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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 |
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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
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Weekend Edition Pot ShotsHow Many Wins Can We Take?By FRED GARDNER It's not so much whether you win or lose, it's how you control the spin. Thus the medical-marijuana movement honchos seem quite pleased with themselves, even though the Supreme Court turned down the Raich-Monson bid to obtain and use under California law, and then Congress turned down an amendment directing the DEA to honor medical-mj laws in the states that have adopted them. The vote in Congress was 264 to 161. "'We pick up votes each time as we continue to educate the public,' said Steve Fox, communications director for the Marijuana Policy Project." This perfect example of Beltway elitism was quoted in the Associated Press story on the defeat in Congress June 15 of the Hinchey-Rohrbacher amendment. We pick up votes as the public continues to educate Congress. And picking up nine votes is nothing to crow about in the year of our Lord 2005. Rep. Barney Frank told the AP's David Whitney "that House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi had been working the issue hard among Democrats and that he felt certain there would 180 or more votes for the amendment." By turning losses into wins, "reform" bureaucrats keep up the morale of their funders. "Even Without a Federal Push, California Reins in Marijuana" read a 2-column headline above the fold in the New York Times June 15. The 43-inch story, dateline San Francisco, by Dean Murphy, asserts that cities are now "struggling with the excesses of the law's success." What success? More than eight years after we legalized marijuana for medical use, only about 120,000 Californians have availed themselves of the right by getting a doctor's approval. Opposition from law enforcement has been unrelenting and support from the medical establishment has been nonexistent or weak. If most doctors weren't afraid to approve cannabis use by their patients -or unwilling to out of humility, since they have never been educated on the subject- the number of Californians now using cannabis for pain and depression would be at least a million. Murphy writes, "Advocacy groups reported that a handful of small dispensaries closed last week." Advocacy groups apparently kept from Murphy news that nine clubs, including the busiest in Oakland and L.A., folded abruptly June 6, the day the Raich ruling was announced. The activists thought somehow that news of club closures might cause some members of Congress to vote against the Hinchey-Rohrabacher amendment! Journalist Ann Harrison (a Counterpunch contributor) says she was under pressure from some activists to not report the closure of Compassionate Caregivers. She did so anyway in the S.F. Bay Guardian June 15. Harrison had gotten a tour of Compassionate Caregivers Oakland headquarters from Manager Sparky Rose last month. She described it as "an efficient corporate operation with purchasing, human resources, IT, and shipping departments that delivered medical cannabis to the company's cannabis clubs. According to Rose, the shutdown put approximately 225 employees out of work and impacted about 7,000 dispensary members and almost 15,000 other patients and caregivers across the state who purchased cannabis from the seven clubs." Rose told Harrison that the owner's biggest fear was a tax claim by the IRS in which the cost of marijuana could not be deducted as an expense. Harrison reported that "Valerie and Mike Corral, founders of the Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana (WAMM) - which provides free medical cannabis to about 200 chronically sick and dying patients in Santa Cruz - are being audited by the IRS, which has referred the case to its criminal division for possible tax evasion charges. "The Corrals said they
are being audited for the year 2002, when 30 armed DEA agents
raided the group's cannabis garden. In 2003 a federal court granted
WAMM an injunction against federal prosecution. In the aftermath
of the Raich decision, Corral said he expects federal authorities
to petition the court to lift the injunction." The Ballad of Prop 215 Have you heard of our law called
Prop 215? The State could not wait to
cover up its ears Put heat on the doctors that's
the whole strategy It was back in December, 1996 What were their names,
what were their names From up in Crescent City down
to San Diego Paxil and Statins they are
eager to prescribe But those brave physicians
whose plain common sense They helped a lot of people
in a wide range of pain What were their names? What
were their names? Fred Gardner can be reached at journal@ccrmg.org
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