Donkeyphant Vol. 12

[T]o talk about Israel's policies without talking about the US's active support, and sometimes design, of these policies, is a mistake. Israel has been encouraged to do what it has done in the Middle East because it has served the agenda of the US. To frame the issue in terms of Jews and anti-semitism is to blind oneself to the reality that Israel is acting as part of the larger project of imperialism and control overthe region. ... people oppressed and discriminated against see a 'Jewish conspiracy' where there is instead white supremacy, racism, and imperialism, and fail to see that the centers of power are elsewhere. -- Justin Podur

As a child in British Mandated Palestine, Ghada Karmi watched Jewish terrorists create the climate of fear and terror that gave Palestinian families the choice of fleeing or expulsion. She notes the irony that the word "terrorist" was invented by the British to describe the Jewish Irgun and the Stern Gang and its killers, two of whom became prime ministers of Israel.

Leaving Taxpayers With the Bill -- and the Hatred

The long-term effects of depleted uranium are surfacing. It doesn't look good. "Gulf War Syndrome" is just the beginning. Indeed, the consequences of depleted uranium could be far worse than those of landmines.

Those who profited and benefited from depleted uranium munitions -- Bill Clinton, George "W" Bush, and countless nameless bureaucrats, Pentagon officials, military brass, and corporate executives, will get away Scot free.

When the international war crimes tribunal finds the United States guilty of poisoning the people of Iraq, Yugoslavia, and Afghanistan with radioactive uranium dust, it's the US taxpayers -- not the perpetrators -- who will pay the bill. The US taxpayers paid for the weapons to be manufactured and "deployed" and they will also pay for their consequences.

Declare War Against Racism and Intolerance

With Lott Aside,
Declare War Against Racism and Intolerance

The debacle over Trent Lott’s misguided statements provides the nation with an opportunity to address racism proactively. President Bush has rallied the country around the war on terrorism and a war on Iraq. Now he has the opportunity to declare war on bigotry and hate.

We all agree that racism continues in the United States. We have seen Democrats and Republicans alike agree that racism is wholly and completely unacceptable. But with Lott stepping aside, dealing with racism is pushed to the back burner again, allowed to eat away at our nation’s character. Any talk of improving race relations is hushed and polite when it occurs at all.

The problem with polite talk on these issues is that it lets the vast majority of the nation off the hook. The nation ends up treating Lott or more overt incidents as the exception, regarding those instances as the occasional target. In fact the prime target should be the foundation of institutionalized racism that has created an environment that enables subtle and unconscious racism and emboldens perpetrators of racist speech and acts.

We need more than polite talk. We need a sense of outrage and indignation. We need massive mobilization over the issue. We need a declaration of war. The declaration of war on the evils of hate and racism must be loud and constant. Just as we have poured millions of dollars into campaigns against drugs and smoking, we need attention-grabbing strategies to begin now, in the midst of our current recognition that improving race relations matters. We need a clear vision statement on these issues to serve as the basis for this moral declaration. We must be driven, not politely, because we are beyond politeness on the evils of hate and prejudice that our leaders acknowledge are not American values. Let’s put our heads together on this national priority. Be creative and imaginative in approaches. Set an example. Call for new laws, enforcement of old laws, smart coalition-building, civility, respect and approaches to addressing actions and private attitudes. Make that call loud and clear and remind us over and over. Make it part of the national psyche, not just part of the national agenda.

The public face of American pluralism—dominated by politicians, professionals and community leaders—is mostly positive. The problem is with the private off-camera face of America that fails to teach our children and challenge our neighbors to be respectful of others. We all share to varying degrees the blame for a culture that gives rise to hate speech and ethnic animosity. Every time we engage in even subtle racism or the fostering of stereotypes, we perpetuate that culture. As much as each of us shares the blame, each of us can be part of the solution. Every time we reach out to others whom we have been conditioned to distrust, fear, or subordinate because of culture, race or class, we begin to chip away at the wicked culture that gives rise to irrational hatred, animosity, and violence.

