Today's Unknown News
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Today's Unknown News
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April 2002: 3 4 5 7 8 9 10 11 12 15 16 17 18 21 22 23 27 29 May 2002: 1 3 6 8 9 10 12 14 20 |
Cheryl's Daily Diatribes by Cheryl Seal December 2001 January 2002 February 2002 March 2002 | Cheryl may be contacted at cherylseal@hotmail.com. |
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Cheryl's Daily Diatribe: Wednesday, April 3, 2002 The Middle East Conflict - Has it Been Engineered by Extremist Rightwing Christians and Zionists Hoping to "Force" the "Rapture"? There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Bush and Sharon are colluding to force the Middle East into a massive, all-out war as a way to stay in power. But Bush plans to have the last laugh. By encouraging Sharon to escalating excesses, Bush hopes to bait Arabs everywhere — including Iraq — into taking aggressive action, even all-out war. This would of course give Bush the pretext he's sought for launching an attack on Iraq and embroiling America in a war guaranteed to last through election day 2004. But the other part of Bush's plan is just as vicious. By encouraging the bloodthirsty egomaniac Sharon, he may succeed in destroying Israel without ever lifting a finger himself. It seems insane that Sharon has staked his country's security on an alliance with Bush — a man who describes himself as a fundamentalist Christian (which by definition means anti-Semitic), whose mentor Billy Graham was blatantly anti-Semitic, whose family actively traded with the Nazis in WWII and who has himself made anti-Semitic comments. This is like getting into bed with a rattlesnake and assuming you won't get bitten. But, there is another dimension to the Middle East insanity very, very few know about: the unholy alliance between the Christian right and their Jewish counterparts, the Zionists. While sane people around the world view the Middle East conflict as "mere" political wrangling with religious undertones, the rightwing Christians and Zionists see the conflict as a prelude to the final chapter in the fulfillment of Biblical scriptures - at least as interpreted by paranoid schizophrenics with religious delusions such as Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, and their Rabbinical counterparts in Israel and America . These people welcome the current bloodbath with "rapturously" open arms — it means the "final Chapter" is imminent, at the conclusion of which the faithful will ascend to heaven and the rest of us heathens will die a horrible death. (These people are such great human beings, eh?). I did not know about this wacked out movement until very recently. I thought this type was confined to small, relatively powerless cults such as the Jim Jones or Hale-Bopp folks. But it seems that the rightwing Judeo-Christian "coalition" is not only just as whacked out as these cults, it is far, far larger and has friends in very high political places — including, it is very likely, Bush himself and most certainly John Ashcroft. Ashcroft is a Pentecostal, and the Pentecostals are the most rabidly fixated on the "coming rapture" and the significance of events in the Middle East. First, I will give you some background, which was provided to me by a very reliable source. Cheryl,According to the Jews, the Messiah will come once the temple is built. According to the Christians, the Jews will almost all die once the Temple is built and an antichrist immediately moves into it. According to the Muslims, both the Christians and the Jews will die violent and bloody deaths if they attempt to destroy the Al Aqsa Mosque. No, I am not hallucinating! We are about to see the biggest mass suicide ever. Furthermore, if you listen to the Christians, there also has to be a war with Persia around this same time. " My source also included the following excerpt: ["According to Clyde Lott, the intent of many Evangelical Christians who are helping Israel today is to speed along the time when they will be raptured into Heaven, leaving behind a world in chaos and flames. "It's very sad, but I would say the interest in the Christian world is to see the Temple rebuilt from the Antichrist perspective, for the rapture of the Church, and that's a very selfish point of view," Lott says, "The very people who are advocating this are the ones that are very Semitic in their feelings". Although Evangelical theology forecasts the destruction of the Jews in the Last Days, Lott believes that the Jews are God's Chosen People and that the Bible clearly states that God favors those who help Israel."Now that you have digested at least some of this, consider Bush's actions for the past several months. Without even needing to invoke a conspiracy theory, his behavior suddenly makes sense — in a bizarro world way. Thus you have his constant use of the words "evildoers" and his passage of judgment on other nations as "evil," his obsession with attacking Iraq and, if he had his way, also Iran (the modern-day counterparts to "Persia" — at least close enough for government work!), his willingness to use nuclear weaponry (after all, Armageddon is part of the plan), his creation of a shadow government, his seemingly inexplicable refusal to make any effort to restrain Sharon, his surrounding himself with fundies, regardless of their qualifications (only the "pure" can participate in the "glory" of the final hours!), his determination to knock down the wall between church and state, his encouragement of Ashcroft's prayer meetings in the Justice Building, etc. So, simply put, we may well have a pack of religious nutcases running the U.S. government as well as in control of Israel. Is it any wonder that the situation in the Middle East has reached the current level of insanity? Sharon has intentionally provoked the current showdown, exhibiting a flagrant lack of concern for human life, be it Jewish, Muslim, or Christian. Yes there are Palestinian suicide bombers, but, as R. D. Laing once said, some forms of insanity are in fact just sane reactions to an insane situation. I have no doubt that, with Bush and Sharon at the helm, the insanity will get much, much worse before it gets better — which it never will as long as these two madmen remain in power. Meanwhile, as these extremists use the "Holy Land" as a playground for acting out their delusions, the Palestinians are paying the heaviest price: Here are journal entries from those trapped in Ramallah. Cheryl may be contacted at cherylseal@hotmail.com. Cheryl's Daily Diatribe: Thursday, April 4, 2002 U.S. Military Makes Being Rightwing and Religious a Prerequisite to Advancement I received the following letter from a retired United States Air Force officer (MSgt) in response to my diatribe "Rich, White and Republican: The American Dream." It is extremely eye-opening, not just as to how the GOP uses coercion of a "captive recruit" pool to steal votes, but how much the rightwing brand of religion is being forcibly injected into the military now as well as the government. I want to point out that although we make it a policy not to include last names (too many hateful, low-IQ people out there who use death threats as a form of self-statement!), the reader submitted not just his full name, but address as well and would have welcomed its use. This to me, is real courage. Sending people nasty unsigned four-letter word-peppered notes or death threats is real cowardice. Anyway, here is the letter: Cheryl,Rightwing Hate and Intolerance Cuts Across all Races, Creeds and Colors American and Israeli extremist Jews are proving that the hate and intolerance truly does cut across all race, creeds, and colors - just like form of cancer does. Here are a few examples: First, we have a story from New York about a Jewish couple, the Shapiros, forced to flee their home after receiving death threats from rightwing Jewish extremists in their own community. The Shapiros "crime"? Their son conducted a humanitarian aid mission in besieged Ramallah. So guess being compassionate and courageous really pisses the rightwingers off. Figures. "As the Mideast death toll soars, so do anxieties about the region's corrosive hatreds spilling onto our own shores and threatening the lives and freedoms of Americans. That fear has now become reality in Brooklyn in a way both surprising and repellent. Death threats from irresponsible local supporters of Israel have forced an innocent couple, Doreen and Stuart Shapiro, to flee their home. They became a target after their son Adam delivered humanitarian medical aid to Yasir Arafat's besieged compound in Ramallah, on the West Bank. Rage at Mr. Arafat for his complicity in murderous suicide bombings across Israel is understandable. Yet Mr. Arafat's behavior scarcely turns Adam Shapiro's peaceful action into treason against America and the Jews or makes him the equivalent of an American Taliban fighter, as some of the menacing messages charge." —NY Times Here's a story from Ramallah, where "brave" Israeli soldiers terrorized not only peaceful Arab and Jewish peace marchers, but dozens of helpless blind children. "The activists, both Israeli Jews and Arabs, carried banners and chanted for Sharon, to get out of Ramallah as they passed through a military checkpoint in north Jerusalem. The clashes happened on the doorstep of a school for the visually impaired, where 70 blind children aged from four to twelve were hurried into a basement by teachers. "It was awful," said teacher Suad Younan, 42. "They were so scared, and because they are blind it really triples the agony for these children." As tear gas drifted across the school and police used batons to beat back the peace protesters, Mrs Younan and other staff members managed to spirit some of the children away. "We managed to sneak some of the children out of the compound," she said. "We were climbing fences, jumping in ditches to try to get them home." Thirty-two of the children remained trapped at the school, she said. Twenty of them had no hope of going home because their parents lived in the West Bank, where Israeli tanks and helicopters are hunting for militants." —Ananova • Diatribble Since none of the extremist fundies out there, Jewish or Christian, seem to remember anything they learned - or perhaps never learned anything in the first place, here are a couple of reminders to ponder for the day: • For Christians: Walkin' the walk doesn't mean "hate thy neighbor"; "Whoever says 'I have come to know him,' but does not obey his commandments is a liar and in such a person the truth does not exist; but whoever obeys his word, truly in this person the love of God has reached perfection. By this we may be sure that we are in him: whoever says 'I abide in him,' ought to walk just as he walked.'" —I John 3:4-6 • For Jews: "Refrain from anger" does not mean sending death threats or terrorizing blind children "Be still be before the Lord and wait patiently for him. Do not fret yourself over the one who prospers or the one who succeeds in evil schemes. Refrain from anger, leave rage alone; do not fret yourself; it leads only to evil." —Psalms 37 • For Muslims: "Since when does "Infidel" mean Jew or Christian when the Koran acknowledges the prophets of both? "To Moses We gave the Scriptures and