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Recent
Stories
May
23, 2003
Standard
Schaefer
Lifting the Sanctions: Who Benefits?
Ron
Jacobs
Long Live People's Park!
Michael
Greger, MD
Return of Mad Cow: US Beef Supply
at Risk
Elaine
Cassel
Tigar to Ashcroft: "Secrecy is the Enemy of Democratic Govt."
Sam
Hamod
The Shi'a of Iraq
Christopher
Greeder
After the Layoffs
Alexander
Cockburn
Derrida's Double Life (poem)
Steve
Perry
Bush's Wars Weblog 5/23
May
22, 2003
Mark
Gaffney
Christian in Name Only
Carl
Estabrook
Republic of Fear
Carl
Camacho, Jr.
Reason for Hope
Ben
Granby
What Rates a Headline from the Middle
East?
Vanessa
Jones
Terror Alerts in Australia
Mickey
Z.
Instant Understanding
Don
Monkerud
Snowballs in a Soggy Economy
Barry Lando
The Nether-Nether World of G.W. Bush
Steve
Perry
Total Information
Awareness: Secret Shadow Program?
May
21, 2003
Dave
Lindorff
Ari Fleischer Quits the Scene: The
Liar's Gone, the Enablers Remain
Chris
Floyd
How Blood Money Becomes Business Opportunity
Dr. Gerry
Lower
Graham's God and Bush's Pathology
Patrick
Cockburn
In Post War Iraq, the Signs of Breakdown
are Everywhere
Brian Cloughley
The Fatuous Braintrust: Newt, Rummy and Wolfowitz
Saul
Landau
Shopping, the End of the World and the Politics of Bush
Larry Kearney
Two Morning Poems, May 2003
Steve
Perry
Chaos in Iraq: Just What the US Wanted?
Elaine
Cassel
Ashcroft Justice Comes to Iraq
May
20, 2003
Tariq
Ali
The Empire Advances
Ahmad
Faruqui
Whither American Nationalism?
Ben Tripp
Dialysis with Osama
Linda
Heard
The Cage of Occupation
Cynthia
McKinney
Toward a Just and Peaceful World
Edward
Said
The Arab Condition
Mokhiber
and Weissman
Why Ari Should Have Resigned in Protest Long Ago
Stew
Albert
Yale Men
Steve Perry
The New Face of Al-Qaeda
May
19, 2003
Veteran
Intelligence Professionals for Sanity
A Letter to Kofi Annan on Powell's Missing
Evidence
CounterPunch
Wire
"Terror" Slut Steve Emerson
Eats Crow
John
Chuckman
Blair's Awkward Lies
Matt
Vidal
Corporate Media and the Myth of the Free Market
Michael
S. Ladah
The Fine Print to Bush's Road Map
Robert
Fisk
Bush's Eternal War Backfires
Elaine
Cassel
Clarence Thomas, Still Whining After All These Years
Jonathan
Freedland
Ann Coulter's Appalling Magic
Steve Perry
Play It Again, O-Sam-a
May
17 / 18, 2003
Uri
Avnery
The Children's Teeth
Peter
Linebaugh
An American Tribute to Christopher
Hill
Gary
Leupp
Nepal Today
Rock and
Rap Confidential
The Republican Plot Against the Dixie Chicks
Walter
Sommerfeld
Plundering Baghdad's Museums
Ron Jacobs
Condy Rice's Yipping Tirades
Thomas
P. Healy
Dubya Does Indy
Tarif Abboushi
Bush, Sharon and the Roadmap
Francis
Boyle
Debating US War Crimes in Iraq
Mark Davis
An Interview with Richard Butler
Richard
Lichtman
American Mourning
Michael
Ortiz Hill
Overcoming Terrorism
Adam
Engel
Uncle Sam is YOU!
Alan Maas
The Best News Show on TV
Poets'
Basement
Reiss, Guthrie, Albert
Elaine
Cassel
Good Enough for an Alien
Website
of the Weekend
The 37 Americans Who Run Iraq
Song of
the Weekend
Talkin' Sounds Just Like Joe McCarthy Blues
May
16, 2003
Leah
Wells
In Iraq Water and Oil Do Mix
Ben Tripp
Fear Itself
Sharon
Smith
The Resegregation of US Schools
Ramzy Baroud
Does Defeat Have to be So Humiliating?
