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Today's
Stories
July
28, 2005
Amina
Mire
Pigmentation and Empire: the Emerging
Skin-Whitening Industry
July
27, 2005
Roger
Morris
The Source Beyond Rove: Condoleezza
Rice at the Center of the Plame Scandal
Gary
Leupp
Is Iran Being Set Up?
Paul
Craig Roberts
US Falling Behind Across the Board
Jackie
Corr
Class War on the Ruby River: the Billionaire with His Foot in
His Mouth
Mike
Whitney
The Coming End of the Housing Bubble
Dave
Zirin
Why Lance Armstrong Must Break with Bush
Christopher
Bradley
Why I Have Trouble Reading the News
Norman
Solomon
Thomas Friedman, Liberal Sadist?
Website
of the Day
Stormin' Norman
July
26, 2005
Suren
Pillay
The Enemy Within: When the "Other"
is One of "Us"
JoAnn
Wypijewski
Fission and Fizzle in Chicago: SEIU and
Teamsters Quit the AFL
Patrick
Cockburn
Iraq: the Unwinnable War
David
Anderson
When the Greatest Outrage is the Lack of Outrage: NYC's Subway
Searches
Joshua
Frank
Hillary Clinton: Outflanking Bush from the Right
Lenni
Brenner
Biography as Wish-Fulfillment: Jefferson, Hitchens and Atheism
David
Swanson
Nuking Native Land
July
25, 2005
Paul
Craig Roberts
China-Mart Takes Over
M.
Shahid Alam
Terrorism: America Defines Its Targets
Uri
Avnery
March of the Orange Shirts
Stan
Cox
Kreationism in Kansas
Norman
Solomon
"Wagging the Puppy"
Ramzy
Baroud
London Bombings: Barbaric, But Not
Unexpected
Mickey
Z.
No Gun Ri: 55 Years Later
Website
of the Day
The Birth of a Hummingbird in 15 Images
July
23 / 24, 2005
Alexander
Cockburn
Islamo-Anarchs or Islamo-Fascists?
Tariq
Ali
The War Comes Home
Robert
Fisk
Something Happened
Dave
Lindorff
Return of the Academic Witch Hunts
Ricardo
Alarcón
Kidnapping in Miami: the UN, the US and the Cuban 5
Col.
Dan Smith
Living in a Twilight Zone: Troop Strength,
Recruitment and the Draft
Brian
Cloughley
The Pentagon's China Hypocrisy
Kevin
Zeese
Growing Republican Opposition to Iraq War
Bill
Quigley
Harrowing Hours in Haiti
Fred
Gardner
The Reverberations of Raich
Rep.
Ron Paul
The Patriot Act is a Threat to Liberty
Joshua
Frank
Framing Abortion: Gonadal Politics and the Democrats
Shivali
Tukdeo
Project Mumbai Makeover: Casualties of Development
Gilad
Atzmon
Blair's "Evil Ideology"
James
Petras
Baghdad: Barbarism and Civilization (a Fiction)
Ben
Tripp
When Being American Was Fun
Poets'
Basement
Krieger, Louise, Buknatski, Albert and Engel
Website
of the Weekend
Remember the West Memphis 3
July
22, 2005
Heather
Gray
Home Grown Axis of Evil: Corp. Agribusiness,
the Occupation of Iraq and the Dred Scott Decision
David
Domke
The American Press and Credibility
Lance
Selfa
Battle of the Insiders: No Heroes in the Plame Leak Scandal
JoAnn
Wypijewski
Is This Really an "Insurgency"
to Shake Up the Labor Movement?
July
21, 2005
Rose
Ann DeMoro
The Top 10 Problems with the "Crisis"
in the Labor Movement
William
Blum
London: Another Casualty in the War on Terror
J.L.
Chestnut, Jr.
Whites Need to Learn Something: Dixie is Everywhere
Christopher
Brauchli
Strange Affairs: Liberals and Alberto
Gonzales
Joshua
Frank
Plame Blame Game: the 5 Ws
Brian
Concannon, Jr.
