Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at:
http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Om
--- Begin Message ----Caveat Lector- Readers' Reactions & Responses1) Re:'A uterus is not a substitute for a conscience' 2) Re: "From Andy Stern, President SEIU" 3) Re: International Appeal - Withdraw All Foreign Forces 4) Re: Will Bush survive Iraq? by Boris Kagarlitsky 5) Re: My Trek to Lesser-Evil Electoral Politics 6) Re: A Call To Action by Pastors for Peace 1) Re:'A uterus is not a substitute for a conscience' It strikes me as important to focus a bit more overtly on the racist nature of the crimes committed at Abu Ghraib. Though Ehrenreich (whom I deeply respect) makes some very interesting points, the sexual humiliation and violence in Iraq was never really about gender. The actions of those military women (and men) were based in their ability to look at the Iraqi prisoners in a dehumanized way, which allowed the perpetration of violence and humiliation against them. For my part, I am not much more surprised that women could be involved in racist humiliation than men, given a little directive and encouragement from ranking officers above them. What I do see, however, is much more of a focus by the media on the women who were involved rather than the men, on the practice of violence in Abu Ghraib rather than the policies that enabled it, and on the "disgraceful" and "sadistic" view of the violence that took place rather than the racist aspects of the violence. These racist tendencies intertwine most of our foreign policies in non-white countries, not just those at play in Iraq. Both women and men have played a part in perpetuating racism inside the U.S., and unfortunately the presence of a uterus has not been the deciding factor in eliminating racist practices outside either. I feel much more outrage about the use of gender focus in the media to distract us from the real deal -- the brutal desecration of another "brown" country for its resources. -from a dedicated Portside reader As a historian, Ehrenreich should be aware that perhaps most of the leading pioneer feminists were pacifists-- especially since many were Quakers. The idea that women should be equal to men in a military context would have been abhorrent to them. It should be clear after all this that war is an abomination that messes everyone up and there are no real winners. (Look at Israel & Palestine, parts of Africa, the Americas, etc.) Before this war started tens of millions of people around the world begged us not to do it, but no--a few spiritually immature brats with no experience of war had to have their way. It will take more than a change of administrations to clean up the mess they made. 2) Re: "From Andy Stern, President SEIU" Brother Andy Stern, We do not need to demand that our politicians find a solution. We know what the solution is. A Single Payer system run by the government for the public interest, that wipes out the nearly 30% overhead and the extraordinary profits and wastefulness of the current non-system of privatized fragmented dysfunctional self-centered profit motivated delivery of "care". Either health care is a right or it is a private privilege. Single Payer universal coverage. Fight for what we need, and tell the politicians what they must do. Brother Denis Mosgofian GCIU 4 3) Re: International Appeal - Withdraw All Foreign Occupation Troops From Iraq! If there are to be any foreign foreign troopd in Iraq, they should be Arab League Troops. Styles Price 4) Re: Will Bush survive Iraq? by Boris Kagarlitsky Kagarlitsky is correct that Bush's failed warmongering does not guarantee his defeat at the polls and Kerry's failure to express an alternative to the Iraq war is increasingly painful and frustrating to progressives. But supporters of the war and Mr. Bush have hardly been 'galvanized' by Kerry's fuzziness. On the contrary, the forces who seem to be gathering strength are the likes of Joseph Wilson, Richard Clarke, and John Dean, who, I am ashamed to say, are now mounting a far more effective opposition to the Bushies ('rightwing nuts' in Wilson's phrase) than the left. Kerry's strategy, it is increasingly clear, is to seek support from these traditional Republicans, recalling that Richard Nixon was elected in 1968 at the height of unprecedented antiwar activism, and re-elected in 1972 against an unabashedly antiwar candidate. Europeans correctly understand that a Bush victory in November will result in further catastrophe. But, as Kagarlitsky states, it is unlikely that a Kerry presidency will be willing or able to resolve the disastrous dynamics now unfolding in Iraq. The left should not be looking to candidate Kerry for expressions of outrage at U.S. barbarism in the Middle East or, especially, for leadership. Howard Swerdloff Who cares whether Bush survives the Iraq war? Since the Democrats favor staying the course, the Iraq War will survive Bush. That's the point, notwithstanding the pathetic rationalizations of those who are so solicitous