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Now Available from CounterPunch for Only $11.50 (S/H Included) Today's Stories December 26, 2003 Gary Leupp Bush Doings: Doing the Language December 25, 2003 Diane Christian The Christmas Story Elaine Cassel This Christmas, the World is Too Much With Us Susan Davis Jinglebells, Hold the Schlock Kristen Ess Bethlehem Celebrates Christmas, While Rafah Counts the Dead Francis Boyle Oh Little Town of Bethlehem Alexander Cockburn The Magnificient 9 Guthrie / Albert Another Colorful Season   December 24, 2003 M. Shahid Alam The Semantics of Empire William S. Lind Marley's List for Santa in Wartime Josh Frank Iraqi Oil: First Come, First Serve Cpt. Paul Watson The Mad Cowboy Was Right Robert Lopez Nuance and Innuendo in the War on Iraq December 23, 2003 Brian J. Foley Duck and Cover-up Will Youmans Sharon's Ultimatum Michael Donnelly Here They Come Again: Another Big Green Fiasco Uri Avnery Sharon's Speech: the Decoded Version December 22, 2003 Jeffrey St. Clair Pray to Play: Bush's Faith-Based National Parks Patrick Gavin What Would Lincoln Do? Marjorie Cohn How to Try Saddam: Searching for a Just Venue Kathy Kelly The Two Troublemakers: "Guilty of Being Palestinians in Iraq"   December 20 / 21, 2003 Alexander Cockburn How to Kill Saddam Saul Landau Bush Tries Farce as Cuba Policy Rafael Hernandez Empire and Resistance: an Interview with Tariq Ali David Vest Our Ass and Saddam's Hole Kurt Nimmo Bush Gets Serious About Killing Iraqis Greg Weiher Lessons from the Israeli School on How to Win Friends in the Islamic World Christopher Brauchli Arrest, Smear, Slink Away: Dr. Lee and Cpt. Yee Carol Norris Cheers of a Clown: Saddam and the Gloating Bush Bruce Jackson The Nameless and the Detained: Bush's Disappeared Juliana Fredman A Sealed Laboratory of Repression Mickey Z. Holiday Spirit at the UN Ron Jacobs In the Wake of Rebellion: The Prisoner's Rights Movement and Latino Prisoners Josh Frank Sen. Max Baucus: the Slick Swindler John L. Hess Slow Train to the Plane Adam Engel Black is Indeed Beautiful Ben Tripp The Relevance of Art in Times of Crisis Michael Neumann Rhythm and Race Poets' Basement Cullen, Engel, Albert & Guthrie December 19, 2003 Elaine Cassel Courts Rebuke Bush for Trampling the Constitution Robert Fisk Raid on Fantasyville: Shooting Samarra's Schoolboys in the Back Zoltan Grossman The Occupation Has Failed to "Capture" the Loyalty of Iraqis Mike Whitney Bush's Afghan Highway to Nowhere Harold Gould Has the Radical Arab Strategy Really Worked? Gary Leupp The Neocon's Dream Memo     December 18, 2003 Ann Harrison A Landmark Victory for Medical Pot John L. Hess Catfish Blues: The SOB's from Out of Town Karyn Strickler Ebola is Good for You! Niranjan Ramakrishnan Duryodhana Dies Harry Browne Hail Jim Hickey, the "Irish Hero" of the Colonial Occupation of Iraq Hammond Guthrie Captured in Abasement December 17, 2003 Robert Fisk Saddam's Cold Comforts Gideon Levy "Don't Even Think About the Children" Marjorie Cohn The Fortuitous Arrest of Saddam: a Pyrrhic Victory? Andrew Cockburn Saddam's Last Act December 16, 2003 Robert Fisk Getting Saddam...15 Years Too Late Mahajan / Jensen Saddam in Irons: The Hard Truths Remain John Halle Matt Gonzalez and Me Josh Frank The Democrats and Saddam Tariq Ali Saddam on Parade: the New Model of Imperialism December 15, 2003 Robert Fisk The Capture of Saddam Won't Stop the Guerrilla War Dave Lindorff The Saddam Dilemma Abu Spinoza Blowback on the Stand: The Trial of Saddam Hussein Norman Solomon For Telling the Truth: the Strange Case of Katharine Gun Patrick Cockburn The Capture of Saddam Stew Albert Joy to the World   December 13 / 14, 2003 Bill and Kathleen Christison Chickenhearts at Notre Dame: the Pervasive Fear of Talking About