after him we sent other apostles. We gave Jesus the son of Mary veritable signs and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit. Will you then scorn each apostle whose message does not suit your fancies, charging some with imposture and slaying others? —Koran 2:86 • Bush Propaganda Escalates, Spinning in Circles So Tight He's Turning into a Human Top Just heard Bush's latest "declaration" this AM (4/4). Now, AFTER maximum suffering has already been inflicted on Ramallah, he comes out with a "forceful" line (written of course by Karen Hughes and a cast of dozens) demanding Israel's withdrawal. But the White House spin jobs are getting so fast and furious, their falling over each other like clowns piling out of a VW at the circus. An obviously fudged "poll" released to the mainstream media just last night, and still being dribbled about this AM claims that 90% of Americans fervently support Israel's thuggery. Uh-huh...that's why thousands of Americans have taken to the streets to protest Sharon, why EVERY person for over an hour calling into C-SPAN the other day when the topic was Israel was flat-out down on Israel's current actions, why even conservative Jews here are expressing distress at Sharon in letters and commentaries, etc. But they were a bit late on the draw, because the print hadn't yet dried on the story fed the public the day before ("Israel is just defending themselves and everything is Arafat's fault!") Bush was feeding them a new one today ("Israel must withdraw and Palestine must have a state!"). But I say, don't listen to this turkey's squawk — watch instead how he flaps his wings. This weekend, he's flapping off to Camp David for a cozy little oil-war-planning session with fellow misfit Tony Blair. During breaks from plotting to destabilize the world, I suppose the two can whine to each other about their father issues. Cheryl may be contacted at cherylseal@hotmail.com. Cheryl's Daily Diatribe: Friday, April 5, 2002 RAPTURE READERS: Some Do all their reading BETWEEN the lines We have been getting mucho mail over the piece I wrote earlier this week "Are Extremist Christians and Zionists Trying to Force the "Rapture"? Much of it has been very helpful, with readers supplying constructive links and information which help to document the bizarro world of the "Rapturists." However, about 1 in 4 letters point up a key problem in America - one that has contributed greatly to our snowballing problems: AMERICANS DON'T READ!!!!!! When I was a journalist in training in Maine, my editor told me: Get the most important info in the first three paragraphs and make sure it's damn clear. Why? Because readers typically only really read the first 1-3 paragraphs of any given news story, and even then, whilst applying only half their attention. The letters Helen and I have received re: the "Rapture" article have shown that this is true even for Web readers. First, many people failed to read the article with enough attention to notice where my introduction ended and the statement from my source began — even though Helen used a different colored 'ink' as a "visual aid" to make it clear! So, many readers just figured everything they read there, including excerpts from wacko websites (clearly marked in quotes) were all written by me. Here's a classic example of this type of "attention deficit disorder" from today's mailbag: "What planet are you from? I read your "article diatribe" about the Mideast conflict. Your expressing opinions like they were fact and you have no proof to back anything up." Then we have the readers who skim through the article, fail to click on a single supporting link in the article or to do the recommended Internet search of the wealth of info on the "Rapture" cultism, then write indignant letters about how I have presented no supporting material: "You spout all these opinions based on one source and have absolutely nothing to back them up." Then we have the folks who simply read the article title and maybe the first line or so, and take the ball and run with it! "How did you ever come up with your analogy? To blame fundamental Christians for the worlds problems is totally illogical." Hmmm … even I didn't know my topic was "How Christians ruin the world." HERE ARE LINKS TO BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Some are reports by the sane, some are from the insane at rapurist websites. For more links, go back and re-read my original article and the dialogue section from 4/4. Or do your own search using www.dogpile.com or www.google.com using keywords like "Rapture," "Israel and Rapture," Jerry Falwell, Pentecostal church and rapture, extremist Zionists and Christians, etc. There are literally thousands upon thousands of links relating to the rapture movement, and apparently hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of cult followers. So, it amazes me that the whole topic has been kept out of the light of public scrutiny so well! On the Rapture Movement Connection between Jerry Falwell, Bob Jones U. and Rapture fanatic Tim LeHaye Tim LeHaye (Rapture movement leader) Jerry Falwell's obsession with Rapture Pat Robertson and Rapture/Armageddon Presbyterian discusses Rapture movement Rapture/Christian right's influence on American Politics; also link and link. Scholarly treatise of rightwing religious extremism in U.S./Premillennialism/Rapture Middle East Politics and Rapture/Zionist/Christian extremists Jews in end-world scenario Israel's importance to the Rapture scenario; also link. Pentecostal Church (Ashcroft's church) and Rapture: list of 4,920 articles Rapture sites, articles, references: 397,000 links. To Cheryl -Dear Greg, At last! A real Christian! The fact that you find it hard to believe that any Christians would be so outrageous is a credit to YOU, not to them. Alas, Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, Ashcroft, Bush, and a long and sorry list of others do not share your idealism. In yesterday's edition in the "Dialogue" section about halfway down the middle of the main page, we posted some resources sent in by readers - books, videos, links, etc. - showing just what a movement this insanity is. Worse, someone's making a lot of money on it. I suggest you check out the links. Anyway — don't ever lose your own ideal of what being a Christian is all about. —Cheryl Actually the Rapturists believe that they will be raptured BEFORE any of the wars/tribulations and other bad things happen. Only the so called sinners will be left on earth for 7 years during that time. The bottom line is they won't be raptured, nor will they spared the many wars, death, and various destructions that will happen on earth, and have been going on for many thousands of years.Dear Robert, If you caught yesterday's dialogue, you'd have gotten a kick (albeit a dark one) out of the reader's note about one group of Rapturists who have actually produced a video they plan to leave behind for us "heathens" to watch after they "ascend". The video shows all the rotten things that will happen to us in the coming (post "Rapture") 7 years. You'll also be amused to learn that there are several variations on the rapture theme, with some cults calling for a "pre-tribulation" period - and some even adding a "mid-tribulation" period (they probably had to adjust for the failure of the world to destruct on Jan. 1 2000 as predicted by many!). Yep, I agree. Thanks in very large part to the religious fanatics of all persuasions, there is one Biblical prophesy very likely to come true: "There will always be wars and rumors of war." Sigh, —Cheryl Cheryl,Dear Mark, You have my sympathy, re: the response you got from your e-mail! I experience the same syndrome frequently in response to my diatribes! I think it's a form of "creative reading" — you know, make up what you read as you go along! Best, —Cheryl Hello,Dear Luke, As much as the self-destruction of the hate-filled extremists would seem to be a benign act of natural selection that would improve the gene pool for the rest of humanity, the "mushroom cloud" you long to toast would be a gift that kept on giving long after, in the form of cancer-inducing fallout, nuclear winter, trashed land, etc. Alas, 'tis always the way - stupid people full of hate always find a way to ruin it for the rest of us - even whilst self-destructing. Best, —Cheryl • DIATRIBBLE:Bush's announcement of "intervening" in the Middle East was one of the biggest hairballs of propaganda to be spit up since my cat tried to swallow the hamster whole. This was not an intervention, it was a call to mass slaughter. Bush did not say to Sharon, "YOU MUST WITHDRAW AND YOU MUST WITHDRAW NOW! " and put Powell on the next plane. This is what he SHOULD have done if he were sincere and not a miserable liar. What he has done, in effect, instead, is to say "YOU GOT ONE WEEK TO FINISH TRASHING THE WEST BANK, SHARON OLD BUDDY, SO BETTER STEP UP THE SLAUGHTER." What Bush did was to declare a seven-day war on the Palestinian people. He could not have brought down worse misery on the West Bank if he had launched an attack himself. Now Sharon will pull out the stops while Bush cheers him on, laughing at the stupidity of most of the American public and how he pulled the wool over their eyes AGAIN. The suffering the next week will bring on the Palestinians will be horrendous — in fact, I for one believe that Bush's speech in the rose garden yesterday should be considered a war crime. Cheryl may be contacted at cherylseal@hotmail.com. Cheryl's Daily Diatribe: Sunday, April 7, 2002 Rising Above Differences: One Writer's Friendship with an Afghan Family in America This article ran several months ago, but it seemed like a good time to rerun in. As the conflicts in Afghanistan and the West Bank continue, it is way too easy for Americans to see the people involved as two-dimensional "swarthy" characters on their TV screens and not as real, three-D, flesh and blood, heart and soul, human beings very much like themselves. Back in the early 1980s, I lived in a small southern Maine coastal town which filled with tourists and money in the summer, then emptied back out on Labor Day, leaving a tiny community of "economically challenged" yearrounders. As a young mother of four children, I led a rather narrowly-focused life at that time. But my global horizons were enlarged unexpectedly one autumn afternoon. I was at the stove finishing up a batch of caramel popcorn as an afterschool treat. My six-year-old son Mike had asked the day before if he could bring his new friend home to visit and I'd enthusiastically said sure. Mike was shy and sensitive and didn't make friends readily and this was his first year of "fulltime" school. The front door banged open and the usual flood of "kidness" poured into the house — books thumping, papers rustling, laughing, yelling, sneakers slapping up the stairs two by two. "This is my friend Azziz Rafi. He's from Afghanistan." I turned around to see Mike grinning proudly. Next to him stood a little boy with thick black curly hair and immense, dark eyes. At first, Azziz looked embarrassed and peered down at his feet. Then Mike took charge. "Say hello, Azziz!" he urged encouragingly. Azziz first looked at Mike and smiled, then looked up at me and said with great emphasis (it turned out to be his favorite