|
Today's
Stories
September 18, 2007
Mike Whitney
U.S. Banks Brace for Storm Surge as Dollar and Credit System Reel
Alan Farago
Interviewing Alan Greenspan: How 60 Minutes Blew It
John Ross
America's Great Wall:
Where Will the Workers Go
When They Finish It?
Ron Jacobs
Nooses Hung From Jena, La. to College Park, Md.
Alex Doherty
Britain's 9/11 "Truth Movement": Who's Responsible?
September 17, 2007
Marjorie Cohn
Erwin Chemerinsky and the Post-9/11 Attack on Academic Freedom
Paul Craig Roberts
Conservatism Isn't What It Used to Be
Ricardo Alarcón
The Return of C. Wright Mills Amid the Dawn of a New Era
Marc Levy
Fake Vets Chasing Fame
Eva Liddell
In 1969 We Already Knew What 2007 Would Look Like
Website of the Day
Propaganda: Your Job in Germany. Directed by Frank Capra, and written by Theodor Geisel
Sept. 15-16, 2007
Alexander Cockburn
The General Came to Washington
Vicente Navarro
How the U.S. Schemed Against Spain's Transition from Dictatorship to Democracy
Mike Whitney
Plummeting Dollar, Credit Crunch
Herman Mindshaftgap
Has There Ever Been a Surge? If so, Has it a Future?
Ellen Cantarow
Girls! Music! Palestine!
Jordan Flaherty
K-Ville: Fox's New Paean to the N.O.P.D.
Zachary Hurwitz
Julio Cusurichi on Amazonian Development
September
14, 2007
Debbie Nathan
New York Times reporter was a member of an illegal underage porn site, claims he was only "posing as online predator"
Franklin Lamb
Sabra-Shatilla, 25 Years Later
Patrick Cockburn
Greet Bush and Die: The Killing of Abu Risha
Farzana Versey
The World's Richest Muslim Tycoon
Alan Farago
This is Florida, Epicenter of the Housing Bust and of Public Corruption
Hank Edson
Bill's New Book is Giving Me a Headache
September
13, 2007
Patrick Cockburn
Petraeus Confided Presidential Ambitions to Iraqi Official
Scott Vest, former Air Force Captain at Minot
The Barksdale Nukes
Andy Worthington
Guantánamo: "Ghost" Prisoners Speak At Last
Michael Baney
Mr. Fixit of Quake-Stricken Peru Has Death Squad Past
Dr. Susan Block
Is U.S. Run by Secret Homintern?
September
12, 2007
Paul Craig Roberts
American Economy: RIP
Stan Goff
The Petraeus Report
William Blum
When Soldiers Mutiny...Only Those Fighting the War Can End It.
Manuel Garcia
Forgetting 9/11
Debbie Nathan
Why One Sex Survey Didn't Make the Big Time
September
11, 2007
Patrick Cockburn
The Fakery of General Petraeus
Iain Boal
Specters of Malthus: Scarcity, Poverty, Apocalypse
Michael Dickinson
Osama on 9/11
Guerry Hoddersen
Free Speech is Not Given, but Taken
Bill Hatch
Irish Politics in Old Time California
Gary Leupp
The Legacy of Luciano Pavarotti
Website of the Day
Elisa Salasin's "My September 11th"
September
10, 2007
Uri Avnery
A Big Victory Against the Wall
Patrick Cockburn
Petraeus's Closet
Saul Landau and Farrah Hassen
Screwing Up In Iraq
David Michael Green
Why Fred Thompson is Uniquely Qualified to be the GOP's Nominee
Pius Adesanmi
A Solidarity Letter to a Victim of Michael Vick
Betty Schneider
How to Deal With Sex Offenders
September
8 / 9, 2007
Alexander
Cockburn
Will the US Really Bomb Iran?