Haiti's Elections: Time for a Reality Check
Patrick
Cockburn
The True, Terrible State of Iraq
and the Link to London
Website
of the Day
Who Blew Up the Murrah Building?
July
20, 2005
Cockburn
/ St. Clair
Judge Roberts: Business as Usual
Roxanne
Dunbar-Ortiz
Red Christmas
Ray
McGovern
Did Dick Finger Valerie?: the Hand
of Cheney
Chris
Floyd
Judge Dread: John Roberts and the "Enemy
Combatants"
Uri
Avnery
"Silence is Filth"
Dave
Lindorff
Westmoreland's Body Count Goes Up
by One
Norman
Solomon
Gen. Westmoreland's Death Wish
Bill
Quigley
Travels in Haiti with a Wanted Priest
July
19, 2005
Tariq
Ali
An Isolated Regime
John
Ross
Jihad Meets G-8
Davey
D.
More
Clear Channel Censorship: "Don't F--K Around with Tha Police"
Greg
Weiher
Muzzling Saddam: the Old Bait-and-Switch
in Iraqi Jurisprudence
Brian
McKinlay
An "Arse Licker" Goes to Washington: John Howard's
Grand Tour
Norman
Solomon
Nukes for India; Threats for Iran
Dave
Lindorff
Get Back to Where We Once Belonged
Bill
Christison
Bush's Itinerary: First Stop Syria,
Next Stop Iran
Joshua
Frank
Laura's Justice?: Meet Edith Brown
Clement
July
18, 2005
Joshua
Frank
An Interview with Ward Churchill
M.
Shahid Alam
A Muslim Problem: Did Thomas Friedman
Flunk History?
Jude
Wanniski
Memo to Patrick Fitzgerald
Ron
Jacobs
A Weekend to Stop the War
Mike
Whitney
The Straight Line Between Falluja and King's Cross Station
William
MacDougall
From "Bring It On" to "London Can Take It"
Seth
Sandronsky
Temporary Recovery: New Frontiers in Labor Flexibility
Richard
Lichtman
The Consolations of George Lakoff
Paul
Craig Roberts
Can Congressional Republicans End
Bush's Wars?
Website
of the Weekend
Novels of the Neo-Cons
July
15 / 17, 2005
Alexander
Cockburn
Don't You Dare Call It Treason
Jeffrey
St. Clair
Sticky Fingers: the Making of Halliburton
Paul
Craig Roberts
Economic Treason
Harry
Browne
"What They Do to Us, They Will
Do to You": Shell Oil in Mayo, Ireland
Uri
Davis, Ilan Pappe and Tamar Yaron
A Warning from Israel
Andrew
Rubin
End of the Enlightenment: an Open Letter to Stephen Plaut
Patrick
Cockburn
Iraq's Ghost Battalions
J.L.
Chestnut, Jr.
Changes in Selma: Standing Up to Racism in the South
Fred
Gardner
A Professional Bust
Christopher
Brauchli
An Olympic Feat: How to "Double" Aid with No New Money
Chris
Floyd
The Great Iraq Oil Giveaway
Ben
Tripp
The Dark Incontinent
Col.
Dan Smith
General Abizaid, I'm Glad You Asked
Jason
Leopold
What Did Rove Say and When Did He
Say It?
Jack
Random
Miller Time
Norman
Solomon
War and Venture Capitalism
George
Ochenski
Liberate Montana's Rivers: Come One, Come All!
Website
of the Weekend
Vote for CounterPuncher David Vest
July
14, 2005
Jeffrey
St. Clair
Sticky Fingers: the Making of Halliburton
Subcomandante
Marcos
This is What Will Do and How We Shall Do It: the Sixth Declaration
of the Selva Lacandona
Dave
Lindorff
No More Moral Relativism: the US is a Terrorist State
Joshua
Frank
Rove Agency: Liberals and the CIA
Jude
Wanniski
Those 8 Black Pages: What's the Real Story on Karl Rove?
Dave
Zirin
Storming the Castle
Kevin
Zeese
Exit Strategy: Within Reach?