the Israeli Connection Stan Goff Jessica Lynch, Plural Tariq Ali The Same Old Racket in Iraq Jeffrey St. Clair The Map is not the Territory Marty Bender / Stan Cox Dr. Atkins vs. the Planet Christopher Brauchli Mercury Rising: the EPA's Presents to Industry Gary Leupp On Marriage in "Recorded History", an Open Letter to Gov. Mitt Romney Sasan Fayazmanesh The Saga of Iran's Alleged WMD Larry Everest Saddam, Oil and Empire: Supply v. Demand William S. Lind How to Fight a 4th Generation War Fran Shor From Vietnam to Iraq: Counterinsurgency and Insurgency Ron Jacobs Child Abuse as Public Policy Omar Barghouti Relative Humanity and a Just Peace in the Middle East Adam Engel Pretty Damn Evil: an Interview with Ed Herman Kristin Van Tassel Breastfeeding Compromised Ben Tripp On Getting Stabbed Susan Davis "The Secret Lives of Dentists", a Review Dave Zirin Does Dylan Still Matter? an Interview with Mike Marqusee Norman Madarasz Searching for the Barbarians Poets' Basement Guthrie and Albert Website of the Weekend Dean on Race     December 12, 2003 Josh Frank Halliburton, Timber and Dean Chris Floyd The Inhuman Stain Dave Lindorff Infanticide as Liberation: Hiding the Dead Babies Benjamin Dangl Another Two Worlds Are Possible? Jean-Paul Barrois Two States or One? an Interview with Sami Al-Deeb on the Geneva Accords David Vest Bush Drops the Mask: They Died for Halliburton   December 11, 2003 Siegfried Sassoon A Soldier's Declaration Against War Douglas Valentine Preemptive Manhunting: the CIA's New Assassination Program John Chuckman The Parable of Samarra Peter Phillips US Hypocrisy on War Crimes: Corp Media Goes Along for the Ride James M. Carter The Merchants of Blood: War Profiteering from Vietnam to Iraq December 10, 2003 Kurt Nimmo The War According to Newt Gingrich Pat Youngblood / Robert Jensen Workers Rights are Human Rights Jeff Guntzel On Killing Children CounterPunch Wire Ashcroft Threatens to Subpoena Journalist's Notes in Stewart Case Dave Lindorff Gore's Judas Kiss December 9, 2003 Michael Donnelly A Gentle Warrior Passes: Craig Beneville's Quiet Thunder Chris White A Glitch in the Matrix: Where is East Timor Today? Abu Spinoza The Occupation Concertina: Pentagon Punishes Iraqis Israeli Style Laura Carlsen The FTAA: a Broken Consensus Richard Trainor Process and Profits: the California Bullet Train, Then and Now Josh Frank Politicians as Usual: Gore Dean and the Greens Ron Jacobs Remembering John Lennon   December 8, 2003 Newton Garver Bolivia at a Crossroads John Borowski The Fall of a Forest Defender: the Exemplary Life of Craig Beneville William Blum Anti-Empire Report: Revised Inspirations for War Tess Harper When Christians Kill Thom Rutledge My Next Step Carol Wolman, MD Nuclear Terror and Psychic Numbing Michael Neumann Ignatieff: Apostle of He-manitariansim Website of the Day Bust Bob Novak   December 6 / 7, 2003 Alexander Cockburn The UN: Should Be Late; Never Was Great CounterPunch Special Toronto Globe and Mail Kills Review of "The Politics of Anti-Semitism" Vicente Navarro Salvador Dali, Fascist Saul Landau "Reality Media": Michael Jackson, Bush and Iraq Ben Tripp How Bush Can Still Win Gary Leupp On Purchasing Syrian Beer Ron Jacobs Are We Doing Body Counts, Now? Larry Everest Oil, Power and Empire Lee Sustar Defying the Police State in Miami Jacob Levich When NGOs Attack: Implications for the Coup in Georgia Toni Solo Game Playing by Free Trade Rules: the Results from Indonesia and Dominican Republic Mark Scaramella How to Fix the World Bank Bruce Anderson The San Francisco Mayor's Race Brian Cloughley Shredding the Owner's Manual: the Hollow Charter of the UN Adam Engel A Conversation with Tim Wise Neve Gordon Fuad and Ezra: an Update on Gays Under the Occupation Kurt Nimmo Bush Gives "Freedom" Medal to Robert Bartley Tom Stephens Justice Takes a Holiday Susan Davis Avast, Me Hearties! a Review of Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean" Jeffrey St. Clair A Natural Eye: the Photography of Brett Weston Mickey Z. Press Box Red Poets' Basement Greeder, Orloski, Albert T-shirt of the Weekend Got Santorum?     