Saul
Landau
The Irrational Drama of a Declining Empire
Ismael
Hossein-Zadeh
Hurricane Katrina and Bush's Wars
Ray
McGovern
Petraeus, the Westmoreland of Iraq
Matthew
Abraham
Finkelstein's Legacy at DePaul
Alan
Farago
The Governor and the Growth Machine
Christopher
Brauchli
Grand Old Party Animals
Rannie
Amiri
Battle of the Camps
Fred
Gardner
Will Snoops Get Stopped?
James
L. Secor
B-52 Flexing Nuclear Muscles: H-Bombs Over Barksdale
Missy
Comley Beattie
Choices: Shall We Stay or Shall We Go Now?
Ben
Tripp
Still in the Clover
Francis
Boyle
The University of Illinois' Little Red Sambo Show
Joe
Allen and Paul D'Amato
Jason Bourne vs. James Bond
Website
of the Weekend
Drilling Wyoming: the View from Above
September 7, 2007
Robert
Fantina
Those Iraq Reports: Bush vs. Reality
John
Ross
Coca-Cola's Raid on a Sacred Mountain
James
Brooks
The Occupation Within
Russell
Mokhiber
Robert Reich and the Elimination of Corporate Criminal Liability
Joshua
Frank
The Green Implosion Continues: Cyberlynching John Murphy
John
Walsh
On the Green Party
Mark
Brenner
New York Taxi Workers Strike Over Tracking Devices
Mike
Ferner
"I Will Salute No More Forever"
Website
of the Day
Help Save Osny Zachary's Life
September
6, 2007
Kathleen
and Bill Christison
Bush, Iran and Israel's Hidden
Hand
Allan
J. Lichtman
When General Petraeus Speaks, Don't Listen ...
Norman
Solomon
The Secret Addiction of Thomas Friedman
Yifat
Susskind
Hurricane Felix's First Responders: Courage and Tragedy on the
Miskito Coast
Catherine
Fenton
Why I Am Going to the Protest
Laura
Santina
Can the War Machine be Contained?
Farzana
Versey
Fission Kashmir
Yves
Engler
Haiti: Where a Wage of $2 a Day is Too Much for the Lords of
Industry to Pay
Kelly
Overton
Bang Bang; Shoot Shoot: Is Hunting Racist?
Michael
Simmons
One Jew's Views: The Strange Genius of Drew Friedman and Kominsky
Crumb
Website
of the Day
Dams and Genocide in Guatemala
September
5, 2007
Stan
Goff
The End Begins
Michael
Dickinson
Working for Mother Teresa: Memoirs of a Rebellious Volunteer
Matthew
Abraham
Standing Firm with Norman Finkelstein and DePaul's Heroic Students:
a Defining Moment
Patrick
Cockburn
The Basra Debacle
Dave
Lindorff
Beware the Wounded Beast
Paul
Craig Roberts
Who Are the Fanatics?
Clifton
Ross
Ecuador and the Struggle for Latin American Unity
Elizabeth
Schulte
Katrina's Forgotten Refugees
Joseph
Grosso
Labor Day in New York City
Ben
Terrall
Where's Nancy? On Trying to Protest Pelosi in San Francisco
Website
of the Day
A Guide to Narco Dollars
September
4, 2007
Jean
Bricmont
Why Bush Can Get Away with Attacking
Iran
Patrick
Cockburn
Cut and Run in Iraq
Ron
Jacobs
The Haditha Massacre: Spinning a War Crime
Tom
Kerr
Buried Alive on San Quentin's Death Row
Gary
Leupp
The Case of Jose Maria Sison
Sonja
Karkar
The Weeping Olive Trees of Palestine
Heather
Gray
The Best and Worst of America: 9/11, Joseph Lowery and the Lethal
Silence of Billy Graham
Fidel
Castro
The Super-Revolutionaries
Jackie
Corr
Home Depot Comes to Butte--Begging Bowl in Hand
Sunsara
Taylor
Katrina and the Progress of the System
Website
of the Day
Colombia Journal
September
3, 2007
Patrick
Cockburn
Brits Flee from Basra
Eamon
McCann
Qana, Derry: The Dead Lie in Familiar Shapes
Joshua
Frank
The End of the Green Party?