Sam
Hamod
A Nation of Fear
Phil Reeves
Baghdad Pays the Price
Robert
McChesney
The FCC's Big Grab
Mark Engler
Those Who Don't Count
Steve
Perry
We're All
Extras in Bush's Movie
Website
of the Day
Iraq and Our
Energy Future
May
15, 2003
Ayesha
Iman and Sindi Medar-Gould
How
Not to Help Amina Lawal: The Hidden Dangers of Letter
Writing Campaigns
Julie
Hilden
Moussaoui and the Camp X-Ray Detainees:
Can He Get a Fair Trial?
Tanya
Reinhart
Bush's Roadmap: a Ticket to Failure
Laura Carlsen
Here We Go Again: NAFTA Plus or Minus?
Kenneth
Rapoza
The New Fakers: State Dept. Undercuts
New Yorker's Goldberg
Stew Albert
A Story I Will Tell
Steve
Perry
Bush's Little
Nukes
Website
of the Day
Strip-o-Rama
May
14, 2003
Cindy
Corrie
A Mother's Day Talk: the Daughter
I Can't Hear From
Jason
Leopold
The Pentagon and Hallburton: a Secret
November Deal for Iraq's Oil
David
Lindorff
Fighting the Patriot Act: Now It's
Alaska
John
Chuckman
Giggling into Chaos
Jack
McCarthy
Twin Towers of Journalism: Racism
and Double Standards
Wayne
Madsen
Assassinating JFK Again
M.
Junaid Alam
The Longer View
Paul
de Rooij
The New Hydra's Head:
Propagandists and the Selling of the US/Iraq War
James
Reiss
What? Me Worry?
Steve Perry
More on Saudi Arabia Bombings
Website
of the Day
A Tribute to Ted Joans
May
13, 2003
Saul
Landau
Clear Channel Fogs the Airwaves
Michael
Neumann
Has Islam Failed? Not by Western
Standards
Uri
Avnery
My Meeting with Arafat
Steve Perry
The Saudi Arabia Bombing
Jacob
Levich
Democracy Comes to Iraq: Kick Their Ass and Grab Their Gas
William
Lind
The Hippo and the Mongoose: a Question of Military Theory
The
Black Commentator
Fraud at the Times: Blaming Blacks for White Folks' Mistakes
Stew Albert
Asylum
Hammond
Guthrie
An Illogical Reign
Website
of the Day
Sy Hersh: War and Intelligence
May
12, 2003
Chris
Floyd
Bush, Bin Laden, Bechtel, and Baghdad
Dave
Lindorff
America's Dirty Bombs
Sam
Hamod and Elaine Cassel
Resisting the Bush Administration's War on Liberty
Uzi
Benziman
Sharon and Sons, Inc.
Jason
Leopold
The Decline and Fall of Thomas White
Rich Procter
George Jumps the Shark
Federico
Moscogiuri
Going to Israel? Sign or Else
Steve
Perry
Bush's War Web Log 5/12
Book
of the Day
Fooling
Marty Peretz
Website
of the Day
T-Shirts to Protest In
Hot Stories
Cindy
Corrie
A Mother's Day Talk: the Daughter
I Can't Hear From
Elaine
Cassel
Civil Liberties
Watch
Michel
Guerrin
Embedded Photographer Says: "I
Saw Marines Kill Civilians"
Uzma
Aslam Khan
The Unbearably Grim Aftermath of War:
What America Says Does Not Go
Paul de Rooij
Arrogant
Propaganda
Gore Vidal
The
Erosion of the American Dream
Francis Boyle
Impeach
Bush: A Draft Resolution
Click Here
for More Stories.
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May
24, 2003
American Idle
"Dubyatizing"
Americans into the GOP Posse
By WAYNE MADSEN
The evening of May 21 witnessed the lowest point
for the American people since they stood idly by when a rich
over-privileged frat boy from Texas stole their White House from
under their very noses. This past Wednesday night, millions of
people were glued to their television sets to watch "American
Idol," a glitzy talent show the likes of which were once
reserved for one-hour Saturday afternoon broadcasts on local
television stations.