In the aftermath of the September 11 tragedies, President Bush spoke out against hate crimes directed at Americans of South Asian, Pakistani, Arab, and Muslim descent. He urged “Americans not to use this as an opportunity to pick on somebody that doesn't look like you, or doesn't share your religion.” But we need more than this polite entreaty, and we need it soon. The Lott affair was a wake up call. Let’s stay awake, and perhaps we can finally learn how to say “good morning” to one another.

Bill Ong Hing is a Professor of Law and Asian American Studies at the University of California, Davis. He is the author of To Be An American—Cultural Pluralism and the Rhetoric of Assimilation (NYU Press 1997).

The Worst Is Yet to Come

On 9/11 2001, we warned that unless the US changed its foreign policy, there would be more acts of terror committed in the United States.

We hope we're proven wrong, but what else should Americans expect from brash acts of aggression carried out in the Middle East by the US? Bin Laden was primarily outraged by the presence of US troops on Islamic "Holy Lands" during the last Gulf War.

There are roughly 150,000 US troops in the Middle East ready to attack Iraq. The mere presence of troops and aircraft carriers in this region puts Americans vulnerable to terrorist acts. When the bombing starts, the risk will increase by an order of magnitude, and will only continue to rise as the atrocities continue. Has the INS has succeeded in rounding up every Al Quaeda operative in the States? They are certainly giving it their best try, at the expense of innocent bystanders.

Ask an Israeli or a Brit what it's like to fight terrorists. They have suffered so much yet their leaders press on for purely political motives. Americans still have no idea what it's like to live under the constant threat of terror. If Americans learned anything from 9/11, they wouldn't hold Bush Jr. in such high regard. George W. and his handlers are kicking open Pandora's box with a kiss-my-ass attitude and without concern for the average Americans who will suffer the consequences. Politicians and corporate bandits who live in ivory towers (or behind the marble columns of the White House) are dangerous people indeed.

As the Bush Jr. administration prepares for an unjustifiable war against international law, it is ironic that the same administration is simultaneously planning tax cuts for the investor class. A never-ending conflict with a ghostly enemy will devastate the economy (excluding, of course, the military industrial complex) as well as the stock market. If Americans don't give a whit about Iraqis or Palestinians, we can only hope that they're motivated to avoid a repeat of the historically dismal bear markets of 2001 and 2002.

It's shameful that terrorism and economic disaster are necessary in order for good Americans to fight aggression and oppression carried out in their name. The voices of nonprofit social justice organizations (including religious groups) are ignored by an administration that claims to be predominantly fundamentalist Christian and by corporations that put profits above gratuitous human concerns such as peace, freedom, and the pursuit of happiness. While the Bush family is keen to be photographed attending church every Sunday, the evidence shows that the highest levels of the US government have been hijacked by white supremacists primarily from the South. Meanwhile, America's corporate-owned "free press" is preoccupied by the spectacle of war and mayhem and the personal lives of actors, athletes, and musicians.

Whether it's the threat of bombs detonated in shopping malls by Al Quaeda, ecological disasters carried out by transnational corporations, losing union jobs to China and Mexico, or the looting of retirement nest eggs, America's destiny seems to be overshadowed by forces who care little about peace, freedom, or even life itself. Instead of being Al Quaeda operatives, these forces are American born and bred. They attended Harvard and Yale and vacation on Martha's Vineyard. They are the undeserving benefactors of Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson's genius. They are the real American traitors.

The people of the United States have the power to reverse the suicidal course its Romanesque leaders are hell-bent on pursuing. But time is running out. Once the bombs start dropping on Baghdad again, we fear it will be too late.

Deport Winona?

By Bill Ong Hing

Would we deport Winona Ryder for shoplifting? Of course not. In fact, for her felony conviction, Ryder will pay $3,700 in fines and $6,355 in restitution, engage in 480 hours of community service and be on probation for three years but face no jail time.

Contrast that sentence with what awaits lawful immigrants and refugees convicted of minor offenses such as shoplifting and bad-check writing: deportation. Yes, some have committed more serious crimes involving violence or narcotics, but all have been incarcerated and then deported on top of that.

