Osama's Author, William Blum

James Ridgeway, of the Village Voice, talks to William Blum, author of Rogue State: A guide to the World's Only Superpower about his newfound, well, notoriety among conservatives, conspiracy theorists and the American media establishment.

Unfortunately, Blum says Common Courage Press won't be able to take advantage of new interest in his book: they're "too poor." That's ok, I already reserved my copy from the Umass library.

I suppose there was a spark of recognition when I read Osama's statement. Something like, Hey Osama bin Laden reads books! Wow! I mean, I read books too!

Sort of like the reaction I have whenever Bush talks about what he's reading.

It's True - Iraqi Lives Are Worthless

Kill an Iraqi prisoner and you won't even get jailtime, just a slap on the wrist, a "reprimand."

The veil is lifted: We've stopped pretending Iraqi lives are worth anything.

No wait, I mispoke. Iraqi lives are worth something:

Jurors opted for no prison time and imposed a $6,000 fine and restricted him to work, his place of worship and barracks for 60 days, the Associated Press reported.

Not much, but something. What's strange is that it's much better to kill an Iraqi prisoner than to torture, sexually abuse, or otherwise humiliate and dehumanize an Iraqi prisoner. Some of the soldiers implicated in the Abu Ghraib torture scandal received far harsher sentences, as many as 10 years in one case.


Read about it in the Washington Post.

The Next Time You Drive Your SUV...

Think about this.
Think about this little girl.
Think about all the innocent Iraqi civilians who have been killed or maimed, or who have otherwise suffered under the US-led occupation.

There is still time to stop the killing.
Do we, as country, possess the humility to admit we made a colossal mistake by allowing our government to prosecute a war against defenseless nation?

What will we tell our own little ones about the war?

Are Iraqi children worth less than our own?

Osama Bin Laden to Americans: Truce or Terror, Take Your Pick

Osama Bin Laden is reaching out to Americans. I figured I would do my patriotic duty and post his remarks in full.

• Robert Fisk is nearly certain that the following is an authentic communication from America's nemesis number one.

• The US Government is defiant, and says it is winning the war on terror.

• "Osama's Book Club"
  

January 19, 2006
Full Text of the bin Laden Tape
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

The following is the full text of a new audiotape from al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. Parts of the tape were aired on Al-Jazeera television, which published the entire version on its Web site. The text was translated from the Arabic by The Associated Press.

Bin Laden appears to be addressing the American people:

My message to you is about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and how to end them. I did not intend to speak to you about this because this issue has already been decided. Only metal breaks metal, and our situation, thank God, is only getting better and better, while your situation is the opposite of that.

But I plan to speak about the repeated errors your President Bush has committed in comments on the results of your polls that show an overwhelming majority of you want the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. But he (Bush) has opposed this wish and said that withdrawing troops sends the wrong message to opponents, that it is better to fight them (bin Laden's followers) on their land than their fighting us (Americans) on our land.

I can reply to these errors by saying that war in Iraq is raging with no let-up, and operations in Afghanistan are escalating in our favor, thank God, and Pentagon figures show the number of your dead and wounded is increasing not to mention the massive material losses, the destruction of the soldiers' morale there and the rise in cases of suicide among them. So you can imagine the state of psychological breakdown that afflicts a soldier as he gathers the remains of his colleagues after they stepped on land mines that tore them apart. After this situation the soldier is caught between two hard options. He either refuses to leave his military camp on patrols and is therefore dogged by ruthless punishments enacted by the Vietnam Butcher (U.S. army) or he gets destroyed by the mines. This puts him under psychological pressure, fear and humiliation while his nation is ignorant of that (what is going on). The soldier has no solution except to commit suicide. That is a strong message to you, written by his soul, blood and pain, to save what can be saved from this hell. The solution is in your hands if you care about them (the soldiers).