new English word): "Hello!" (actually it was more like "Haylo!"). "Hello!" I answered, "It's nice to meet you. Would you guys like some caramel corn?" I held the bowl out. Azziz's statement was blank — it was obvious he did not yet understand much English and was not sure just what that bowl of lumpy interesting-smelling stuff was. He turned to Mike with a quizzical look. "Popcorn!" said Mike, pantomiming stuffing a handful into his mouth and crunching it. Azziz laughed loudly at this — an exuberant, bubbly laugh! I offered the bowl to him. But he shyly dropped his eyes and shook his head no. "It's OK!" Mike reassured him. I held the bowl back out. "Try some." Again Azziz shook his head. Maybe he just isn't sure about caramel corn, I thought. So I offered him an orange. Again, the dropped eyes and shaken head. Then I tried an apple. Same response. Finally, I held out a banana. This time, Azziz seemed more receptive and stared with great interest at the long, curving yellow fruit. Mike took it and placed it in his friend's hands. "Here!" Azziz grinned mischievously at Mike and looked at the banana. Then he put it up to his head as if it were a telephone receiver and said, "Haylo? Haylo?" We all burst out laughing. Then Azziz handed Mike back the banana. "No- you keep it!" Mike protested, pushing it back. Azziz shook his head. Mike pushed it back again, but Azziz still shook his head. At last, Mike took the banana, peeled it, took a bite, handed it to his friend and said firmly, "Eat it!" Finally, Azziz took the banana and eagerly ate it as Mike munched some caramel corn. It was obvious both of them had been very hungry, after all. Right about then, our warm-hearted but decidedly goony springer spaniel Brandy came scrambling into the kitchen to greet the newcomer. He ran up to Azziz, tongue hanging out in a soggy dog grin. Poor Azziz cried out loudly in terror and began to inch backwards, trembling. It was obvious he was genuinely petrified. I quickly shuffled Brandy out into the back yard. Then the two boys went off to Mike's room, totally unrestrained by the language barrier. It was the beginning of a great, though too short, friendship. Mike was very protective of Azziz, and "translated" for him — although he did not understand the Afghan language, he understood Azziz. Whenever Azziz wanted to communicate something to anyone else, he looked first at Mike. And, somehow, just in that look, Mike could "read" what Azziz was trying to say, whether it was "Azziz says he'd like to play on the swings" or "Azziz has to use the bathroom." A few days after meeting Azziz, I got to meet the rest of the Rafi family. They lived in a rather shabby, furnished seasonal house a few blocks away. I learned that they were refugees from Afghanistan, which was being torn asunder by a civil war between pro-communist factions (which were being supported by Russian troops and arms) and the traditional, fiercely independent Afghan people. Azziz's father, who was described as a "freedom fighter," had been heavily involved in the cause against the communists. The Rafis were Afghani aristocrats — well-educated, cultured, and at the other end of the Muslim spectrum from the present-day Taliban. Although Mr. Rafi was a strong, commanding presence, at home, he seemed to defer comfortably to the ladies of his house, which included his wife, mother, and daughter, whose name was Suhela (Soo-hay-la). His wife had obviously been very shaken by the trauma of becoming a refugee and an emigree to a strange country, and was friendly but extremely anxious, fussing nervously over her children. Mr. Rafi's elderly mother, like veteran homemakers in every corner of the globe, sought solace in the kitchen, eager to cook for anyone, anytime. Although the women wore light scarves on their heads, they did not cover their faces. Their clothing was comfortable, colorful and incredibly beautiful — silks with delicate embroidery. Azziz's father, I learned, had been targeted by the Russians but had managed to escape his home with his wife and mother just hours before he would have been captured or killed. The family had been forced to leave virtually everything they owned but their clothes behind. (As it turned out, Azziz's fear of our springer spaniel had been inspired by the routine use of attack dogs by the Russians — Azziz had witnessed an Afghani child chased and savaged by one of these dogs.) Suhela had been away from home visiting relatives in another town at the time of the Rafi family's flight. For some time, she had been trapped in Afghanistan, separated from her family. Suhela's father, who spoke fairly good English, described how his daughter had made a daring journey by night across the mountains into Pakistan riding on muleback. He was very proud of her courage and independence, but the whole family had been terrified for her and no one had breathed easily until they had received word she was safe in Pakistan. Just 16 years old, Suhela was one of the most gorgeous women I have ever seen. My 8-year-old daughter Lorie was in complete awe of her and became absolutely convinced that she was an Arabian princess. In fact, when I called Lorie the other night to ask what she remembered about the Rafis, she thought first of Suhela: "She was a princess, wasn't she?" Suhela was tall and slender, but healthily rounded. Her skin was a striking deep ivory and absolutely flawless. Instead of the stereotypical thick black hair and eyes (the American "model" of all Muslims), she had silky, deep ash-brown hair and wide-set pale gray eyes — not hazel, but true gray. Between her eyes was a blue teardrop-shaped tattoo (Lorie thought that was her "princess insignia"). The first day I met her, she wore a long flowing blue silk robe over what we westerners call "harem pants." On her feet were dainty little silk slippers. I remember how incongruous it seemed — the princess dressed in silks sitting in a graceful lotus position on the beat up old couch. What amazed and impressed me most about the Rafis was how incredibly centered and open they were Here they had gone through a bloody war, lost everything, narrowly escaped with their lives and were now isolated in a strange country. But they seemed to completely accept their new circumstances and were ready to start over from nothing and move forward. As soon as he could, Mr. Rafi made arrangements to import handmade clothing from Afghanistan as a way to support his family. Although we were just as poor as they were, we managed to buy a pair of camel hair leggings, a scarf, and a sweater. I doubt if the strong earthy scent of camel ever came through as strongly in the dry mountains and deserts of Afghanistan as they did on the damp Maine coast in winter! I remember holding the material up to my face on humid days and smelling the rich, exotic musk — with my eyes closed, I could see a camel caravan, winding across the treeless plains. One day, Mr. Rafi gave me a photocopied pamphlet produced by the agency that helped bring the family to the U.S. (can't remember which it was). It told all about Afghani social customs and culture, and was designed to help Americans better understand their new neighbors. As it turned out, one of their customs was to never accept food as a guest unless it was offered at least three times. Even though I hadn't understood Azziz's repeated refusal of food, Mike, with the greater wisdom of children, had instinctively known he had needed to press the banana on his friend repeatedly. The pamphlet also pointed out that Afghan people were very proud and independent but warm-hearted and generous. Above all things, they prized family and friendship. Once you were a friend, you would always be a friend — no matter how may years of absence passed or what your circumstances were. I think this deeply personalized culture is why, to the outside world, the Afghan people may appear to be fickle, constantly changing allegiances among different political factions. The reality below the surface is that they may be changing superficial allegiances to remain true to their deeper loyalties to individuals. Thus they are in reality, the opposite of fickle on the personal level. By contrast, here in the US, our behavior is often the opposite — we are too willing to sell out individuals in order to gain an advantage for a political party, company, or team.. Unfortunately, a clash of cultures and values was, I suppose, inevitable. Which brings me to what I and my kids always refer to with a cringe and sigh as "the bird incident." For the Christmas gift exchange in Mike and Azziz's first-grade class, the two boys wanted to give each other special presents. Mike wanted to give Azziz a slinky — a toy by which the little Afghan had been completely fascinated. Azziz wanted to give Mike a small handmade tin bird — a treasure that had survived the perilous journey from Afghanistan. But their first grade teacher, we'll call her Mrs. Smith, though a basically kind woman, exemplifies what is most wrong with even the best folks at the conservative end of the American spectrum. She relied doggedly on protocol rather than thinking things through herself on a case by case basis and believed firmly that there was only two ways to do things — a right way and a wrong way — and that the right way was always the path of protocol. Though not really a bigot, there was no room in her narrow universe for other ways of thinking or living. She did not discriminate against things different — she simply refused to acknowledge their existence. So, when the two boys came in with their presents, with notes stating they were earmarked specifically for each other, Mrs. Smith would have none of it. The gift exchange in her room had always been a randomized handout from a pool of presents. That was the protocol and thus the right way of doing things (love it or leave it!). She remained unmoved by Mike's angry pouting and Azziz's sobs. The little bird went to a rather nasty little bully who refused to give it up in exchange for something else, just out of meanness (he had no interest in the bird itself), while Mike ended up with a comic book and Azziz with a $1 McDonald's gift certificate. That night, I called Mrs. Smith, enraged. But it was like railing against a brick wall. The random handout was just the way things were. Period. It didn't matter to her that Azziz was a Muslim to whom Christmas was irrelevant or that the bird was an irreplaceable treasure — all that mattered was that the gift handout had proceeded according to protocol. I was able to buy another slinky — and believe me, on my budget then, even that was a stretch — but the bird was gone forever. Shortly after Christmas, the Rafis moved to San Jose to live with a relative who had escaped Afghanistan earlier. There was a large community of Afghans there. I couldn't blame them, especially as I learned about the same time that they had been charged over $700 per month for their downtrodden rental, in a town where the going rate for a large seasonal house at that time was about $300-400. Welcome to America. We lost touch with the Rafis after that — we lost the address and were unable to find a way to contact them again. But I have always felt that my life and most certainly Mike's life, was enriched by the relationship, however short. In