Chris
Floyd
Post-Mortem America: Bush's Year of Triumph
Marjorie
Cohn
A Look at Bush's Iran War Plans
Walter
Brasch
The News Drones: How Fake Photos Helped Lead the US to War in
Iraq
Matt
Reichel
Redefining the American Dream
Website
of the Day
Don't Get Fooled Again
September
1 / 2, 2007
Alexander
Cockburn
Entrapment Snares Larry Craig
Andy
Worthington
Britain's Guantánamo
Saul
Landau
The Tragic Ordeal of the Cuban Five
David
Keen
An Occident Waiting to Happen: Intellectuals and the War on Terror
Patrick
Cockburn
The Collapse of Iraq's Health Care
Services
Diana
Johnstone
Back in Uncle Sam's Pocket
George
Longstreth, MD
& Karen Longstreth, RN
The Sorrows of Occupation: Life in the West Bank
Linda
M. Woolf
A Sad Day for Psychologists--a Sadder Day for Human Rights
Ralph
Nader
Wrapping the World with Advertising
Fred
Gardner
The Trial of Mollie Fry, MD
Ben
Tripp
Enquiry in America Today
David
Michael Green
American Indigestion: Why Bush Governs from the Gut
Missy
Comley Beattie
Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places: What the GOP Hasn't
Learned About Tolerance
Michael
Dickinson
Who's Cheating: Remembering Princess Diana
Paul
Krassner
Assholes of the Week: From Larry Craig to Wesley Clark
Ron
Jacobs
A Sports Nation of Millions
Poets'
Basement
Buknatski, Davies and Mickey Z
August
31, 2007
Jeff
Gibbs
Why I Am Not Going to the Protest
Paul
Craig Roberts
The War Criminal in the Living Room
Ray
McGovern
Do We Have the Courage to Stop War with Iran?
Robert
Weissman
The Benchmarks Iraq is Missing
Matt
Vidal
Subprime Lending and Shady Mortgages
Robin
Mittenthal
The Biofuels Trap
Chris
Kutalik
Auto Makers Push Health Care Trust Solution for Industry in Crisis
Richard
Forno
Watching Freedom's Watch
Binoy
Kampmark
Dianified
Dave
Zirin
Kenneth Foster Lives
Website
of the Day
Free
the Jena 6
August
30, 2007
Gary
Leupp
Larry Craig on the Seat
John
Ross
Dead Forest Defenders
Anthony
DiMaggio
Arabic as a Terrorist Language: the Right-Wing Assault on the
Gibran Academy
Jordan
Flaherty
Racism and Criminal Justice in New Orleans
Michael
Donnelly
The Sierra Club Greenwashes Al Gore (and Desecrates John Muir)
Russell
Mokhiber
Whiskey is for Drinking, Water is
for Fighting
Dennis
Brutus
and Patrick Bond
Global Financial Apartheid
William
S. Lind
The Truth Tellers
Martha
Rosenberg
They Call Him Dr. Cruel
Jeff
Leys / Brian Terrell
Seasons of Discontent: a Presidential Occupation Project
Website
of the Day
Bragg: "Old Clash Fan Fight Song"
August 29, 2007
Patrick
Cockburn
Maliki and The Mass Shia Pilgrimage
to Kerbala
Winslow
T. Wheeler
The Costs of the Afghanistan War
David
Rosen
The GOP's Outed All-Stars: The Forced Freeing of Gay Men from
the Republican Closet
Dave
Zirin
Confronting Katrina
Paul
Craig Roberts
More Shame, More Sorrow
Diane
Farsetta
Christie Todd Whitman's Nuclear Spinning Wheel
Ben
Davis
Who Won't Stand Up for Kenneth Foster?: Charles Rangel, For One
Alan
Farago
The Housing Crisis and the Environment
Jenna
Orkin
Echoes of 9/11: Another Fire at Ground Zero
Don
Monkerud
The Vanishing American Vacation
Richard
Nasser
Surfing Gaza: More Uplifting News from NPR
Website
of the Day
Don't Sleep on the Struggle
August
28, 2007
Uri
Avnery
The Language of Force
Bill
Quigley
Katrina, Two Years Later
Joshua
Frank
The Fight to Save the Rocky Mountains
China
Hand
"I am Alden Pyle:" Bush's Vietnam Fantasy
Firmin
DeBrabander
Drug Wars: From Afghanistan to Baltimore
Charles
Peña
Nuclear Fear Factor
Andy
Worthington
Good Riddance, Gonzales
Ramzy
Baroud
Abbas and the Abyss
Anthony
Papa
Roger Stone's New Patsy
Ashley
Smith
Drawing the Line at Kennebunkport
Website
of the Day
B is for Bomb
August 27, 2007
Jorge
Mariscal
The General Reports
Bill
Christison
Why the US and Israel Should Lose Middle East Wars
Manuel
Garcia, Jr.