Never mind that the U.S. economy is in
a shambles; the Bush regime is gearing up for possible war with
North Korea, Cuba, Iran, and Syria; that U.S.-European> relations
have never been so bad since the GOP walked away from the League
of Nations after World War I; that relations with Canada and
Mexico, our closest neighbors, are in a state of chill; and that
Americans are fretting over possible attacks from Al Qaeda on
their own soil. No, millions of Americans wanted to know if Ruben
Studdard or Clay Aiken were going to become the new American
Idol.
Imagine if, during the 1960 televised
presidential debates between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon,
it was revealed that more people watched Ted Mack's Original
Amateur Hour than the debates. Political commentators would be
jumping and screaming over the pathetic attitude of the American
people. However, in 1960, we had a citizenry that kept a close
eye on their elected politicians. After having been pulled into
World War II and Korea, Americans maintained an attitude of healthy
skepticism. This was best evidenced by the President who they
elected twice. In his farewell address, Dwight Eisenhower cogently
warned America about the dangers from the military-industrial
complex.
The military-industrial complex has now
morphed into the military-infotainment complex. In an age of
embedded journalists, faked rescues of POWs, fawning news anchors,
saber-rattling Cabinet secretaries, and hate mongering talk show
hosts, a growing minority of Americans yearn to be  unplugged from the American Matrix of
phony images and disinformation. The recent "Matrix"
sequel, "The Matrix Reloaded," featured a millisecond
appearance of Adolf Hitler and George W. Bush. The Matrix's architect
was explaining to Neo why the Matrix had to undergo multiple
reloads due to unfortunate problems it encountered. Two of the
problems - Hitler and Bush - quickly appeared on a panoply of
television screens. Fortunately, not everyone in Hollywood is
being suckered into the New American Century Matrix that Bush
and his neo-con advisers are trying to construct.
In the CBS miniseries, "Hitler:
The Rise of Evil," executive director Ed Gernon, who was
sacked for verbally making a comparison between Hitler and Bush,
managed to sneak his own subliminal message into the film. A
Jewish cabaret owner in Munich expresses interest in attending
one of Hitler's beer hall rants. When he attends with his German
friend and witnesses Hitler's animated arm and hand gestures
and constant blaming of the Jews for Germany's every ill, he
remarks, "this Hitler is a cartoon character." Yes,
just like another leader who, squinting his eyes, hangs his arm
over daises and pulpits and blames everything on the "terrerristsssss"
and "eeevil dooersss." Indeed, another cartoon character.
America's Matrix-like numbness to reality
was best demonstrated in the utter lack of interest of the major
news media in the sudden retirement of US Central Command head,
General Tommy Franks. A native of Bush's hometown of Midland,
Texas, Franks was being offered the dream job for any career
Army man: Army Chief of Staff with a fast track to the Chairmanship
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. But on May 22, Franks' retirement
was reported as the fifth story by NBC's Tom Brokaw, one of the
sycophants the White House can always depend on to downplay news
not in Bush's interest. Furthermore, Brokaw's report on Franks
was what the networks refer to as a "tell," no live
coverage from the Pentagon, no interviews with Franks' colleagues
or Pentagon specialists as to the real reason behind the sudden
departure.
But the networks all gave wide coverage
to Ruben's selection as the American Idol. What the hell is happening
to the American people? Two weeks earlier, Franks was being lauded
as the masterful liberator of Iraq. When he announces his retirement,
hardly a peep from the media and no demands by the public for
the actual reason behind the general's departure (not the public
relations pabulum that he wants to write a book and spend more
time with his wife). It is a well-known fact that Donald Rumsfeld
and his band of neo-cons do not accept any criticism from any
level. It is why relations are so frosty between the neo-cons
and all the uniformed flag officers in the Defense Department.
Did Franks realize he was stepping into the same minefield that
Generals Hugh Shelton and Richard Myers had fallen into? Neither
have gotten along with Rumsfeld and his band of trolls during
their tenure as Joint Chiefs Chair.
So, while millions of people watched
American Idol and thousands others gathered at pep rallies to
cheer on their favorite contender, other Americans are reeling
from the improper use of the Department of Homeland Security
to track down Democratic members of the Texas House of  Representatives who fled into
temporary exile in Oklahoma to stop at GOP plan to carve Texas'
federal congressional districts into Bantustans permitting a
gain of at least five Republican House seats. And in a Watergate-class
conspiracy, Texas law enforcement officials destroyed all public
records related to the incident.