a larger sense, I think of how the Rafis and other central Asian émigrés have enriched America. I no more associate the Rafis with the Taliban or Osama Bin Laden than I associate the typical American with KuKluxKlan or Jerry Falwell. I feel an acute sense of shame and regret that we are devastating the Rafi's beloved former homeland and killing innocent people just like the Rafis — including little boys like Azziz - because so many Americans are generalizing their grudge against a handful of extremists to encompass an entire nation — in fact now several nations. It also fills me with pain to think that the Rafis could be experiencing any form of persecution here in America in the wake of the WTC tragedy. After having undergone far more real danger and suffering than the average American will ever know should they live to be 100, they certainly do not deserve to suffer now due to the ignorance of their new neighbors. For me, America's retaliatory reaction in the wake of Sept. 11, both here and in Afghanistan, is just an extreme and violent version of "the bird incident." It is born of well-meaning, but devastating ignorance. Wherever the Rafis may be, I want them to know that I still think of them and that my family's prayers are with them and with the Afghani people who remain caught in an endless cycle of violence and a struggle for independence. • THE BROKEN MAYTAG AWARD OF THE WEEK (Awarded to politican or journalist performing the lamest spin cycle): On 4/3, Donald Rumsfeld and sidekick General Richard Myers had a press conference — though the event should have been retitled: the "Rummy and Myers" standup comedy routine. Alas the attempts at comedy fell flat. I mean what can you say about one liners like "The only reason humanitarian aid workers got back into Afghanistan is because of the U.S. military" when everyone knows that many aid workers have continuously been in the country, including the two Christian missionaries who were allegedly rescued by the U.S. military! But the high point of the Rummy and Myers routine was the spot that wins them this weeks BROKEN MAYTAG award: The two comics ambled out onto the stage with their scripts. Then, Rummy clears his throat and says, glancing at his lines, that he and Dick just came having lunch, where, to their surprise and delight, the New York Yankees JUST HAPPENED to also be! Myers: (reading from script — I am wickedly paraphrasing what he said cause I didn't have a pen handy). Why yes, Donald, that is correct. We did had a pleasant surprise finding the Yankees there, didn't we? They were so All-American and you know how much the American public just loves those Yankees...and so do we." Myers hardly took his eyes off his script the whole time! My hubby and I roared with laughter at this routine. I mean, if you are going to plan a PR stunt like "stumbling onto the Yankees at lunch", at least learn your prescripted lines by heart for Chrissakes! Kinda makes it hard to believe that you "just came from lunch" — but somehow managed to emerge with a three-page script! Cheryl may be contacted at cherylseal@hotmail.com. Cheryl's Daily Diatribe: Monday, April 8, 2002 WATER: The Stuff of Life.....and Death The World Bank At least one in every 5 people on the face of the planet are without access to safe drinking water and the problem is doomed to get worse - much worse - before it gets better. In the coming few decades, two-thirds of the planet's remaining water supply may be lost to pollution or waste. Yet, a story that has more serious implications for the world than any single non-nuclear war or even the AIDS crisis has gotten next to no coverage by the mainstream media. For example, how many people remember hearing about International Water Day on March 22 — an event that apparently received major coverage everywhere but the U.S.? Polluted water supplies kill thousands of people around the world each DAY — most of them children. In India, Vietnam, and other countries, in addition to scarcity of water and pollution from poor sanitation, such as India and Vietnam, the poisoning of wells by arsenic either through industrial irresponsibility or improper well construction has become a problem of staggering proportions. An estimated 35-77 million people are now being poisoned in Bangladesh alone according to the World Health Organization. In other regions, the very scarcity of water is a daily threat to life. For example, in some drought-plagued African communities, villagers must walk miles just to obtain a single precious jug of drinking water. But the demand for scarce water isn't just for drinking. In some regions, water for other purposes has already become so precious it is bought and sold as a "blue chip" commodity, just like oil — in fact, it's already known as "blue gold." Anyone who wonders why activists are so ferociously against world trade will wonder no more after pondering the following: A 1999 report from the International Forum on Globalization reveals that NAFTA has given a green light for wealthy nations to prey on the very life blood of poorer nations. "Governments are signing away their control over domestic water supplies by participating in trade treaties such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and institutions such as the World Trade Organization (WTO). These agreements effectively give transnational corporations the unprecedented right to the water of signatory countries. Already, corporations have started to sue governments in order to gain access to domestic water sources. With the protection of these international trade agreements, companies are setting their sights on the mass transport of bulk water by diversion and by super tanker. Several companies are developing technology whereby large quantities of fresh water would be loaded into huge sealed bags and towed across the ocean for sale." In other words, why should Bush and his corporate cronies care that they have trashed the U.S. drinking water supply — they can simply go rip it off from other nations without sufficient economic clout to protest, truck it here by barge and resell it to the highest bidder. As a matter of fact, I suspect that the reason the media has put all but a blackout on the world water crisis since the 2000 election is because the corporations DO NOT WANT THE PUBLIC TO KNOW THERE IS A CRISIS. Keep 'em focused on "terrorism" so they don't notice there's a much more terrifying problem looming on the horizon. If they did, they might force the government to take strong preventive steps — and that would certainly make it tougher for companies to make a killing off it later, when a more desperate point is reached. As a matter of fact, Enron was trying to get into the "blue gold" business just before the crash of its sleazy empire. Equally disgusting is the way Coca Cola is already cashing in on the water-crisis-driven misery in poor nations. In the maquiladora zones of Mexico, water is so scarce that babies and children drink Coca-Cola and Pepsi instead. Water supplies in the western world, especially in the U.S., are being sapped by demands placed on them to meet the demands of industry and agriculture (a huge drain is the insistence of U.S. farmers on growing water-intensive crops in arid areas where water must be continuously siphoned from rivers and aquifers) and lifestyle "needs" — like the "need" for three bathrooms, swimming pools, big green lawns or golf greens in climates where grass was never meant to grow, 20-minute showers every day, bi-weekly SUV washes, etc. Water supplies are also being sucked away by developing countries scrambling to emulate the wasteful lifestyle of the west. For example, in its race to "westernize," China has seriously jeopardized its water supply. To grow western-style monoculture crops, China's irrigation system wastes twice as much water as more efficient systems in developed countries, while the country uses 5-10 times more water to produce the same amount of western-style industrial goods as manufacturers in Europe or the U.S. Just imagine what will happen when a few billion people decide the "need" swimming pools and daily 20-minute showers. Water control is already being used as a form of political tyranny and as an insidious, cold form of terrorism. Few people know, for example, that one of the key issues in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is WATER. The international environmental organization called Green Cross (Mikhail Gorbachev is the president) reports "The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) complains that Israel controls the sources of water and one third of West Bank inhabitants have only intermittent water supplies. Israel has complete control over water resources in the West Bank and uses 82 percent of the underground water, the PNA says. Palestinians in the West Bank are charged three times as much per unit of water as Israeli settlers. The Israeli newspaper, "Ha'aretz," reported that more than half a million of the Palestinian inhabitants in the West Bank have not consistently received water for more than two months." Meanwhile, Israelis use 7-10 times more water everyday per person than Palestinians. However, Israel now wants a share of what little water the Palestinians have access to. During the current conflict, Sharon used his power over the water supply to terrorize Palestinians but shutting off the supply completely for several days. Water is now the driving factor behind an increasing number of global conflicts and water supplies are — monstrous as this seems — becoming military targets. The U.S. intentionally wrecked water treatment plants in Iraq , leaving millions of Iraqis without safe drinking water, and leading to death of an estimated ?one million Iraqi children. During the Afghanistan bombing campaign, Rumsfeld targeted this dry, drought-ridden nation's ONLY sources of water. The country's most important hydroelectric plant was bombed to rubble, weakening the huge dam on the country's only major river, the Helmond, polluting the water below the bombing site. and creating an ongoing danger of a dam collapse and catastropic flood. Many of the bombs that hit alleged "terrorist tunnels" were in fact targeting the ancient network of underground conduits that carry precious water from aquifers beneath mountains to villages and hardscrabble fields. If the U.S. government is willing to use water as a tool of terror and to allow companies to buy and sell it like oil or pork bellies, who is to say that this same "benign" government will not, in the near future, make water a "commodity" available only for a price — like medical attention is now. The wealthy will then still have their swimming pools, three baths and SUV washes every other day, while the poor will struggle to get enough to drink every day. The same condition already exists in developing countries. Meanwhile, wildlife everywhere except in the most pristine reserves are becoming increasingly water starved as their dwindling supplies are diverted, filled in, dammed, polluted, or made inaccessible by roads, fences, or development. The sight of a deer, fox or raccoon lapping from a trickle of a polluted stream or a gasoline-slicked puddle is becoming more the norm than the exception in many areas of the U.S. In northern Maine, as