Robert
Jensen
War Myths and the Press
Reza
Fiyouzat
A Worldwide Call to Free Akbar Ganji
Carol
Norris
Governor Paranoid: Schwarzenegger Comes Unhinged
Website
of the Day
Nate Osborn: Heroic Human Rights Activist and CounterPuncher
July
13, 2005
Brian
Cloughley
Cold Blooded Murders in Iraq
George
Galloway
We Can't Separate the London Bombings
from the Political Backdrop
Carlos
Fierro
A Supreme Waste of Time
Sarah
Knopp
Hate on the Border
Norman
Solomon
"Isolated Pockets of Problems": the Fake Optimism of
Washington's Warriors
Mickey
Z.
Water on the Brain
Jim
Minick
The Right Tree in the Right Place
Pat
Williams
American Indian Education for All
Andrew
N. Rubin
Life Behind the Wall: "We are
No Longer Able to See the Sun Set"
Website
of the Day
"London's Burning": the Mikey Mix
July
12, 2005
Laith
al-Saud
Voices of Resistance: an Interview with
Dr. Mohammed al-Obaidi of Iraq's Peoples' Struggle Movement
Kara
N. Tina
"This is How We Do It": Report
from the Gleneagles Battlefield
William
A. Cook
The London Bombings: Why Has It Come to This?
Jack
Bratich
2 Live Cruise: Tom Cruise v. Big Pharma
Amina
Mire
The Problem with Speaking in the Name of Others
Dick
J. Reavis
Lessons from the Christian Jihadists:
the Virtues of Burning Crosses and Colored Smoke
Kevin
Zeese
Depleted Uranium: States Take Action to Protect Their Vets
Paul
Craig Roberts
No-Think Nation
Website
of the Day
Coke Gags Indian Artist
July
9 / 11, 2005
Alexander
Cockburn
After the Bombings
Uri
Avnery
War of the Colors in Israel
Sheldon
Rampton
Blaming Galloway: Rhetoric vs. Reality
in London
Bill
Christison
Hiroshima's 60th Anniversary and Nukes in Iran: an Opportunity
or Just More Hand-wringing from the Peace Movement?
Robert
Fisk
Blair's Alliance with Bush Bombed
Stephen
Winspear
Collateral Damage in London?
Saul
Landau
Mission Accomplished: Iraq is Broken
Behrooz
Ghamari
Thomas Friedman's Muslim Problem
Karl
Beitel
False Promises and Real Debt Relief
Brian
Concannon, Jr.
Throwing Gasoline on Haiti's Fires
Fred
Gardner
Sentencing Season
John
Whitlow
And What Does the Market Say?
Niranjan
Ramakrishnan
The London Blasts: Who's Being Transformed, Them or Us?
Lila
Rajiva
Witches and Bastards
Laura
Carlsen
CAFTA: Deepening the Inequities
Jackie
Corr
Ted Turner and Jiminy Cricket
Dave
Lindorff
"My Brother Went Over There Gung Ho; Now He's Just Bitter"
N.
D. Jayaprakash
Why the CIA Tried to Kill Chou En Lai at the Bandung Conference
Seth
Sandronsky
Meet the "Truth Tour": Rightwing Radio Hosts Go to
Iraq
Norman
Madarasz
The Choking of Brazil's Worker Party
Ben
Tripp
The Inevitability of George W. Bush
Poets'
Basement
Louise, Albert, Landau, Davies and Engel
Website
of the Weekend
The Mother of All Enemies Lists
July
8, 2005
Paul
Craig Roberts
Blowback Hits Britain: Londoners
Pay Heavy Price for Blair's Deception
Tariq
Ali
The London Bombings: Why They Happened
Monica
Benderman
One Soldier's Fight to Legalize Morality
Rick
Jahnkow
Beyond Opt-Out: the Counter-Recruitment Movement
Christopher
Brauchli
Dear Vet: If You Want to Eat While You Recuperate, You Gotta
Pay Extra
Kim
Peterson
Bombs in the Underground: Terror Begats Terror
Joshua
Frank
Leakers and Liars: Inching Toward Indictments?