of this particular president's survival or nonsurval. According to the latest Newsweek poll, 57% of a us disapprove of the war and 35% still approve of it. You folks are urging that 57% to vote for one of the same 35% that includes Bush. End the war, NOW! Bring the troops home! Solidarity! Mark Lause 5) Re: My Trek to Lesser-Evil Electoral Politics I wish to respond to Howard Ryan and all the other participants in the Kerry vs. "my" preferred nominee e- mail discussion. The issues are, in my opinion, broader than has been recognized. The most important element is the democratic process: that there are electoral choices and eligible voters can cast a ballot and have it accurately recorded. If one feels that any of these are threatened by Bush et al., then one needs to vote for Kerry. I am not persuaded by the argument that Nader votes cost Gore the 2000 election and hence all of us should vote for Kerry. This argument assumes that Nader voters knew when they voted that their votes were going to be decisive. This, of course, was not knowable. It also fails to recognize that Pat Buchanan voters also played a spoiler role. I believe that they "cost" Bush the victory in four smaller states. And then there is the personal responsibility of all those who did and would vote for Bush. There are excellent arguments for either choice. I have not made my decision and may not until I actually vote. There are just too many things that can happen between now and early November. Glick's suggestion of campaigning only in "safe" states is a compromise position. As a CCDS, IPPN and Green Party member I would like state Green Parties have the decisive decision if the national Green Party nominates or endorses a candidate. State organizations would be most aware of all the relevant factors in their own states. To conclude, this individual decision should not be a litmus test of one's left-of-center political correctness. There is no obvious wrong choice here and the individual's informed decision must be respected. To strongly disagree is to weaken the prospect for a desperately needed viable third party. Lou Hellwig This piece ignores history, the history of Democrats getting us into the four major wars of the twentieth century, accompanied by the smashing of the left. Clinton didn't have the opportunity to go after Iraq, so says Hillary. He did go after Yugoslavia, Somalia, and did nothing about Rwanda. Most of the jobs created in his administration were part-time. And he did cause much misery to the poor and helpless by "ending welfare as we know it," as well as the worst civil liberties' legislation since Lincoln't time, according to former NY Times columnsist Anthony Lewis. The author also forgets that thousands of Democratic votes in Florida that went to Clinton in 1996 went to Bush. Are we interested in building a people's party, or not? No third party has ever adopted a "safe sStates' strategy and survived. Finally, how many Democratic Congress members voted against the Iraq war? If the Republican Party is the party of fascism, racism and death, then the Democrats are their shadow. Tony Gronowicz >parts of the American far left have lost the art of critical thought The author of those words seems to have "lost the art." Superficial arithmetic substituting for real analysis is disappointing. Some factors which put the conventional DLC blame-numbers in perspective: - ABC Exit Polls show that for every Democratic voter that voted for Nader, a dozen voted for Bush - The corrupt administration of Jeb Bush tossed up to 100,000 voters from the rolls, presumably because they might vote Democratic, and they were disproportionately Black - A factor that is not easily quantified numerically is the effect of having Florida State Troopers bar African Americans from the polls through physical intimidation, which evidently doesn't concern the leadership of the Dems as much as a challenge of a new progressive political party like the GP. Please address reality before theorizing. John Atkeison 6) Re: A Call To Action by Pastors for Peace Thank you for letting us know of this important mission. i Hasta La Victoria siempre! iQue viva Cuba! Georgia, Oakland, Califas > _______________________________________________________ portside (the left side in nautical parlance) is a news, discussion and debate service of the Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism. It aims to provide varied material of interest to people on the left. For answers to frequently asked questions: <http://www.portside.org/faq> To subscribe, unsubscribe or change settings: <http://lists.portside.org/mailman/listinfo/portside> To submit material, paste into an email and send to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> (postings are moderated) For assistance with your account: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To search the portside archive: <http://people-link5.inch.com/pipermail/portside/> www.ctrl.org DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
--- End Message ---
