'Carnival of Chaos'. ![]() Probably the last straw that caused Tripod to call an end to the show with the words:
Would that we could say the same thing to this man!
MICHAEL DICKINSON is a writer and artist who works as
an English teacher in Istanbul, Turkey. He designed the cover
art for two CounterPunch books, Serpents
in the Garden and Dime's Worth of Difference,
as well as Grand
Theft Pentagon, forthcoming from Common Courage Press. He
can be reached at: mdickinson@kablonet.com.tr
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