911 Emergency! Calling Robert Fisk!: You are Now Entering a Black
Hole
Anthony
DiMaggio
Chronicle of a Coup Foretold?: Bush, al-Maliki and the Press
Bruce
A. Roth
India and the New Nuclear Era
John
Walsh
Abe Foxman's Genocide Denial Roadshow, Part 2
Dave
Lindorff
Gonzo's Gone
Ron
Jacobs
Taking It to the Streets
Binoy
Kampmark
Poshed Up: Why the Beckhams Should Go Back to Brighty
Russell
D. Hoffman
My Favorite Scientist: John Gofman, Bane of the Nuclear Industry
Website
of the Day
George W. Told the Nation
|
September 18, 2007
America's Great Wall:
Where Will the Workers Go
When They Finish It?
By JOHN ROSS
SAN FRANCISCO - We are being walled in. Every second that we stay here, they are adding another inch to the wall they are building along the southern border of this country and the northern one of the next country down. The border wall will eventually extend 1964 miles between the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, roughly six times the length of the wall the Israelis are throwing up inside Palestine and 20 times that of the Berlin Wall, which once separated the totalitarians from the so-called free world.
The Wall is a project of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Army Corps of Engineers, the National Guard, and a gaggle of corporate predators. It is only congruent that Israeli security planners were brought in for consultations and a sort of perverse poetic justice that a San Diego subcontractor has been indicted for exploiting the labor of the very undocumented workers the Wall is being built to keep out.
Those who build this Wall tell us that it will keep illegal people out of the United States of North America but no person is illegal. It is not yet against the law to be alive except maybe in Bush's Iraq. Although the Border Wall is designed to keep workers on the other side, the goods they produce and the services they provide are perfectly free to pass through the barrier from one corporate predator to another.
Homeland Security, a wholly owned subsidiary of the globalizers of greed, argues that they are building this Wall for our own protection. That the illegal people on the other side are all potential terrorists. This is the same reason that Israel builds the notorious "security barrier" which prevents Palestinian farmers from tending their fields and the olive trees they have nurtured since biblical times. This is the same reason that the Army Corps of Engineers throws up blast walls between neighborhoods in Baghdad and between those neighborhoods and the increasingly vulnerable Green Zone. Indeed, we all live in the Green Zone now.
The Army Corps of Engineers is in the wall business. Perhaps the only wall the corps does not build is between the lower ninth ward of New Orleans and the sea which engulfed that vibrant black neighborhood two years ago this past August 29. The Army Corps of Engineers has its priorities.
We watch them as they wall us in, as if it is not happening to us. We watch them as they pour the concrete, string up the razor wire, install the searchlights and the electronic sensors, the surveillance cameras, the armed patrols and snarling dogs and unmanned drones. We do not understand yet that they are trying to keep us from breaking out of the compound.
They need to keep us walled in here so that we will know no other reality. So that we will always keep buying their useless junk and pledging allegiance to corporate vampires. There is a reason why they call it Wall Street.