The news of our brother mujahideen (holy warriors) is different from what the Pentagon publishes. They (the news of mujahideen) and what the media report is the truth of what is happening on the ground. And what deepens the doubt over the White House's information is the fact that it targets the media reporting the truth from the ground. And it has appeared lately, supported by documents, that the butcher of freedom in the world (Bush) had decided to bomb the headquarters of the Al-Jazeera in Qatar after bombing its offices in Kabul and Baghdad.

On another issue, jihad (holy war) is ongoing, thank God, despite all the oppressive measures adopted by the U.S Army and its agents (which is) to a point where there is no difference between this criminality and Saddam's criminality, as it has reached the degree of raping women and taking them as hostages instead of their husbands.

As for torturing men, they have used burning chemical acids and drills on their joints. And when they give up on (interrogating) them, they sometimes use the drills on their heads until they die. Read, if you will, the reports of the horrors in Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo prisons.

And I say that, despite all the barbaric methods, they have not broken the fierceness of the resistance. The mujahideen, thank God, are increasing in number and strength -- so much so that reports point to the ultimate failure and defeat of the unlucky quartet of Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz. Declaring this defeat is just a matter of time, depending partly on how much the American people know of the size of this tragedy. The sensible people realize that Bush does not have a plan to make his alleged victory in Iraq come true.

And if you compare the small number of dead on the day that Bush announced the end of major operations in that fake, ridiculous show aboard the aircraft carrier with the tenfold number of dead and wounded who were killed in the smaller operations, you would know the truth of what I say. This is that Bush and his administration do not have the will or the ability to get out of Iraq for their own private, suspect reasons.

And so to return to the issue, I say that results of polls please those who are sensible, and Bush's opposition to them is a mistake. The reality shows that the war against America and its allies has not been limited to Iraq as he (Bush) claims. Iraq has become a point of attraction and restorer of (our) energies. At the same time, the mujahideen (holy warriors), with God's grace, have managed repeatedly to penetrate all security measures adopted by the unjust allied countries. The proof of that is the explosions you have seen in the capitals of the European nations who are in this aggressive coalition. The delay in similar operations happening in America has not been because of failure to break through your security measures. The operations are under preparation and you will see them in your homes the minute they are through (with preparations), with God's permission.

Based on what has been said, this shows the errors of Bush's statement -- the one that slipped from him -- which is at the heart of polls calling for withdrawing the troops. It is better that we (Americans) don't fight Muslims on their lands and that they don't fight us on ours.

We don't mind offering you a long-term truce on fair conditions that we adhere to. We are a nation that God has forbidden to lie and cheat. So both sides can enjoy security and stability under this truce so we can build Iraq and Afghanistan, which have been destroyed in this war. There is no shame in this solution, which prevents the wasting of billions of dollars that have gone to those with influence and merchants of war in America who have supported Bush's election campaign with billions of dollars -- which lets us understand the insistence by Bush and his gang to carry on with war.

If you (Americans) are sincere in your desire for peace and security, we have answered you. And if Bush decides to carry on with his lies and oppression, then it would be useful for you to read the book "Rogue State," which states in its introduction: "If I were president, I would stop the attacks on the United States: First I would give an apology to all the widows and orphans and those who were tortured. Then I would announce that American interference in the nations of the world has ended once and for all."

Finally, I say that war will go either in our favor or yours. If it is the former, it means your loss and your shame forever, and it is headed in this course. If it is the latter, read history! We are people who do not stand for injustice and we will seek revenge all our lives. The nights and days will not pass without us taking vengeance like on Sept. 11, God permitting. Your minds will be troubled and your lives embittered. As for us, we have nothing to lose. A swimmer in the ocean does not fear the rain. You have occupied our lands, offended our honor and dignity and let out our blood and stolen our money and destroyed our houses and played with our security and we will give you the same treatment.

You have tried to prevent us from leading a dignified life, but you will not be able to prevent us from a dignified death. Failing to carry out jihad, which is called for in our religion, is a sin. The best death to us is under the shadows of swords. Don't let your strength and modern arms fool you. They win a few battles but lose the war. Patience and steadfastness are much better. We were patient in fighting the Soviet Union with simple weapons for 10 years and we bled their economy and now they are nothing.