The Bush administration would rather
its "Dubyatized" posse of supporters to continue watching
the fakery known as Reality TV. And with football season fast
approaching, it knows that its ardent supporters will be fixated
upon the college and professional gridiron antics. Meanwhile,
the Bush regime will continue to loot the Treasury, snatch away
federal assistance programs from the most needy, remove the financial
umbilical cord from state and local governments so they can fend
for themselves, and continue to miss the boat on fighting terrorism.
When it comes to the fascist term "homeland
security," everyone has heard of Tom Ridge and his deputy,
Asa Hutchinson. But everyone should know Police Chief Gene Green.
Recently, the chief stopped a U-Haul van in Cloudcroft, New Mexico,
near the Los Alamos National Laboratory in Alamogordo. According
to the Alamogordo Daily News, the two truck drivers had Israeli
driver's licenses and claimed they were hauling furniture from
Austin to Chicago. Yet the rental agreement had expired two days
earlier and New Mexico was way off track from the Austin to Chicago
route. The Israelis then changed their story - they claimed they
were dropping off furniture in Deming, New Mexico. But they could
not provide a delivery address in the town. Also, their rental
agreement was only for intrastate use in Illinois. Inside the
truck, Chief Green found junk furniture not worth moving anywhere
and 50 boxes that the Israelis claimed were a "private delivery."
The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) took the Israelis
into custody and if history proves consistent, we will never
hear anymore about the Israelis, why the truck was near a major
U.S. nuclear laboratory, and what was in the boxes.
Since well over a year before September
11 and ever since, there have been repeated stories about Israelis
being picked up driving trucks near critical infrastructure sites,
taking pictures of sensitive and classified facilities, and even
videotaping and celebrating the collapse of the World Trade Center
towers. The FBI, US Marshals Service, Drug Enforcement Administration,
US Coast Guard, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, US Air
Force Office of Special Investigations, and numerous local police
have investigated the Israelis, many who claimed to be "art
students," probing the security of the offices and homes
of U.S. law enforcement and military personnel. Israelis sticking
to dubious explanations have been caught sneaking around Texaco
oil terminals in Corpus Christi, Texas; the AWACS base at Tinker
Air Force Base, Oklahoma; Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington;
the Interstate 40 Hernando de Soto Bridge in Memphis; the Pennsylvania
Turnpike near Philadelphia; and Federal buildings in Miami, San
Diego, and New Orleans. Every investigation was soon taken out
of law enforcement hands and shut down. Some brave media reporters
have tried to expose what appears to a number of seasoned law
enforcement and intelligence a major intelligence gathering operation.
Carl Cameron of Fox News reported the Israeli espionage activity
in December 2001, only to see his story suddenly pulled from
the Fox News web site. Washington DC's ABC Channel 7 news anchor
Dale Solly also reported on the Israeli activity in March 2002.
After expressing an interest in pursuing the story further, Solly
suddenly died of a heart attack at the age of 53 shortly before
driving to the station to anchor the evening news. His story
was similarly removed from the Channel 7 web site.
Senator Bob Graham, the former Chairman
of the Senate Intelligence Committee and presidential candidate,
claims the Bush administration is covering up what it knew about
9-11 beforehand. What else is new? Bush and company lied about
Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. The State Department used
faked and plagiarized documents to push its flimsy case at the
United Nations. The anthrax perpetrators have not been caught
and probably never will given the lethargy of the FBI on the
case. These and other outrages barely result in a whimper from
the American people. The Dubyatizing process continues.
Wayne Madsen
is a Washington, DC-based investigative journalist and columnist.
He wrote the introduction to Forbidden
Truth. He is the co-author, with John Stanton, of the
forthcoming book, "America's Nightmare: The Presidency of
George Bush II."
Madsen can be reached at: WMadsen777@aol.com
Today's
Features
Standard
Schaefer
Lifting the Sanctions: Who Benefits?
Ron
Jacobs
Long Live People's Park!
Michael
Greger, MD
Return of Mad Cow: US Beef Supply
at Risk
Elaine
Cassel
Tigar to Ashcroft: "Secrecy is the Enemy of Democratic Govt."
Sam
Hamod
The Shi'a of Iraq
Christopher
Greeder
After the Layoffs
Alexander
Cockburn
Derrida's Double Life (poem)
Steve
Perry
Bush's Wars Weblog 5/23
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