a case in point, in areas where paper company sludge is spread routinely on "industrial forestland," even so-called remote ponds and streams are now polluted, and probably much of the ground water, as well. For all of their technological know how, humans are the stupidest, crudest species on the planet. After all, we are, as the philosopher once remarked, the only critter insane enough to burn down its own nest — as we sit in it. A few links to get those interested — which should be anyone who drinks water! — started: World water supply dwindling overview of world water crisis U.S. water budget info overpopulation and water supply humans claiming more than their fair share Iraq water supply trashed by US Afghan water supply trashed by U.S. US bombs knock out dam, "imperil thousands", in heaviest raids yet Water supply and Sanitation collaborative council List of organizations around world dealing with water issues books Australia and water crisis poisoned wells in India Cheryl may be contacted at cherylseal@hotmail.com. Cheryl's Daily Diatribe: Tuesday, April 9, 2002 The Christian Right, the Rapture, and one former Christian broadcaster Well, I'd have to say Unknown News scored a "direct hit" on the Christian Right with our article and follow-up reader letters on the "Rapture" and how it may be impacting politics and world events big time. Biggest proof that we've kicked the hornet's nest is that the Rev Sun Yeong "Send Me Your Money" Moon's propaganda organ, "The Washington Times," ran a counter spin piece within four days of the appearance of our piece. Meanwhile, the letters keep coming, most, I am happy to say, from sane and reasonable people (i.e. not "Rapturists). One reader mentioned how the Rapturists are being given prime rack space for selling their "literature" at Wal-Mart (the New American Church?) and the big "superstore" book chains. I went to Wal-mart to check it out and he was right! There, in the racks nearest the main aisle, and at eye level, was a collection of Tim "I'm Laughing All the Way to The Bank" LeHaye books! With the kind of money this creepo is making off the gullibility of the masses, he ought to call himself a "Raptorist," as in predatory bird. Here are is a thought-provoking commentary from a former Christian broadcaster in Alaska. Cheryl,• DIATRIBBLE Spinner Winner Propaganda Award Cokie Roberts and Alex Chadwick of NPR's Morning Edition have taken the art of propaganda to a new "high" that would have had Goebbels doffing his hat and exclaiming "Why the hell didn't I think of that?" Here's the scam — During the show's "weekly roundup" of news stories, Roberts, posing as a journalist, is "interviewed" about the stories by fellow propagandist Chadwick. How's that for a new wrinkle in spin land?!! — spinner-to-spinner news. What's next? Having Rumsfeld or Bush interviewing themselves? Although the current press conference trick is for these creeps already is to pose the questions they want to hear themselves, then answer them in the same breath, thus eliminating the "middle men" (the press corps, who are useless as it is). Roberts' pre-scripted "question and answer" spot was all about the Bush war on terror and the Israeli campaign - but designed to stitch together the party line without a single seam showing. Her "answers" to Chadwick are filled with opinion — Bush's opinion, anyway. She actually said, at one point, as an argument for getting rid of Arafat: "Maybe in this case it's "better the devil you don't know than the one you do."" If Roberts' wanted to call her slot: GOP Roundup or The World According to Cokie, then we'd have no problem with her Rumplestilskin-like efforts to spin Bush straw into gold. But "Weekly News Roundup"? Cheryl may be contacted at cherylseal@hotmail.com. Cheryl's Daily Diatribe: Wednesday, April 10, 2002 GOP Trying to Tie His Fast Track Trading power and Globalization scheme to "Family Budget" Thanks to Chris G. for this tidbit! Since when does helping "the family budget" have anything to do with granting Bush "Trade Promotion Authority" and passing the "Andean Trade Preferences Act"? Yeah — helping the family budget, as in shipping Daddy's job down to Mexico so someone named Juan can do the same work for half the pay. Or letting the big energy company Mommy works cut a " presidential fast track" deal in places like Taiwan before they go bankrupt and abscond with Mommy's savings and pension Here's a "notice" sent this week to people on a GOP mailing list. This list's heading in the database must be "Schmucks Who Might Be Too Dumb To Know Any Better." But, then, the GOP is obviously bubbling over with willing victims. You'll notice at the end of this letter, you can click on a list of local call-in talk shows, like C-SPAN. The idea, of course, is that the GOP schmucks will mobilize their "teams" to barrage these shows with the usual scripted propaganda. From: Blaize Hazelwood, Political Director, RNCHi — Cheryl here again. I checked out the site that this letter was attached to. It was very telling! The GOP is run just like a multilevel marketing operation! I know, because one summer years ago, I was hired to do some editorial work for a publication that aimed at pulling in multilevel marketer hopefuls. I was fired when I pointed out that they were a shameless scam. GOP team leader info actual site: Text from site in bold. My comments in italics GOPTeamLeader.com is an online toolbox for Republican activists. It is personalized and local. Our computer actually prints your name on the top of our form letter! GOPTeamLeader gives you the power to quickly voice your opinions and influence your Representatives. We know every lobbyist and legislator on the take in the country! Once you become a Leader, you can use GOPTeamLeader.com to: Learn about and help fellow Republicans running for office in your state, as well as on a federal level; We'll help make sure you're just as much a pain in the ass as any Jehovah's Witness. Track and research local and federal issues and bills of interest to you; Learn how to monitor and harass local legislators, journalists, and talk show hosts who don't agree with US Write your local and federal representatives... Flood your local reps with form letters we will write for you but you can sign and say you wrote yourself. while accessing official RNC talking points from GOPTeamLeader.com; If you call us, we will tell you exactly what to think. Collect GOPoints by completing Action Items and redeem them for collateral of your choice, ranging from leather PDA covers to folding chairs. We believe anyone can be bought - and the losers on our Schmuck List will probably go for a leather PDA cover or folding chair. Encourage participation in the political process by building your own Team of activists who you can share information with. Learn how to spam Democrats and Green Party members, stack polls and organize phony "spontaneous" call in assaults on talk shows The 2002 election is right around the corner and we need your help. We know we are losing group and we are desperate, so we'll do ANYTHING. Sign up to be a Team Leader and work with us for a Republican majority in 2002. Help keep us Porkers in office another 4 years so we climb into a few more pockets before we go home Wanna see sad! While those of us who truly value the ideal of American democracy struggle onward on the steam of self-motivation alone, unpaid and abused by the mainstream, the rightwingers do their thing — freeping polls and haunting news sites like ours so they can report back to their "team leaders" — for sweatshirts, tote bags and GW Bush baseball hats. • Another incoming comment: Pondering upon current events and the distinct possibility of religious war, and the deference of some, like Charles B. to things coming "in God's time".... perhaps it is timely to point out the fact that in 1984, the names of Jewish terrorists and details of their acts became known after a trial in which most signed confessions of the crimes of which they were accused. Gush Emunim fanatics had plotted to blow up the Dome of the Rock.. This is a matter of historic record, and for those wishing to do any homework on this, and one of the most violent subversive organizations in Israel's history; Robert Friedman wrote graphically about it in the Village Voice (Nov. 12, 1985).It is interesting to note, that, at trial, and as other of Gush's known activities like blowing up West Bank mayors had come to light, attorneys for Gush terrorists came up with a novel and 'explosive' defense. It was claimed that the Shin Bet, even knowing identities, had failed to arrest anyone because, in the words of chief defense attorney Avi Yitzahk, "top political and military authorities had urged the underground to take actions that a democratic state cannot." It is worth making the point that we have NO IDEA of just how far reaching IS the collusion between, or the intentions of, such arrangements. Nor can we assume that ANY government, intelligence agency, OR OTHER equally dubious entities...are somehow insulated from, or immune to, such activities. Cheryl may be contacted at cherylseal@hotmail.com. Cheryl's Daily Diatribe: Thursday, April 11, 2002 SUPERFUND SELL OUT: Is Bush the Toxic President? Or Is He Just Practicing a New Form of Eugenics? There are 40,000 — count 'em! — 40,000 candidate superfund sites in the U.S., 1,200 of which have already been officially listed. What's a superfund site? An industrial site — or illegal dumping site — that is so contaminated by extremely toxic substances that it requires a special program just to organize and manage the clean up. The chemicals have, in most cases, seeped into the ground, into surface water, into wells... in short, they are a toxic nightmare. A superfund site in Woburn, Mass. was the focus of the book (and later, movie) "A Civil Action." This real-life superfund site was killing off children in the community from cancer thanks to contaminated wells. But when the working class families tried to fight back, the corporations fought them tooth and nail — or should we say dollars and lawyers — for years. It was a heartbreaking, though ultimately heroic struggle. Picture the plight of Woburn multiplied times tens of thousands and you'll get an idea of the misery, frustration, and suffering that these sites collectively cause for the Americans unfortunate enough to live too close to them. So what is Bush doing about this tragedy? NOTHING. He wants to let most of the sites sit — can't have his corporate pals coughing up cash for anything as trivial as sparing mothers the sight of dying children, can he? His neglect of the problem is without exaggeration, tantamount to a death sentence on an untold number of Americans — a high percentage of them will, without doubt, be children. Right now, he is pulling his usual cowardly scam of delay — He says he wants to "defer" the problem, which is the chicken-livered wimpo's way of saying "I don't intend to do a goddamn thing about the problem, fuck you!" Thankfully, most of Congress (to my delight and profound shock) are opposing his miserable position. Here is a kick-ass website on superfund sites. It tells everything you need to know (and will wish you didn't!) about superfund sites, including a database that will help you find out which sites