We are allowing them to wall us in into their war. Bush lays it on trowel by trowel. It's just like building fences down on the ranch. That's what he calls the Border Wall. A fence. You thought there was a way out of here? That the Democrats would throw up ladders to get across this Wall of War? The fix has been in since last November's elections.
Now Bush flies at night to a photo op in Anbar, evading the press corps in the underground passages beneath the White House. Now General BetrayUs, a ventriloquist's dummy of Goebbelian dimensions, oozes to a willingly bamboozled Congress that Iraq is all better now. Now Nancy Pelosi and Barbara Lee roll over at their Master's Voice and vote to tag a few hundred more miles on to this Wall of lies. We will never be able to leave now. We have walled ourselves into Iraq.
I am a writer. I build my walls out of words but the only word for our times is arrrggghhh!
We are the builders of our own walls. We have walled ourselves into our own fears, bolted the doors and windows and hunkered down deep in the compartmentalized bunkers they force us to rent each month with our blood and our sweat. We do not even know who lives on the other side of the six inches of sheet rock that separates us from our next-door neighbors. All we can think is that they want our stuff. Bush said that. They want what we have. According to the newest numbers, there are nine guns for every 10 red-blooded citizens of the United Snakes (note - undocumented workers are not included in this sampling.)
Fear is a big item in the wall business. You can't build one without it. The bigger the fear the taller the Wall and the taller the Wall, the greater the profits. The Blackwaters and the Dynecorps have made their fortunes keeping the looters at bay. How many folks on your block or in your building are employed to guard someone else's property or person?
Why do they hate us so much, Bush wailed as the towers were tumbling six 9/11s ago now? No one ever quite answered that extremely crucial question. Ignorance requires active participation and we are walling ourselves into the mind-numbing ignorance of the eternally lobotomized.
We choose to avoid what is on the other side of the Wall. We do not know what it looks like over there or how it smells. The garbage pits of Tijuana where our own offal is dumped every day to the delight of emaciated Indian scavengers. The bloated bellies of the starvation army stretching from TJ to Tierra del Fuego. The stench of shit and blood hanging heavily over Baghdad this morning.
We don't care. We are so scared by it all that we can't allow ourselves to care. We punch up the remote and the screen hides us from the rest of the world. We bust up a joint and forget that we live in the shadow of the Wall and we cannot get out of here.
We are stuck inside the intestinal Walls of the beast's belly. There isn't much light in here and we cannot see out. We cannot see how we look to others. We cannot see what is in their eyes. We will never learn the answer to Bush's question after 9/11 took his mind away. Why do they hate us so much?
I have a dream. It is their nightmare. I dream that we are locked up in some maximum security prison, maybe old Folsom or Abu Ghraib or the T. Don Hutto detention center, and the word on the grapevine is "jailbreak!" We listen up for the signal and when it comes, we let each other out of our cages, overwhelm the guards, and scale the Wall on ropes fashioned from our bed sheets. At the top we stop to catch our collective breath and take a look at what the world really looks like on the other side. For once, we cannot see the Wall.
John Ross’s left eye was taken from his head last week. He is recuperating in San Francisco. If you have further information about the final resting place of his eye write johnross@igc.org.
|
New From
CounterPunch Books
The Secret
Language
of the Crossroads:
HOW THE IRISH
INVENTED SLANG
By Daniel Cassidy
Click Here to Buy!
Cassidy
on Tour
Click Here for Dates & Venues
"The Case Against
Israel"
Michael
Neumann's Devastating Rebuttal of Alan Dershowitz
Click Here to Buy!
Saul Landau's
Bush and Botox World
with a Foreword by Gore Vidal
Click Here to Order!
Grand Theft Pentagon
How They Made a Killing on the War on Terrorism
The Occupation
by Patrick Cockburn
Humanitarian Imperialism
By Jean Bricmont
CITY BEAUTIFUL
By Tennessee Reed
Bruce Springsteen On Tour
By Dave Marsh
The Book on 9/11 the White House Denounced
as "ABSOLUTE GARBAGE"
|