Norman
Solomon
Messages from the Carnage
Website
of the Day
An Interview with Ray McGovern
July
7, 2005
Cockburn
/ St. Clair
Judy Miller: the Luckiest Martyr
John
Walsh
More Hawkish Than Bush: Dems in Full
Battle Cry
Mike
Marqusee
Message from London
Gilad
Atzmon
London's Burning
Nicole
Colson
Showdown at the Supreme Court
Jack
Random
Judith Miller, Anti-Hero
Norman
Solomon
Judith Miller, Drum Majorette for
War
Len
Colodny
Is Bob Woodward Still Protecting Al Haig?
Cockburn
/ St. Clair
Judy Miller: the Luckiest Martyr
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.
|
July 28, 2005
Blame the Democrats
Passing CAFTA
By
JOSHUA FRANK
The final vote on CAFTA, the free trade
agreement between the US and Central America, rolled out in the
wee hours of July 28. It was a tight vote in the House, a squeaking
217-215, where 15 Democrats crossed over to support the measure
while 27 Republicans voted against it. Supporters CAFTA anticipate
abolishing custom taxes and undermining labor and environmental
laws over time among the countries involved, which will consist
of the US, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras,
and Dominican Republic. CAFTA will eliminate tariffs on 80 percent
of US exports to these countries.
CAFTA was first approved in
the Senate a few weeks ago when 10 neoliberal Democrats crossed
over to support Bush's obtuse trade legislation, which slipped
by with a 55-45 vote. Twelve Senate Republicans opposed the bill.
It was California's liberal Dianne Feinstein and Oregon's Ron
Wyden who led the way in Democratic support for the legislation.
Had the Democrats opposed the agreement in the Senate, CAFTA
would have been defeated. But the Dems support for CAFTA in the
Senate and now the House of Representatives has handed Bush a
major victory.
It's way past due for progressives
to hold the Democrats accountable for their failures. They have
turned their backs on labor and the environmental community for
decades. As President Bush lobbied Congress the day before the
House vote, he made it clear that his administration believes
CAFTA is more than a trade agreement, Bush claimed that it was
more importantly a national security matter.
Bush and company believe CAFTA
will pull countries out of poverty. He claims that without CAFTA
these countries' democracies will be undermined and the flow
of illegal immigrants into the US will intensify along with terrorism.
It's just too bad that Bush and his Democratic enablers learned
nothing from CAFTA's ugly cousin, NAFTA, which was signed into
law in 1994 by President Clinton. Talk about terrorism. Mexico's
economy has all but crumbled, while poverty and unemployment
have increased dramatically.
"Had [the original promises]
come true, NAFTA would have been an enormous boom, and we would
all be cracking champagne," says Lori Wallach, director
of the consumer rights group Public Citizen. "But instead
we have got the 10-year record, and it's pretty damn grim. NAFTA's
10-year record," Wallach adds, "demonstrates that under
the NAFTA model, most people in the three countries (Canada,
US and Mexico) were losers, while only a few of the largest corporations
who helped write NAFTA were the major winners."
Perhaps the most frightening
aspect of CAFTA is that it is the essential precursor to the
neoliberal's (and now the neo-con's) grand vision of the Free
Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), which would attempt to open
all borders from Canada to Chile and undermine many labor and
environmental laws along the way. Fortunately there are several
countries in South America, including Lula's Brazil and Chavez's
Venezuela, that are not in favor of such free trade agreements.
CAFTA's passage, however, is an essential component of FTAA's
future. When Bush signs CAFTA into law he may well be ensuring
its implementation in the years to come.
So who is to stop this from
happening? Not the Democrats. CAFTA could have been stopped had
only three lowly Democrats in the House voted to squash Bush's
trade legislation. But they couldn't even rouse themselves to
do that.
Joshua Frank is the author of the brand new book,
Left Out!: How Liberals Helped Reelect George W. Bush, which
has just been published by Common Courage Press. You can order
a copy at a discounted rate at www.brickburner.org.
Joshua can be reached at Joshua@brickburner.org.
|