December 5, 2003 Jeremy Scahill Bremer of the Tigris Jeremy Brecher Amistad Revisited at Guantanamo? Norman Solomon Dean and the Corp Media Machine Norman Madarasz France Starts Facing Up to Anti-Muslim Discrimination Pablo Mukherjee Afghanistan: the Road Back December 4, 2003 M. Junaid Alam Image and Reality: an Interview with Norman Finkelstein Adam Engel Republican Chris Floyd Naked Gun: Sex, Blood and the FBI Adam Federman The US Footprint in Central Asia Gary Leupp The Fall of Shevardnadze Guthrie / Albert RIP Clark Kerr December 3, 2003 Stan Goff Feeling More Secure Yet?: Bush, Security, Energy & Money Joanne Mariner Profit Margins and Mortality Rates George Bisharat Who Caused the Palestinian Diaspora? Mickey Z. Tear Down That Wal-Mart John Stanton Bush Post-2004: a Nightmare Scenario Harry Browne Shannon Warport: "No More Business as Usual"   December 2, 2003 Matt Vidal Denial and Deception: Before and Beyond Iraqi Freedom Benjamin Dangl An Interview with Evo Morales on the Colonization of the Americas Sam Bahour Can It Ever Really End? Norman Solomon That Pew Poll on "Trade" Doesn't Pass the Sniff Test Josh Frank Trade War Fears Andrew Cockburn Tired, Terrified, Trigger-Happy December 1, 2003 Fawzia Afzal-Khan Unholy Alliances: Zionism, US Imperialism and Islamic Fundamentalism Dave Lindorff Bush's Baghdad Pitstop: Memories of LBJ in Vietnam Harry Browne Democracy Delayed in Northern Ireland Wayne Madsen Wagging the Media Herman Benson The New Unity Partnership for Labor: Bureaucratizing to Organize? Gilad Atzmon About "World Peace" Bill Christison US Foreign Policy and Intelligence: Monstrous Messes November 29 / 30, 2003 Peter Linebaugh On the Anniversary of the Death of Wolfe Tone Gary Leupp Politicizing War on Fox News: a Tale of Two Memos Saul Landau Lying and Cheating: Bush's New Political Math Michael Adler Inside a Miami Jail: One Activist's Narrative Anthony Arnove "They Put the Lie to Their Own Propaganda": an Interview with John Pilger Greg Weiher Why Bush Needs Osama and Saddam Stephen Banko, III A Soldier's Dream Forrest Hylton Empire and Revolution in Bolivia Toni Solo The "Free Trade" History Eraser Ben Terrall Don't Think Twice: Bush Does Bali Standard Schaefer Unions are the Answer to Supermarkets Woes Richard Trainor The Political Economy of Earthquakes: a Journey Across the Bay Bridge Mark Gaffney US Congress Does Israel's Bidding, Again Adam Engel The System Really Works Dave Lindorff They, the Jury: How the System Rigs the Jury Pool Susan Davis Framing the Friedmans Neve Gordon Arundhati Roy's Complaint for Peace Mitchel Cohen Thomas Jefferson and Slavery Ben Tripp Capture Me, Daddy Poets' Basement Kearney, Albert, Guthrie and Smith     November 28, 2003 William S. Lind Worse Than Crimes David Vest Turkey Potemkin Robert Jensen / Sam Husseini New Bush Tape Raises Fears of Attacks Wayne Madsen Wag the Turkey Harold Gould Suicide as WMD? Emile Durkheim Revisited Gabriel Kolko Vietnam and Iraq: Has the US Learned Anything? South Asia Tribune The Story of the Most Important Pakistan Army General in His Own Words Website of the Day Bush Draft November 27, 2003 Mitchel Cohen Why I Hate Thanksgiving Jack Wilson An Account of One Soldier's War Stefan Wray In the Shadows of the School of the Americas Al Krebs Food as Corporate WMD Jim Scharplaz Going Up Against Big Food: Weeding Out the Small Farmer Neve Gordon Gays Under Occupation: Help Save the Life of Fuad Moussa   November 