are close to where you live and what's being done about them. This is a good one to pass on freely to as many people as you can. WHAT YOU CAN DO: Call your reps and tell them you support their stand against Bush's negligence (right now, more than half of all reps are opposing the Bush move). We need to let these folks know when they are doing something RIGHT and cheer them on - who knows, they might start making it a habit, given enough encouragement!. You can also sign PIRG's letter to Bush demanding disclosure of which sites are going to be left to fester from lack of cleanup $. • The Pulitzer Prizes for Journalism 2002: A Sorry Excuse For News Awards We all know the Pulitzer Prizes for Journalism are a big fat joke, especially now with the AP empire dominating both the news and the Pulitzer board. The prizes are awarded by Columbia University on the recommendation of the 18-member Pulitzer board. Upon this board sit several AP members, including AP chief Louis Boccardi. The President of Columbia University, the guy with final veto power, we can assume, over the awards, is George Rupp is an old Bush pal from Texas who used to be in banking before turning his corporate expertise to education — in fact, he was involved in one of the biggest money laundering scams ever. So it comes as no surprise that there are already complaints that some should-be winners were passed over because the committee is more worried about its corporate cronies than upholding a literary standard. In addition, of 18 board members supposedly representing newspapers for the entire nation, seven are based in New York with two in Boston. So we are all supposed to be impressed that New York-based newspapers swept the awards, with 7 going to the NY Times and a couple to the Wall St. Journal ? Here are some general notes on this corporate fest of mutual back-scratching: The Wall Street Journal won several awards, including some that it absolutely should not even have been nominated for. Why? Well, the timing's perfect, isn't it? All this week, AOL, the TV networks and various newspapers have been plugging the debut of the :Wall Street Journal's "new look" (it's been reformatted to resemble a cross between "People" and "The National Enquirer"). So, within the same day or so that the "new WSJ" hits the stands, so does the news of its cluster of undeserved Pulitzer Prizes. This scam is no different than the segment of the Olympics opening ceremony where Stephen Spielberg was selected to represent "culture." The cameras lingered on him as one of the flag bearers entering the arena, then right after cut to a commercial for the re-released "ET." (a Spielberg film). The New York Times made a sweep of 7 awards. How very amazing (yawn!). And, most of the winning coverage was about 9/11 in NYC. Hey! If Bush can be declared a "great president" just for standing next to a pile of rubble in NYC, then why should it surprise us that the New York Times and Wall Street Journal are declared great papers just fore BEING in New York?! Jewish Journalists dominated the Pulitzers with a capital D. Out of 7 writing awards conferred to individuals (not staffs), at least 5 were awarded to Jewish writers (actually, this number could be higher, but I am not familiar with two of the writers listed and don't know if they are Jewish or not). This not only is totally unfair — here are scores and scores of incredible non-Jewish writers out there, so it isn't as if no one else can write! — but it adds gasoline to the fire of bigots who claim that the Jews have a "stranglehold" on the U.S. media. Huge Newspapers dominated not just the wins, but the nominations as well. Smaller newspapers were terribly underrepresented. Being a regular reader of newspapers of all sizes, I know for a fact that the monsters like NY Times, the Post, and LA Times all basically share the same front page stories and general spins, and are unabashedly corporate. Smaller papers, on the other hand, are much more likely to have original (refreshing!) content, to regularly be more probing in their investigative reporting and to be more challenging in their commentary. BUT — smaller papers are on average much more critical of the Bush administration, and of the corporate power structure in the U.S. So, the domination of the Pulitzers by big papers doesn't represent journalistic excellence — it represents the big boys patting each other on the back and saying "Hooray for us!" (and, of course, Hooray! for corporate journalism!) 9/11 / war on terrorism coverage dominated the awards. This in a year when a recession tore the tech world apart, Bush and Ashcroft tore the Constitution apart, the EPA tore environmental protections apart, the Supreme Court tore democracy as we know it apart, …etc., ad nauseum. But no one could find anything to write about but 9/11? Alas, the Pulitzers are just following the corporate media pattern: If the American public opens its mouth to complain or ask questions, you can shut 'em up by force feeding them 9/11/war on terrorism coverage! To give you an idea of just how politically manipulated the Pulitzer Prizes are now, take a look at who LOST and what stories were NOTABLY ABSENT, as well as who won. This year, WITHOUT EXCEPTION, each award was granted either to stories leading to the patriotic right or to politically safe stories — i.e., stories no one could quarrel with, from corporate execs to migrant workers or those on topics everyone already knows all about from ample coverage by others. The winning field is thus, with but a very few exceptions, about as flat and unchallenging as a piece of old newsprint. Investigative Reporting: WHAT WON: Washington Post (Sari Horowitz, Scott Higham and Sarah Cohen) for a story on the tragedy of children abused while in protective foster care won (Gee, no has EVER written about kids being abused in foster care before! Worthy story, yes — Pulitzer material: NO) WHAT LOST: a story by Duff Wilson and David Heath of The Seattle Times on the lethal effects of clinical trials for new drugs being conducted by doctors with a financial interest in the outcomes. There is a suspicion that this story was barred from the winner's circle because of pressure the FRED HUTCHISON MEMORIAL CLINIC and Wall Street Journal (talk about conflict of interest!) placed on the Pulitzer committee . Also kept well from the winner's circle: an investigation by Craig Whitlock, David S. Fallis and April Witt of The Washington Post of systematic police abuse of suspects, including forced murder confessions, in an elite suburban county outside D.C. NOTABLY ABSENT: Investigative reports on the 2000 election, on the ties between Bush and the Taliban prior to 9/11, on the Enron Scandal - in short, on no topic that SHOULD have been a hot topic for investigative journalists. As far as desperately needed journalistic investigations went, 2001 was the YEAR THAT WASN'T. Breaking News Coverage: WHAT WON: The Wall Street Journal (!!!!?????) for covering the 9/11 attacks from (incredibly!) the $ point of view. WHAT LOST: The Daily News, covering the attack in a deeply personal, human manner, in the trenches with the everyday guy. Hey — with George Rupp at the helm, where does the Daily News get off thinking they can compete with "fast breaking coverage" of dollar bills!? NOTABLY ABSENT: Any nominations for any coverage other than 9/11 Explanatory Reporting: WHAT WON: New York Times staff for its 9/11 coverage. WHAT LOST: Washington Post's David Finkel for 9/11 coverage. NOTABLY ABSENT: Anything besides 9/11 coverage. Beat Reporting: WHAT WON: Gretchen Morgenson of New York Times for Wall Street coverage (guess this goes with the award to the Wall Street Journal for New York coverage — must be an interchangeable set). WHAT LOST: Patrick Healy, Boston Globe, covering education — including exposing student suicide epidemic at MIT and systematic grade inflation at Harvard. Of course, Healy's loss had NOTHING to do with the fact that one of the Pulitzer board members, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., is a Harvard bigwig!! Another more worthy candidate who lost: Jack Kelly of USA Today for coverage of foreign terrorism, often at risk of own life. NOTABLY ABSENT: Any nominee from health/medicine beat, in a year when stem cells research and other hot topics abounded or from the court beat, when the courts were being rocked by Bush/Ashcroft. National Reporting: WHAT WON: Washington Post Staff for coverage of "War on Terrorism". WHAT LOST: Douglas Birch, Gary Cohn of Baltimore Sun for series that showing how university research on new drug therapies may be tainted by relationships with profit-seeking drug companies. NOTABLY ABSENT: Any stories that had anything to do with anything to do with the aftermath of the election, Enron, the overhaul of the Bill of Rights and Constitution by the Bush Administration, invasion of privacy following 9/11, the crash of the economy. International Reporting: WHAT WON: Barry Bearak of New York Times for coverage of war in Afghanistan. WHAT LOST: Other stories on war in Afghanistan. NOTABLY ABSENT: Anything other than war in Afghanistan. Feature Writing: WHAT WON: Barry Siegel of Los Angeles Times for story about man tried for neglect death of son. WHAT LOST: Ellen Barry of Boston Globe for story about two Sudanese boys resettled in U.S. adjusting to life in American culture. NOTABLY ABSENT: Any newspaper with a circulation under half a million, when the absolutely best features being written right now invariably come from papers smaller than this. Commentary: WHO WON: Rightwing asshole Thomas Friedman of New York Times pontificating on "worldwide impact of terrorist threat". WHO LOST: Michael Daly of NY Daily News for "compassionate and humane columns and Village Voice's Nat Hentoff for commentaries on the threat to American civil liberties following 9/11. NOTABLY ABSENT: Smaller newspapers and any commentators critical of war on terrorism or Bush. Criticism: WHAT WON: Justin Davidson of Newsday for classical music criticism. WHAT LOST: John King of the San Francisco Chronicle for urban architecture criticism, Joseph Morgenstern of the Wall Street Journal for contemporary film criticism. NOTABLY ABSENT: ANY criticism of publishing field. Editorial Cartooning: WHAT WON: Clay Bennet of the Christian Science Monitor (give us a break!). WHAT LOST: Marshall Ramsey of the Clarion-Ledger of Jackson, Mississippi and Ben Sargent of the Austin American-Statesman. NOTABLY ABSENT: Any non-conservative nominees, and, more significantly, any really GREAT nominees, though there were dozens worthy of it, including Tom Tomorrow. Breaking News Photography: WHAT WON: New York Times Staff for 9/11. WHAT LOST: The Record (Hackensack, NJ) for 9/11, New York Times for war in Afghanistan. NOTABLY ABSENT: Any photos NOT having to do with 9/11 or Afghanistan. Feature Photography: WHAT WON: New York Times for war in Afghanistan. WHAT LOST: Albert Diaz of the Miami Herald for portrayal of suburban sprawl in Florida, Mike Stocker, A. Enrique Valentin and Hilda M. Perez of the Sun-Sentinel for moving images of AIDS in Caribbean. NOTABLY ABSENT: Any newspaper not in Florida or New York. Cheryl may be contacted at cherylseal@hotmail.com. Cheryl's Daily Diatribe: Friday, April 12, 2002 THIS WEEK'S BROKEN