The planned deportation of almost 1,400 Cambodian refugees to a
country with one of the worst human rights records should make us pause and rethink our deportation laws. For years, Cambodia would not accept deportable refugees, but last March it signed a repatriation agreement enticed by further economic aid from the United States. Since then, 36 Cambodian nationals have been sent back, while others await processing by U.S. immigration officials. (According to U.S. Census Bureau figures, there are 170,000 Cambodian immigrants in the United States, about 10,000 of whom live in the Bay Area.)

Those deported have been detained by the Cambodian government for weeks at a time, awaiting further ""processing,'' while they and their U.S. families have been pressured with extortion demands. Money is requested for every little privilege, such as $50 for towels. (A spokesman for the Cambodian Embassy in Washington denied that deportees are being mistreated. ""They are free to go when they arrive and have the same rights as all Cambodian citizens to live and work where they please,'' he said.)

The real tragedy of the deportation of Cambodian refugees is who they are. Most of those being deported have little connection to contemporary Cambodia, their only memories being of the cruelty and starvation under the Khmer Rouge and the ""Killing Fields'' massacre of more than 2 million of their countrymen. Some do not speak Khmer and many do not read or write the language. Some were born in Thailand refugee camps and have literally never stepped foot in Cambodia. Others entered the United States as infants and toddlers. Most have resided in the United States for more than 20 years and, for all intents and purposes, they are Americans having grown up here. Like it or not, they are products of American culture.

Who are the Cambodian deportees? Lundy See of Philadelphia entered as a refugee at age 8; he was convicted of assault at 16, and served 14 months in prison. Sokha Sun of Seattle, who possessed a gun illegally, came to the United States as a 3-week-old refugee. Borom Chea, who grew up near Sacramento, entered at the age of 3. At 17 he was convicted of robbery and served seven-and-a-half years in state prison. Other Cambodian deportees who wish to remain anonymous include a young man whose offense was public urination; another was convicted of drunk driving; one was convicted of two petty thefts.

The most recent group of deportees who arrived in Phnom Penh on Thursday morning included an 80-year-old man. Left behind are their spouses, children, parents and friends. In years past, deportation relief may have been afforded to many of these individuals if certain hardships or rehabilitation could be established, but an overhaul of the immigration laws in 1996 closed this avenue for a second chance to most ""alien criminals.''

As a sovereign nation, we certainly have the technical authority to punish and remove these souls from our borders. But even though we have this power, how, when and on what basis should we exercise it? Are we really proud of deporting individuals who entered the country as infants to a land where they have no real ties? Individuals who have served their criminal sentences? Individuals who may have convincing evidence of rehabilitation? Individuals who have a stable family and community ready to help them on their feet? Many of these individuals deported to Cambodia deserved a second chance, but our system provided them with no opportunity to present their case.

Winona is lucky she did not enter the country as a toddler from a Thai refugee camp. If she had, she might be faced with an armed escort to Phnom Penh.

Bill Ong Hing is a professor of law and Asian American studies at the University of California at Davis (bhing@ucdavis.edu).

"Securities" have Opposite Effect

It's pretty clear to us at DonkeyPhant that Wall Street is the engine of many of the world's problems: deforestation, unemployment, unafforable health care, etc..

The irony is that Average Americans are (or at least were) participating in the very game that seeks their ruin. Woo Hoo! My neighbor who works at United Airlines just got laid off! My stock must be soaring!

This twisting of loyalties is pure genius on the part of financial wizards who, among other things, plotted to make individual-responsibility-retirement a reality. Give the workers little choice but to invest their savings in the stock market. Force them to invest for the long term while the bandits sell out in the short term. Take away their ability to invest in their communities and entice workers to dump their savings into risky stocks pushed by "analysts" who work for Wall Street.

Most of all, create a segment of society that sympathizes with corporations. Create a legion of Average Americans who will believe the lies that argue for tax breaks and lax environmental laws for the corporate elite.

The facts are clear and undeniable. Wall Street has drained many Americans of their savings. States and municipalities now face crushing deficits. Fat contracts to prison builders, energy mobsters, and the like have drained away the surpluses of the gay 90's.

"Securities" have led America to financial ruin. Financial security, like racial harmony, is still just a dream. When will working Americans wake up and vote accordingly? Meanwhile, the current administration distracts the populace with fear, fear, and more fear. Fear is a powerful weapon, but eventually, Americans will recall the words of JFK, that most of all, we should fear the fear-mongers.