26, 2003 Paul de Rooij Amnesty International: the Case of a Rape Foretold Bruce Jackson Media and War: Bringing It All Back Home Stew Albert Perle's Confession: That's Entertainment Alexander Cockburn Miami and London: Cops in Two Cities David Orr Miami Heat Tom Crumpacker Anarchists on the Beach Mokhiber / Weissman Militarization in Miami Derek Seidman Naming the System: an Interview with Michael Yates Kathy Kelly Hogtied and Abused at Ft. Benning Website of the Day Iraq Procurement   November 25, 2003 Linda S. Heard We, the Besieged: Western Powers Redefine Democracy Diane Christian Hocus Pocus in the White House: Of Warriors and Liberators Mark Engler Miami's Trade Troubles David Lindorff Ashcroft's Cointelpro Website of the Day Young McCarthyites of Texas November 24, 2003 Jeremy Scahill The Miami Model Elaine Cassel Gulag Americana: You Can't Come Home Again Ron Jacobs Iraq Now: Oh Good, Then the War's Over? Alexander Cockburn Rupert Murdoch: Global Tyrant   Hot Stories Alexander Cockburn Behold, the Head of a Neo-Con! Subcomandante Marcos The Death Train of the WTO Norman Finkelstein Hitchens as Model Apostate Steve Niva Israel's Assassination Policy: the Trigger for Suicide Bombings? Dardagan, Slobodo and Williams CounterPunch Exclusive: 20,000 Wounded Iraqi Civilians Steve J.B. Prison Bitch Sheldon Rampton and John Stauber True Lies: the Use of Propaganda in the Iraq War Wendell Berry Small Destructions Add Up CounterPunch Wire WMD: Who Said What When Cindy Corrie A Mother's Day Talk: the Daughter I Can't Hear From Gore Vidal The Erosion of the American Dream Francis Boyle Impeach Bush: A Draft Resolution Click Here for More Stories.     Subscribe Online Search CounterPunch

Weekend Edition December 27 / 28, 2003 Meet the Relations Crumblecake and Fish By ADAM ENGEL Christmas. Crumblecake and Fish. At least that's what I thought they said, though on the table was roast beef, chocolate cake and various pastries, none of them crumbly. No crumblecake. No fish. RelativeShe and RelativeHe had watched a show about Crumblecake and Fish on some mainstream news show. Crumblecake and Fish is a company that specializes in clothing meant for white people, RelativeHe explained. "What white people," I asked. "How can you specialize in clothing for white people and not yellow or brown people?" "Well, yeah," both RelativeHe and RelativeShe agreed--especially since RelativeShe is not white at all, but yellow or Korean or whatever you want to call this arbitrary junk genetic distinction between human hues. "What about me?" I asked. "No, definitely not your kind of white people," they agreed. "So shouldn't I be wearing clothes made for black people?" "I don't know, I don't think they make clothing just for black people. Anyway if they did, it wouldn't look right on you," said RelativeShe. "Why not?" "Because nothing looks good on you. You're a sartorial anomaly," said RelativeShe. "Oh yeah, true. But getting back to the clothing made for white people..." "Well not All white people," sniffed RelativeHe. "I would think not, because a lot of people I know wear clothing designed for black people even though most black people stopped wearing that stuff years ago," I said. "You're confusing the issue," said RelativeShe. "I'm just trying to understand how you can make clothing for white people and not for black people, I mean -" "Okay, okay--rich white people," said RelativeHe. "Oh, now I get it. So if a Rich Black Guy like Bill Cosby -" "Exactly. Bill Cosby could wear their clothes but most black people wouldn't look good in them," said RelativeHe. "Bill Cosby's no Denzel Washington," I said. "Well, Denzel could wear these clothes too," said RelativeHe. "But they're both black I thought you meant_" "You know what we mean," snapped