MAYTAG AWARD : You Can Relax Now! Bubba Is Keeping Nuclear Power Plants Safe For YOU! Unknown News led the charge (we are proud to brag!) in exposing the outrageously lax security at the nation's 100-plus nuclear power plants, an inexcusable situation that continued EVEN IN THE WAKE OF 9/11!! Well, like all good corporate slime balls, the nuke barons have addressed this complaint NOT by actually improving security in any meaningful way, but by pouring millions into an ad campaign designed to give the ILL:USION they're doing something! I mean why spend money on fixing anything when you can spend it on a PR campaign that says you did? That way you get a two-for-one — you get the PR plus you don't actually have to fix the problem! Anyway, the stage being thus set for this week's Broken Maytag winner, here's the scoop: The nuke barons, calling themselves the Nuclear Energy Institute (these guys think that by calling themselves "foundation" or "institute" no one will notice they're a pack of flimflam artists!), have taken out huge ads — one-quarter page a pop! — in newspapers across the country. Most of this ad is taken up by a photo of a big, tough, thuggy looking guy in crew cut and uniform whose name could only be Bubba! (a tiny caption says that Bubba's real name is Howard Hyde, but we still bet his friends call him Bubba!) Bubba is holding what looks like an M-16 and glowering challengingly at the camera. At the top left hand of Bubba's portrait, it reads "Nuclear Power Plant Security — " Then, across the bottom of Bubba's picture in bigger letters it says: "TOUGH ENOUGH? YOU BET." . The bottom, Bubba-less, section of the ad is devoted to talking about how Bubba is not only a U.S. Army helicopter pilot, he is a Tai Kwon Do champion. Also, about how the other nuke security guys are also tough dudes who not only have military and law enforcement backgrounds but must also pass a psyche test! So, rest easy, America, when a 747 jet liner makes a nose dive for that nuke plant, Bubba stands ready, complete with a clean bill of mental health, to confront it with his best Tai Kwon Do moves! • REACHING FOR A HIGHER CONSCIOUSNESS: The 1985 Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment While browsing the Yale Avalon Project site, I found a link to "Project Diana," an online human rights archive. One of the documents I found there was the CONVENTION AGAINST TORTURE AND OTHER CRUEL, INHUMAN, OR DEGRADING TREATMENT OR PUNISHMENT. This document represents a pinnacle of enlightenment in human history - it rejects the un-evolved, underdeveloped mentality that can perpetrate or condone torture and other outrages. The standard set by the Convention would SEEM to be the same one aimed at by America's "founding fathers" when they forbade the use of "cruel and unusual punishment." The document opens with the following statement: "The States Parties to this Convention, Considering that, in accordance with the principles proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations, recognition of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world, Recognizing that those rights derive from the inherent dignity of the human person, Considering the obligation of States under the Charter, in particular Article 55, to promote universal respect for, and observance of, human rights and fundamental freedoms." The document closes with the following paragraph: "On February 4, 1985, the Convention was opened for signature at United Nations Headquarters in New York. At that time, representatives of the following countries signed it: Afghanistan, Argentina, Belgium, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Senegal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Uruguay. Subsequently, signatures were received from Venezuela on February 15, from Luxembourg and Panama on February 22, from Austria on March 14, and from the United Kingdom on March 15, 1985." Signatures that are still notably absent from the Convention: the United States and Israel. Why am I not surprised? LINCOLN'S ARTICLES OF WAR VS BUSH'S PAPER ASSAULT The Article of War below was sent to me by a reader, who found it in the Avalon Project at the Yale Law School. At the Avalon site, you will find a collection of documents dating from the 18th century through the present, including the Articles of War. When I browsed through the archives, I was disgusted to discover that the Bush administration has flooded the annals with its constant proclamations, sweeping acts (notably the infamous "Patriot Act"), and directives. There appears to have been nearly as many documents dumped into the archives in the past 6 months as in the preceding 16 years! It's as if Bush thought to seal his takeover of the nation with paper — as if the number of documents, rather than the nature of the documents, would be the measure of his "presidency." The Article of War below is a document originating from Abraham Lincoln — a real president acting during a real war. It provides us with yet more proof that the Bush administration is gnawing away at the very foundations of our Democracy and our supposed cherished ideals. For Lincoln and those who followed him, this Article of war was meant to be respected. For Bush, Rumsfeld, et al., it may as well have been a square of Charmin. INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES IN THE FIELD Prepared by Francis Lieber, promulgated as General Orders No. 100 by President Lincoln, 24 April 1863. SECTION IX Assassination Art. 148. The law of war does not allow proclaiming either an individual belonging to the hostile army, or a citizen, or a subject of the hostile government, an outlaw, who may be slain without trial by any captor, any more than the modern law of peace allows such intentional outlawry; on the contrary, it abhors such outrage. The sternest retaliation should follow the murder committed in consequence of such proclamation, made by whatever authority. Civilized nations look with horror upon offers of rewards for the assassination of enemies as relapses into barbarism. Mean Cuisine? The U.S. military may be unable to stop terrorists armed with box cutters or kill a single man (OBL) with 60 million tons of our best bombs, but, by God, they can make a mean sandwich — a very mean sandwich...indestructible, in fact. Yep, that's right! Gotta account for the extra billions tacked onto this years Pentagon budget somehow and here it is, the from Sydney (Australia) Morning Herald (my "observations" in italics): "Military scientists in the United States have developed a new battlefield weapon: the indestructible sandwich. It can survive air drops and rough handling to stay fresh for up to three years, even in tropical conditions. in tight spots you can even use one of these babies as an entrenching tool or to jack your jeep up while you change a tire! Eventually, it is expected to follow freeze-dried coffee, dehydrated egg and processed cheese from the battlefield on to supermarket shelves. So far, only pepperoni and barbecued chicken varieties have been developed. The burgers we worked with kept exploding. Soldiers who have tasted them say they are "acceptable". I.e., no severe illness has been conclusively linked to the sandwiches yet. Scientists are now working on indestructible pocket pizzas, cream-filled bagels and peanut butter sandwiches." So what's next? Suicide salami? Cheryl may be contacted at cherylseal@hotmail.com. Cheryl's Daily Diatribe: Monday, April 15, 2002 REMEMBERING THE "COMMON MAN" ON April 15 By Cheryl Seal On April 15, 2002, as on every April 15, the U.S. government and all its pals making over $100,000 per year stand to get a lot richer while the poor get a bit poorer. Today, "poor" starts at about $26,000 for a family of 3, and we're talking poverty line. $26,000 equals one marginally job, say as a new teacher, a junior accountant, or a middle-management person in some sort of retail business. It is also roughly two $6.00 incomes for a year — just barely. Once upon a time, a minimum wage job meant the poverty line. Two minimum wage jobs in the same family meant respectably above the poverty line. A job as a starting teacher or accountant meant reasonably comfortable. Today, people making $26,000 per year or less and barely - or not - making it represent the fastest growing group in America — despite what the hype from Washington or Wall Street may try to sell you. The folks at the Labor and Census Bureaus frame their data in a sneaky format that makes the average income look healthier and racial patterns more equitably distributed than they really are. Income is typically presented as a "median" value (few people know the difference between mean, median, and mode — and it can be immense). Instead of income per worker, we are more likely to be shown "household income," in which every man, woman, child, dog and cat may contribute some earnings. But the fact is, the "average American" — the "common man" — is not doing that well. Over 35% of all workers between ages 16 and 65 now make between $5.25 per hour (min. wage) and $9.50 per hour. It is estimated that less than half have any kind of benefits, most have no job security (ask any worker in the service sector what the phrase "at will employee" means), and a high percentage work two or more part-time jobs because they MUST in order to make ends almost meet. Yet it is the poorly paid, neglected workers in the service sector upon whom the American corporate empire stands. Wal-Mart, Home Depot, McDonald's, every supermarket chain, every retail store in every mall across America — are all built upon the backs of underpaid clerks, counter helpers, stockers, cashiers, short-order cooks, receptionists, and waitresses/waiters averaging about $7.00 per hour. These workers have no voice — any worker at Wal-Mart even caught talking to a union rep can be summarily fired (ask any clerk at any store!), any cashier at a typical supermarket chain who refuses to push carts around in the cold or clean toilets even though they weren't hired to do those jobs can be fired. Any kid working at an all-night convenience store who refuses late night shifts out of self-preservation, can also be shown the door. In addition to being under paid, these employees, a high percentage of whom are our youngest and oldest workers (students, just-out-of schoolers, and retirees trying to make a little extra money), are also often most in danger of injury or death on the job: The homicide rate for all-night convenience store clerks, for example, rivals that of big-city cab drivers and police. Legislative protections of these workers is abysmally inadequate or nonexistent. Routine employer practices include assigning irregular and unpredictable shifts (i.e., 4:00 to 11:00 PM one day and 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM the next, in a chaotic pattern — just try finding child care, getting a second job or going to school on that schedule!), compulsory unexpected overtime (workers in the food service sector are especially vulnerable to this practice if there's a last minute rush), being sent home without pay because business is slow (though the worker may have depended on that extra two or three hours pay), being hired to do one job and ending up doing the work of two or three, being charged from an