In that there is a lesson for you.

Ron Elving: Abramoff not unique

More on Abramoff and what may or may not come of all this:

The controlling question is this: Will the story be about Abramoff and his peculiar excesses? Or will it be the wider culture of influence peddling and access buying that dominates life in Congress?

The real scandal is not that Abramoff was unique but that he was far from it. For every lobbyist who goes over the top like Abramoff, there are dozens (perhaps hundreds) who quietly find far less conspicuous ways to reward federal officials who help them. Most of those means are, at least technically, legal. So scarcely any of them will be exposed in the cycle of post-Abramoff indictments.

If that point could be driven home, the Abramoff affair might be truly scandalizing. Otherwise, this episode will be just another chapter in the courtroom chronicles of the capital. And the public will soon be watching something else.

[more...]

Bush: The Unlikely Dictator

2006 finds President Bush defiant and despotic. And dumb as ever. But, please, don't take my word for it, watch and listen, and learn of his stupidity.

• NSA wiretaps

• Pushing the envelope of Presidential Powers: Bush, the Unrestrained President.
  

• We have a constitution, right? So where are the checks and balances?
  

• Or do we have a constitution.......
  

Podcasting

Yes. Podcasting. It's the democratization of broadcasting. But how do I navigate through all the schlock to get the good stuff?

• First, in order to listen to the stuff you should get yourself some decent software. I tried a program called Juice, formerly known as ipodder, which seems to work well.
  

• Produce your own Podcast!! Here's some cheap hardware.

• Then list your Podcast here.

Happy Podcasting!!

Global Warming: Killing the Canary

The arctic is heating up, and we all better pay attention.

Polar bears are drowning. They need to reach the ice to feed, but the ice has receded so far that the bears simply drown, exhausted by the extended swim across open water.

Listen to Radio Open Source, with Christopher Lydon, as he hosts a discussion on warming at the North Pole.

• On or around January 15th, Mike Horn and a companion will begin a trek around the North Pole.

Happy New Year Mr. Abramoff!!

Nary a week into 2006 and already a scandal, this one of potentially huge proportions. Not that we weren't ready for one. 2005 gave us some would-be scandals, most of which lacked size and scope and hence staying power.

But now, thanks to Mr. Jack Abramoff, we've got ourselves a scandal, and what may prove to be a big congressional shakedown, the likes of which we have not yet seen in our generation.

A little corruption goes a long way. Abramoff, a hot-dog Washington lobbyist, had dealings with many in congress, and connections up the whazoo; there's no telling how high the trail of dog-doo may lead. Abramoff has already pleaded guilty to three felony charges: defrauding Native American tribes of millions of dollars; bribing government officials; and evading taxes. He's also being implicated for mail fraud.

He'll also make court appearances in Florida for a second string of felony charges.

The man is a complete schmuck. Some would say, a rat.

But, then, there is a culture of corruption in Washington. Even practices that may conform to the letter of the law may still be wildly unethical and fundamentally undemocratic. The whole lobbying enterprise in Washington is based on money. Vast sums of money are spent on lobbying, and what does that money do? It helps ensure that these monied causes get what they want. The more money, the more agressive the lobbying. The more agressive the lobbying, the higher the likelihood of success. At bottom, money buys influence. As long as Washington operates this way, democracy is just a word. Those without the financial resources to back them up are shit out of luck when it comes to winning hearts and minds on Capitol hill. Perhaps Abramoff should be commended for playing the game so well.

• Robert Scheer on Abramoff's "cesspool of corruption".

• Democracy Now! devoted an hour long program to the Abramoff scandal.

Abramoffukkah, as the Wonkette calls it, has begun, and everyone in Washington from congressional staffers to the Bush team is checking themselves and doing damage control: Quick! Ditch the money!

• Wikipedia's got the low-down!

It's going to be quite an eventful new year in Washington.