Democrats Best at Electing Republicans

As we've said before at Donkeyphant, Democrats enjoy their cushy jobs but have no idea how they got them. At least Republicans know what they're about: heartless and cruel evildoing.

Read Ralph Nader's prediction of a Republican victory days before the election. We're going to vote Green until the Donkeys get it, folks.

Smokescreen an Astounding Success

What happens when politicians get their collective tits in the wringer?

Beat the war drum, of course.

Let's face it: both parties had their hands in the cookie jar, pushing deregulation until the collapse of Enron, and accepting "campaign contributions" from corporations, Chinese officials, and any other entity with sufficient cash and a penchant for screwing working Americans and the universally poor across the globe.

The recent elections prove that their strategy was an overwhelming success: rile up the "Partiots" with talk of weapons of mass destruction, even if the US manufactured and delivered such weapons.

Even the Left swallowed the Republican's bluff hook, line, and sinker. Instead of anti-Bush, anti-Enron, anti-Worldcom protests, there were anti-war protests held throughout the nation weeks prior to election day.

This played well into the hands of the Right. Since the message was anti-war, Rush Limbaugh etc. could say unequivocally that lefties are starry-eyed pussies who would let Saddam walk all over them.

It's high time for the Left to get back to business: Anti-WTO, Anti-NAFTO, Anti-G7, and Anti-corruption.

G7 Offers Little to Indebted Nations

Is Michael Moore Possessed by Frank Zappa?

I ditched work a few weeks ago to see the opening of Michael Moore's movie, Bowling for Columbine. I was stunned to see issues on the big screen that no other director or producer in America would dare associate herself with. Michael Moore is the bravest white man in America today.

One of the key themes in the film is about how the media and politicians perpetuate a state of fear in America. In fact, that's not a novel idea: Frank Zappa said that more than thirty years ago on his first album.

I'm not saying that Michael Moore's movie is unoriginal. If Frank Zappa made documentaries, Bowling for Columbine would likely be it. I hope that every American sees this film, but I know the reality of the situation. As usual, the left preaches to the left and little else happens. Zappa failed to stem the tide of Reganism that poisoned American soil.

But this time, Bowling for Columbine has succeeded in creating a buzz on commercial television. Michael Moore was on Oprah last Friday, Nov 2. A week earlier, he was on the substantially less popular Donahue show on MSNBC, which, ironically, was bumped day after day by sensationalist Sniper reporting.

Moore doesn't miss a beat while the cameras are rolling. He speaks from his conscience and doesn't falter or shy from the limelight. On the Donahue program, Moore summed up the state of America today:

As evidenced by these points, Bowling for Columbine is about much more than gun violence or even gun control. The film touches upon the roots of violence in America, from the genocide committed by the Pilgrims against the Native Americans up to today's "just lock em up" law enforcement mentality.

Please go see Moore's latest film and encourage at least one person to do the same. We need more material like this in the theaters.

Here are a few excerpts from "Trouble Every Day" from Frank Zappa's first release Freak Out!, 1969. When will these words cease to be relevant in the US?

Well I'm about to get sick
From watchin' my TV
Been checkin' out the news
Until my eyeballs fail to see
I mean to say that every day
Is just another rotten mess
And when it's gonna change, my friend
Is anybody's guess

You know I watched that rotten box
Until my head begin to hurt
From checkin' out the way
The newsman say they get the dirt
Before the guys on channel so-and-so

And further they assert
That any show they'll interrupt
To bring you news if it comes up
They say that if the place blows up
They will be the first to tell,
Because the boys they got downtown
Are workin' hard and doin' swell,
And if anybody gets the news
Before it hits the street,
They say that no one blabs it faster
Their coverage can't be beat

And if another woman driver
Gets machine-gunned from her seat
They'll send some joker with a brownie
And you'll see it all complete

Violent Renaissance

According to Borzou Daragahi, the US and British enforced No Fly Zone and food-for-oil program has resulted in a "Kurdish renaissance" ("Kurdish renaissance," Money Magazine, November 2002).