already tiny paycheck for accidental breakage, or for being "stiffed" by a customer (wait staff know this one all too well!), being assigned 28-34 hours regularly so the employer does not have to pay benefits, two-week pay schemes in which workers can be assigned to work 50 hours one week during a busy time, then cut back to 30 the next so no overtime is paid out, no sick time, and so forth ad nauseum. Is it any wonder that the greatest amount of shoplifting that occurs is done not by customers but by store employees with zero respect for their employers? The Bush tax cut will give these workers a laughable extra $150-200 per year. That won't even cover one week of sick time. It is a pretty good move for the rich employers, though. According to Labor Bureau projections, jobs in the service sector will increase more rapidly over the next 7 years than all other types of jobs except for the most highly specialized professions, such as systems analyst. Want to bet the real reason behind Bush's educational testing scheme? A test-or-don't graduate program will achieve one goal: providing a steady stream of high school dropouts to stuff into the underpaid service sector jobs. The groups that are most likely to test poorly, despite actual aptitude, are blacks, Hispanics, low-income and/or transient whites, teenagers in abusive or dysfunctional homes, and teenagers who are burnt out on the whole over-bureaucratized school scene (there's A LOT of teens out there like that, and the number is steadily growing). Bush's testing scheme is an insidious way to trample the already fragile hope of upward mobility among a huge group. Shrub also wants to cut daycare to low income women. That means women with children in the service sector will inevitably be forced onto welfare. While we're on the subject of compassion — where is Bush's plan for medical insurance for the service sector? Few of these workers have coverage. The average Blue Cross plan for a single person in good health not covered by an employer's plan is about $200 a month. For someone taking home $800-$1350 per month, it may as well be $2,000. I say, fine — if Bush wants to thumb his nose at one-third of all American workers, then it is time for American workers to start demanding real change — A BIG change! THE UNKNOWN NEWS PLAN FOR LOW INCOME WORKERS Here's a plan that would make life enormously kinder for service sector employees and put more money into their struggling budgets than any insulting crumbs from Bush's tax plan: First and foremost: Abolish Income tax completely for all workers making under $20,000 and reduce their social security payment. The reduction can be taken out of taxes gleaned from those making over $100,000 per year. Next, it's time to propose a real alternative program: Let's call it " THE HAND UP PROGRAM (as opposed to the Republican's favorite slam of any social service program: the "hand out"!). The Hand Up Program would be, in essence, a voucher system aimed at bringing the standard of living of low-income workers up to a true living wage. Vouchers could only be used for their target commodity, so the right-wingers couldn't say money is being handed over to druggies and drunks" (better we should hand it over to the oil industry, eh?). TRANSPORTATION VOUCHERS: Worth $150 per month, usable on public transportation, in cabs, toward car payments, and toward car repair bills. CLOTHING VOUCHERS: Receptionists, clerks, and other office workers in low-paying positions are expected, incredibly, to dress well. A $50/ per month clothing voucher would be issued to those in certain professions. RENT VOUCHERS: Rent is the number one problem for low-income workers. Average one-bedroom apartments in major U.S. cities range from $400 to $850. That's about half to two-thirds a paycheck for these workers! Rent vouchers should be a minimum amount ($200, say). In addition to reducing pressure off workers, this move would open up more housing to low income people, relieving the current crunch. At present, section 8 housing is not only hard to come by, it is usually outrageously inflated in price by the landlords receiving the state/federal payments. INSURANCE VOUCHERS: For employees not covered under an employee plan, medical vouchers of at least $100 would be provided, payable either to an insurance plan or directly to a care provider. SCHOOL VOUCHERS: For employees enrolled in a class, vouchers payable to a college or vocational training program would be made available equal to the cost of one to two courses per semester. At present, virtually no financial aid is available to people trying to take one class at a time (all many workers can manage). CHILD CARE VOUCHERS: This would enable low-income workers to take their children to any care provider--even pay their relatives, thereby opening up more options. At present, decent daycare options are becoming woefully scarce. Outrageously, at present, the basic needs (medical attention, adequate clothing, shelter) of indentured servants and slaves in some households in the 1800s were given more attention than the low-income workers of today's service sector. While over one-third of all Americans will go to bed tonight worrying about paying the rent May 1st or covering a much-needed visit to the doctor's office, the executives of major corporations will rest easy knowing that even if they screw up big time, they have a "golden parachute" of several million dollars to fall back on - thanks in large part to the failure of the U.S. government to insist that workers - the majority of Americans - not the bosses, come first. Thoreau once said, "It's not enough to be good — be good for something!" Isn't about time the U.S. government followed that advice? DIATRIBBLES: • Finally, a CIA Coup FAILS!! After a coup that lasted a few days, Chavez is back in power in Venezuela. YAY!!!! Why yay? Because the coup staged against Chavez bore the unmistakable stamp of a CIA operation. It was the same MO the CIA used to depose Sukarno in Indonesia in 1966 and Allende in 1973, Mossadegh of Iran in 1953. What do all three have in common? All were democratically elected, left-leaning popular leaders in their countries, replaced by unelected, despotic leaders willing to wheel and deal with U.S. corporations under the table. But this one in Venezuela didn't stick, thank God, as it was engineered to benefit the Carlyle group and other U.S. oil interests - like nearly every other CIA-engineered coup has been engineered to benefit some private interest, and not national security. • Suicide Bomber....or CIA Plant? Speaking of the CIA, a pal of mine says that they have information that the Palestinian would-be suicide bomber woman being trotted before the American press this weekend is a CIA plant. Her purpose? To spout this one line: "I was going to do it because Arafat has not told the suicide bombers to stop yet." More evidence that this woman is a plant comes from a psychiatrist I know who watched the interview with the woman on CBS this AM and just called me. "The woman's affect is all wrong!" he said. She isn't a desperate woman with a 7-year-old prepared to kill herself. In addition, he said, the footage of the woman with Israeli soldiers indicates none of the dynamic tension that one would expect to see radiating from the woman and the soldiers if the story were true. • HOOT OF THE WEEK: "Wisdom" of Donald Rumsfeld The Bush administration and just about every one of its strongest followers is a "Chickenhawk." This means they are war-mongering, big-mouthed self-styled "patriots" eager to send someone else off to fight and die in a foreign country to make the world a safer place for American corporations. But they all have one thing in common — every single one of them has dodged military service, either getting off 'cause Daddy and Mommy had money or slithering into a cushy National Guard or reservist position. Well, the Chickenhawk Society only has one person in their ranks with any claim to military service - Donald Rumsfeld, so they are trying to make the most of it. This week, McGraw-Hill, a bastion of corporate publishing, released "The Rumsfeld Way: Leadership Wisdom of a Battle-Hardened Maverick." It's described as a "slim volume." I should think so! He served in the Navy (aviator) 1954-57, during which time the only "war" going on was Joe McCarthy's war on American democracy. In fact, 1954-57 was one of the most peaceful periods of the past 50 years! So where does this "battle hardened" wisdom come from? Food fights in the mess hall? Drunken brawls on shore leave? Or perhaps Rumsfeld means his fight to the top of the corporate ladder? Or maybe his battles to insure that aspartame won FDA approval against the advice of scores of medical experts? Cheryl's Daily Diatribe: Tuesday, April 16, 2002 THE BUSH SPIN MACHINE: On Overload and Failing Fast The big lie is coming unraveled. You can tell by how heavy handed the spin campaign of Bush's "handlers" is becoming. Because rightwing and creative are mutually exclusive qualities, when cornered, these sleazemeisters do not become diabolically clever (thank God for the rest of us!). Instead, they simply escalate their bullshit. Same bullshit, just louder and more of it. For example, for years now, the corporate right-wingers have been using the "call 'em loony" approach to discredit everyone from antiwar activists to environmentalists (i.e., if they are in any way challenging corporate interests, they are wackos). This tactic was replaced temporarily by the McCarthy approach: anyone challenging corporate interests (these interests include war and censorship, of course) is "unAmerican." This routine soon began to backfire though, because it turned most people off. So, now the right-wingers are back to the "you're with us or you're wacko" gig. When congresswoman Cynthia McKinney spoke out this week about the possible political engineering of 9/11 — if not the event itself, then its freedom-trashing aftermath — a spokesman for the Carlyle Group sneered: "Did she say these things while standing on a grassy knoll in Roswell, New Mexico?" Ari "The Egg With Eyebrows" Fleischer has apparently taken up the same buzzword: grassy knoll (these guys are so unoriginal that when someone engineers for them what they imagine to be a great, clever line, they flog it to death!). So strong critics of Bush are now "grassy knoll society" members, eh? Pretty strong put-down from a group of conscienceless robber barons whose biggest profits have come from destabilizing other countries, sickness, and death. The Carlyle group not only is a major weapons trader, it is also an oil pipeline contractor and a major shareholder in BioPort, an extremely peculiar little company that has been given the corner on the anthrax vaccine market by the Bush administration — even though the same company failed an FDA inspection three times. On the Carlyle board sits George Bush, Sr. and several ruthless old fossils from past rightwing regimes, including Frank Carlucci (a former defense secretary who was Donny Rumsfeld's college roommate) and James Baker III (former sec. of state and the oilbag lawyer who helped Bush steal the 2000 election). Among the Carlyle groups closest associates are the Bin Laden family, to whom Carlyle has acted as a "U.S. bank." As fa |