The following is an update from
Suzanne Taylor and TheConversation.org Making
Sense of These Times Website. Thank
you for your interest. If you wish to be removed from this list at any time,
just let us know.
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Column from Geov
Parrish: It's Our War, Too: America’s Role in Israel Seen Abroad But Not at
Home -- March 15,
2002
Suzanne's
comment: This is a hard hitting call to us to force Israel to
create a solution. "What is obvious outside this country is that the world is
also associating the United States with Sharon's abuses -- an association that,
in a time of Islamic jihads and the 'War On Terrorism,' carries obvious risks for every U.S.
citizen...Washington has, for too long, financed and defended this brutal
occupation; Washington must now bring it to an end."
Other Quotes Drawn From the Column:
"Israel is by far the largest foreign recipient
of U.S. taxpayer money; it goes to both military and economic purposes. Money
from private U.S. sources also plays a huge role in the Israeli
economy...
"The Palestinians
can offer nothing, because they have nothing; they can demand nothing, even
though they need everything; they have no long-term strategy, because tomorrow
is a question. Israel calls the shots, figuratively and literally. And while the
dangers posed by suicide bombers, and the crude attempts by Hamas and other
groups to fight back, are very real, they are the actions of individuals, not a
government.
"...only the
United States has the leverage to force the Sharon government to stop."
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Column from Arianna Huffington: National Missile Defense:
Blowing The Whistle On Bad Science -- March 14,
2002
Suzanne's comments: Move over Moore,
Kucinich and Lee, to make room for whistle blower Nira Schwartz, "a scientist
and computer expert, [who] was hired in 1995 by TRW to test the key component of
the missile defense system," in the foundational structure of a new progressive
movement. If this weren't Arianna reporting on some even grosser aspects of the
proposed missile defense system than most of us are aware of, I'd think it was
coming from conspiracy zealots. Here she quotes Nira Schwartz: "...we've wasted
a decade, and billions of dollars, in a quest for a missile defense shield based
on a technology that will never work." P.S.: "[Schwartz's] commitment to
exposing the truth has come at a high price. A gifted scientist with a Ph.D. in
physics and engineering, and the holder of 24 United States patents, Schwartz
[having been fired from TRW] has found herself effectively blackballed since
filing her suit [against TRW for fraud] -- unable to land a job in her field
despite having sent out over 300 resumes.
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Five Star Piece: Letter to President Bush, Physicians
for Social Responsibility -- March 8,
2002
Suzanne's
comments: The progressive bandwagon continues to pick up speed.
PSR, which, since 9/11, has been one
of the great activist anti-war organizations, spells it all out in this
document, now in wide Net circulation. "[The authority to destroy Al Qaeda and
eradicate its base of support from the former Taliban regime in Afghanistan] was
not intended as an unending license to permit unilateral, unauthorized attacks
anywhere on the globe or to drastically escalate US military spending and
overseas military bases, to promote massive arms transfers, and to conduct
diplomacy by threat...these and other actions of your Administration are fueling
anti-American sentiment worldwide. Coupled with inattention to economic
development, medical and public health demands, environmental degradation, human
rights, education and other needs both abroad and at home, such policies
threaten, in the long term, to bring on the instability, conflict, and terrorism
we all seek to prevent."
Dear Mr.
President,
We write to you
on behalf of Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR), an organization which
shares the Nobel Peace Prize and which represents over 20,000 U.S. physicians
and health professionals deeply engaged with caring for our fellow humans and
the social, economic, and ecological systems essential to health and well-being.
We are profoundly concerned about the recent pronouncements, policies, and
priorities of your Administration in the wake of the initial military response
to the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States.
US military
actions to capture or destroy Al Qaeda and eradicate its base of support from
the former Taliban regime in Afghanistan have been supported by most Americans.
These efforts are carried out with authorization from the United States Congress
and in accordance with the UN Charter's right of self-defense. However, such
authority was not intended as an unending license to permit unilateral,
unauthorized attacks anywhere on the globe or to drastically escalate US
military spending and overseas military bases, to promote massive arms
transfers, and to conduct diplomacy by threat.
We are particularly
disturbed by bellicose, provocative rhetoric and unilateral threats to sovereign
nations, made outside the framework of international law and without the support
of the international community. Such statements erode the honored place of the
United States as a nation that has, at its best, not only defended freedom, but
upheld human rights, international cooperation, humanitarian aid, and the rule
of international law. We are specifically opposed to:
* The depiction of North Korea, Iran, and Iraq as an "axis of evil,"
blurring distinctions between nations and people, foreclosing diplomacy, and
providing rallying points for anti-American extremists.
* The proposed
Defense budget increase of $48 billion, composed mainly of bloated Cold War
programs. This amount alone is roughly double the entire sum the US spends
annually on all diplomacy, international relations, and aid. Just this increase,
by itself, exceeds the defense budget of any nation in the world, with the
exception of Russia. This is excessive and will perpetuate a permanent US war
economy.
* The unilateral abrogation of the ABM Treaty, the unilateral
renunciation of the Kyoto Protocol, the failure to support the ratification of
the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, and the failure to support any
effective verification mechanisms for the Biological Weapons Convention.
* The Nuclear Posture Review which foresees US nuclear weapons
possession and production throughout the 21st Century. This stance flouts U.S.
legal obligations under Article VI of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and
stimulates the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Proliferation increases
terrorists' ability to obtain nuclear devices.
* The abandonment of
long-standing US policy under various Administrations to renounce the use of
nuclear weapons against nations which do not possess them. According to the
International Court of Justice, this is both morally indefensible and legally
impermissible.
Taken together, these and other actions of your Administration are fueling
anti-American sentiment worldwide. Coupled with inattention to economic
development, medical and public health demands, environmental degradation, human
rights, education and other needs both abroad and at home, such policies
threaten, in the long term, to bring on the instability, conflict, and terrorism
we all seek to prevent.
We therefore call upon you to renounce
unilateral military actions and to carry out US foreign and military policies in
accordance with international law. We call upon you to shift US priorities away
from military solutions and toward nuclear disarmament, the diplomatic
resolution of conflicts, and the fulfillment of worldwide human needs.
As President, we call upon you to lead Americans in overcoming fear and
reclaiming our core democratic values after the tragic events of September 11.
This goal cannot be accomplished by military action alone. You must lead us in
declaring our love of civil rights, freedom, and fairness. Lead us in a renewed
American commitment to the painstaking work of peaceful, collaborative conflict
resolution. Lead us to a world united in oneness of purpose as we confront
global military and environmental threats to human health, sustainability,
survival. Such leadership, we believe, will be most consistent with our
long-term security interests and with America's deepest values. We will look
forward to working along with you and with all Americans to achieve these aims.
Sincerely,
Robert K. Musil, PhD, MPH Roy Farrell, MD
Executive Director and CEO President
Physicians for Social
Responsibility
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Ten Star
Piece: Stupid White Men Shoots to #1 on New York
Times Bestseller List -- Bush/Cheney Prepare to Weep and Leave -- March 14,
2002
Suzanne's comments:
This is thrilling. It is such obvious evidence of
widespread belief that opposition to this administration is not unpatriotic. It
is our doorway out of despair, where we believed ourselves to be powerless. Once
we get it that there is another side, we can start to strengthen it. Dennis
Kucinich and Barbara Lee are other cornerstones. Stay tuned for what we can
do!!!