RelativeShe. "We mean regular black people wouldn't shop for this company's line." "Because regular black people think these clothes are ugly? I sure do. I think -" "No, because regular black people can't afford them," said RelativeHe. "Okay, so this company specializes in clothing only Rich White People could buy even if they're black?" I said. "Exactly," said RelativeHe. "So, what's the problem?" I asked. "Well, since they focus on clothing for white people -" began RelativeHe. "-- and rich black people," I added "Yeah right," RelativeHe was growing annoyed. "Because they focus on this kind of product, they only hire white people." "Rich White People?" I asked. "Don't be stupid. Why would a rich white person want one of their jobs?" said RelativeShe. "What about executives?" I asked. "Okay, executives," agreed RelativeShe. "But there are no rich black executives of this company," I said. "Exactly," said RelativeShe. "Which makes sense, because they specialize in -" "But you just said rich black people would wear their stuff, so I don't understand -" "It doesn't matter what you understand," huffed RelativeHe. "There are no black people, rich poor or middle class in this company. Period." "Isn't that illegal?" I asked. "That's what a bunch of people are crying about, even people who don't work for the company and never plan on working for the company, just on making trouble," said RelativeHe. "Well the black folks who sat down at that lunch counter at Woolworth's weren't planning on eating there every day, they just -" "This is not that kind of issue," snapped RelativeShe. "This is not like that. You're just like those people complaining, mixing politics where it doesn't belong." "Just like black people don't belong in this company," I said. "Exactly, because they don't make stuff for black people," said RelativeHe. "Unless they're rich," I added. "Forget about rich black people. There aren't enough in this whole country to make a damn difference," said RelativeHe. "Well no wonder, cause they can't even get jobs in this old clothing company," I said. "That's not why they're not rich," said RelativeShe. "No one gets rich working These jobs," said RelativeShe. "So what's the problem?" I asked. "There is no problem, these trouble-makers are saying they're discriminating against black people," said RelativeShe. "Well, aren't they?" I asked. "Well, yeah, but not because they're black for goddsakes. Because they don't make their kind of clothes," said RelativeShe. "What kind of cloths?" "Black clothes!" "You mean like Heavy Metal and Punk stuff?" "What black people wear!" RelativeShe was getting sort of pissed. "What do black people wear?" "Who cares what they wear? They just don't wear this company's clothes," said RelativeHe. "Unless they're rich," I reminded him. "Forget about rich!" he snapped. "But that's discrimination," I said. "Exactly," said RelativeShe. "It doesn't matter if you discriminate against the rich, and it doesn't matter if you don't hire people who can't sell your clothes. You wouldn't hire a guy to work at Hooters, for god's sake." "Well, actually, there was a case a few years back -" "A troublemaker!" barked RelativeHe. "That guy didn't really want to work at hooters any more than I do." "Then black people don't REALLY want to work at this company -" "How should I don't know? It doesn't matter, because they wouldn't be right for the job. Even a black guy said it," said RelativeHe. "Which black guy said what?" I asked. "The black guy who was on the news show," said RelativeShe. He used the example of the black entertainment network." "The what?" "Totally clueless. See what happens when you don't watch television?" she said, exasperated, to RelativeHe. "They only have black shows and only hire black