Wouldn't it be nice if the Iraqi people could enjoy an Iraqi renaissance as well? Or if the Afghanis could enjoy an Afghani renaissance? Or the Saudis enjoy a Saudi renaissance?

The truth is that the Kurds are living on the borrowed time. As Borzou writes, "Still, Saddam's troops are just 20 minutes from Erbil. Kurds fear that all they've built could vanish in a few hours."

The benefits to the Kurds are a mere byproduct of the US military machine whose primary focus is to control Iraq's oil supply. Should the US topple Hussein and eventually leave Iraq in the hands of a new dictator, the Kurds are likely to become exposed once again with no shelter. War-weary Americans won't care about the Kurds' fate as long as they can fill up their SUVs for under $40.

But there is a price to pay for such arrogance. This morning, Oakland, CA resident Laurence Foley, USAID executive officer, died in a hail of bullets, not in his violence-dogged hometown, but instead in violence-plagued Jordan, half a world away. The killers have yet to be identified but anyone with a brain can guess that it has to do with the US-Israeli alliance.

A few weeks ago, children in Maryland and Washington DC stayed indoors during recess, in fear of a sniper on the loose. A sniper which would later be alleged to be sympathetic to Islam.

So the big question is, how many more Americans will die as a result of Israel? Until Jews and Muslims learn to live in peace, it's obvious that Americans won't.

Chief Moose: "Please return to your false sense of security"

CNN to Sniper: THANK YOU!

The bottom line is that the Beltway-area sniper story and all others like them are great for the bottom line.

Media corporations are advertisers. Advertisers and their customers just love this stuff. People tune in not because they live in the Beltway but because they're riveted by violence.

Violence is the language that all Americans learn from an early age. Violence achieves goals and it's entertaining. If you don't agree with me, for starters, try to explain the death penalty.

Do media corporations report the news or do they make it up? On slow news days, they, shall we say, "bend the truth a bit." When they don't have to, like now, they get that crazed look on their faces. Feeding frenzy. Jackpot.

On slow news days, producers sit in their chairs thinking to themselves, "I sure wish somebody would go shoot up a school or something." Obviously, they are not praying for single-payer health care, a living wage, or decent salaries for teachers.

From the Archives: November Madness

It's time to vote again! What would be a better time than now to dig up a rant from the Donkeyphant archives regarding media and campaign spending.

Kick Butt - Then What?

Should the US - God Forbid - invade Iraq and institute "regime change," what exactly will happen next? See Here

Alleged Footage of 9/11 Revelers in Palestine was Shot Before 9/11

Who can forget the images broadcast by CNN that fateful afternoon of 9/11 of Palestinians celebrating in the streets?

These images further isolated the Palestinians. The result was more violence on both sides of the decades-old Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Trouble is, this footage was shot prior to 9/11 2001. It is unclear exactly when the footage was taken. The footage shows an untouched government building in Gaza City that was bombed to rubble in 1995. The site still hasn't been rebuilt as Israel will not allow the construction materials to be delivered.

An Indy Media article which has been allegedly refuted, states:

"A teacher of mine, here in Brazil, has videotapes recorded in 1991, with the very same images; he's been sending emails to CNN, Globo (the major TV network in Brazil) and newspapers, denouncing what I myself classify as a crime against the public opinion."

Why did CNN mislead its viewers? Were they just lazy or were they intentional propagandists? At best, they were just lazy. After all, who is really surprised by the possibility that the US may have enemies.

Unless you're Palestinian, you have no idea what is going on over there. Unless you've been there yourself, grew up as a Palestinian, you have precious few facts with which to judge either side.

If only Martin Luther King was born in Palestine so that the bombings could stop. However, if the bombings stopped, would Israel dismantle their settlements and stop pushing further into Palestinian territory? Without international pressure, the answer is no.

It's hard for the US to preach to Israel, given the historical genocide of the native peoples of Africa, North America, Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines, just to name a few.

Instead of preaching, why not turn off the money faucet. Americans pay $51 billion in taxes annually to so that Israel can settle Palestinian lands, control Palestinians' movements via checkpoints, enforce martial law, and warehouse Palestinians in refugee camps that are riddled with disease. This is not going to make Americans safer.