actors," RelativeHe explained. "So you think this is right?" I asked. "Of Course it's right," said RelativeShe. That's what that whole civil rights thing was about." "To give everybody the right to be segregated like white people?" "No, stupid. To give them the power to hire who they want. Anyway, this guy on the news -" "The black guy," I said. "Yes, the black guy," said RelativeShe. "It's called fair and balanced reporting. They ask a black guy his opinion and if he says there's nothing wrong with it, there' nothing wrong with it." "One black guy." "Yes, that's called individualism," RelativeHe chimed in. "Individual rights and all that." "For one black guy to speak for all black people on earth," I said. "He's not speaking for anyone but himself, but if he thinks its okay, its okay, because we all have individual liberties and that stuff," said RelativeHe. "So anyway, this black guy's interviewed and he sees nothing wrong with it because there's no way the Black Entertainment Network is gonna hire Dan Rather, even if he's the best reporter in America, because they want a black anchorman. It's their right, just like it's the right of Crumblecake and Fish to sell white peoples' clothing and hire white people to make them." "White people make the clothing?" I asked. "Well no of course not," said RelativeHe. "They're made in Vietnam or Pakistan or somewhere, but white people design them and sell them and all of that and its their right because they know what white people want." "They don't know what I want," I said. "REGULAR white people, not political troublemakers," said RelativeHe. "Yes, it really does make sense if you think about it," said RelativeShe. "They're not doing anything illegal. In fact, Mr. Smarty Pants, they even hired a black Lawyer." "They don't hire black people, but suddenly they hire a black lawyer?" "Yes, because that's the point. A black person doesn't know how white people should dress, but he can definitely understand the law, because under the law We're All Equal. It makes perfect sense." "So you're saying segregation makes perfect sense?" I said. "No, that's not what I said at all," said RelativeShe. "Forget about it, he's impossible to talk to," said RelativeHe. "Yes, you're right. That's his problem." RelativeShe looked at me and sighed. "What's my problem?" I asked. "You don't know anything. We can't discuss serious issues with you because you never watch the news. If you only got off the computer or away from those books to watch TV once in a while, like a NORMAL person, you'd know exactly what we're talking about." Adam Engel wears tuxedos in honor of the Penguin at bartleby.samsa@verizon.net Weekend Edition Features for Dec. 20 / 21, 2003 Alexander Cockburn How to Kill Saddam Saul Landau Bush Tries Farce as Cuba Policy Rafael Hernandez Empire and Resistance: an Interview with Tariq Ali David Vest Our Ass and Saddam's Hole Kurt Nimmo Bush Gets Serious About Killing Iraqis Greg Weiher Lessons from the Israeli School on How to Win Friends in the Islamic World Christopher Brauchli Arrest, Smear, Slink Away: Dr. Lee and Cpt. Yee Carol Norris Cheers of a Clown: Saddam and the Gloating Bush Bruce Jackson The Nameless and the Detained: Bush's Disappeared Juliana Fredman A Sealed Laboratory of Repression Mickey Z. Holiday Spirit at the UN Ron Jacobs In the Wake of Rebellion: The Prisoner's Rights Movement and Latino Prisoners Josh Frank Sen. Max Baucus: the Slick Swindler John L. Hess Slow Train to the Plane Adam Engel Black is Indeed Beautiful Ben Tripp The Relevance of Art in Times of Crisis Michael Neumann Rhythm and Race Poets' Basement Cullen, Engel, Albert & Guthrie Keep CounterPunch Alive: Make a Tax-Deductible Donation Today Online! home / subscribe / about us / books / archives / search / links /