Activism
LABOR ORGANIZING
Union Battle
Dan Clawson
GAY & LESBIAN COMMUNITY NOTES
Stonewall
Michael Bronski
FOOD SYSTEMS
Urban Agriculture
Olga Bonfiglio
PEACE & JUSTICE
Recent Protests
Jeff Nall
Commentary
FROM THE WEB
Net Briefs 06-09
Various Contributors
FOG WATCH
Corporate Reform
Edward Herman
CONSERVATIVE WATCH
Palin's Agents
Bill Berkowitz
EYES RIGHT
The NRTWC
Chip Berlet
Culture
BOOK REVIEW
Stanford Torumoil
Darwin BondGraham
BOOK REVIEW
Mexico Unconquered
John Gibler
BOOK REVIEW
Labor Law
Michael McGehee
Features
HISTORICAL AMNESIA
Torture Memos
Noam Chomsky
LABOR TODAY
Will Labor Fight?
Roger Bybee
SCHOLARSHIP
Online Journals
Lisa Richmond
INTERVIEW
Jack Rasmus
Ui Newsletter
INTERVIEW
Bill Ayers
Jeff Gore
INTERVIEW
Costas Gavras
John Esther
Interviews
There are no articles.
Zaps
FREE LISTINGS
Zaps 06-09
Various Contributors
Z VIDEO PRODUCTIONS
New DVDs 06-09
Z Staff
NOTE: Z Magazine subscribers and sustainers have access to all Z Magazine articles here and in the archive. The latest Z Magazine articles available to everyone are listed in the Free Articles box at the top of the table of contents, and are starred in the list below. Questions? e-mail Z Magazine Online.
Net Briefs - June 2009
Single Payer Protest
David Swanson (afterdowningstreet.org) sent news of a May demonstration at a California State Finance Committee meeting on healthcare. When the chair, Max Baucus, called the hearing to order (no one was officially there to speak for single-payer), about 20 members of the California Nurses Association (CNA) stood and turned their backs on the committee. Pasted on their backs were signs reading: "Nurses Say: Patients First" and "Pass Single Payer." The nurses were asked to leave and did so. But five people spoke up for single-payer and were arrested. Outside a crowd was cheering and chanting and about ten nurses staged a brief sit-in on the sidewalk. There were chants of "Lock Up Baucus!" and "Baucus Baucus You Can't Hide, We Can See Your Greedy Side!" Groups involved included CNA, Physicians for a National Health Program, Progressive Democrats of America, Gray Panthers, Public Citizen, and Code Pink.
Coke Accountability
Coke Accountability
Corporate Accountability International writes that Coke's latest shareholder meeting was another event to spin the corporation's "green" image," exposing, once again, the gulf between Coke's rhetoric and its actions. Corporate Accountability International had delivered 6,000 comments calling on Coke to dispense with its high-priced PR and answer the popular demand that it label the source of its Dasani bottled water, provide better information on its quality, and stop threatening local control of water when operating bottling plants.
Earlier, when a report came out urging the corporation to stop bottling in water-parched areas in India, Coke's India Division told a reporter the answer was "not to stop bottling." The pumps kept running and this same pattern was born out even in Georgia, where city rationing during drought conditions didn't preclude Coke from continuing to churn out its products, including bottled tap water, at full-tilt. Each year, billions of pounds of plastic waste from Coke products wind up in landfills, incinerators, or as roadside litter—even as Coke spends millions on PR to push its "green" image (www.ThinkOutsideTheBottle.org).
Military Budget
Earlier, when a report came out urging the corporation to stop bottling in water-parched areas in India, Coke's India Division told a reporter the answer was "not to stop bottling." The pumps kept running and this same pattern was born out even in Georgia, where city rationing during drought conditions didn't preclude Coke from continuing to churn out its products, including bottled tap water, at full-tilt. Each year, billions of pounds of plastic waste from Coke products wind up in landfills, incinerators, or as roadside litter—even as Coke spends millions on PR to push its "green" image (www.ThinkOutsideTheBottle.org).
Military Budget
Jeff Leys, from Voices for Creative Nonviolence (vcnv.org), writes of President Obama's war budget: Obama is seeking an additional $75 billion in war funds. If Congress enacts Obama's request, total war spending will come to $144.6 billion for Fiscal Year 2009. This compares to the $186 billion war spending in 2008. Obama's proposed war budget for 2010 is $130 billion. In its summary "Fiscal Year 2009 Supplemental Request," the Department of Defense states that funding for the Afghanistan war will increase to $46.9 billion in 2009, a 31 percent increase over the $35.9 billion in 2008 and the $32.6 billion in 2007. This $11.3 billion increase includes an additional $2.8 billion for the Afghanistan Security Forces Fund; $400 million for the Pakistan Counterinsurgency Capability Fund; and $4.4 billion for MRAPs designed for use in Afghanistan. Increased troop levels will also account for a portion of the money. In the 2009 supplemental now before Congress, Obama seeks an additional $620 million to fund Army construction projects and $240 million to fund Air Force construction projects.
All of which is to say that work to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is really only just beginning anew.
Health Budget
All of which is to say that work to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is really only just beginning anew.
Health Budget
Healthgap.org's Jennifer Flynn sends news of President Obama's May 6 release of the details of his 2010 budget for Global Health and a new six-year global health initiative. However, the only aspect of the plan that appears "new" is a $6.6 billion cut in funding for programs to address HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis, with very little left over for vital expenditures like maternal and child health and health system strengthening.
During his campaign, at several junctures, President Obama had committed to do significantly more on global AIDS, TB, and malaria and promised to fully fund PEPFAR (President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), including a written pledge to support $50 billion over five years for global AIDS alone. "...[T]his budget's drastic cuts to funding for AIDS, TB and malaria shows that his promises were just rhetoric," said Kaytee Riek, Director of Organizing for Health GAP.
Race in America
During his campaign, at several junctures, President Obama had committed to do significantly more on global AIDS, TB, and malaria and promised to fully fund PEPFAR (President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), including a written pledge to support $50 billion over five years for global AIDS alone. "...[T]his budget's drastic cuts to funding for AIDS, TB and malaria shows that his promises were just rhetoric," said Kaytee Riek, Director of Organizing for Health GAP.
Race in America
ZNet (www.zcommunications.org) posted an article May 11 by Ron Daniels titled "The Fragile State of Black Progress in America" in which he remarks: "With the election of Barack Obama as the first Black President of the United States, there has been an open debate about whether this historic feat is the climax of the Black freedom struggle, minimizing the need for government to address issues of concern to Black people.
"However, while impressive, Black progress has always been fragile and insufficient, particularly as it relates to the working class and the poor. [In the last decades] Republican conservatives seized the initiative to launch a major legislative and legal assault calculated to nullify or reverse these gains, arguing that Black progress was achieved by infringing on the rights of Whites.... And, with more conservatives on the Supreme Court and in the federal judiciary, race-based remedies, including virtually every form of affirmative action, have increasingly been ruled unconstitutional.
"Though structural racism remains the most plausible explanation for the kinds of disparities consistently documented by the National Urban League's State of Black America Report, conservatives have been successful in persuading a majority of Americans that whatever problems exist in Black America are due to cultural defects and a lack of 'personal responsibility'.... At Obama's prime-time news conference to mark his first 100 days in office, a BET [Black Entertainment Television] reporter asked him whether targeted programs might be needed to address situations like the massive unemployment of Black and Latino men in New York City. The president refused to take the opportunity to embrace race-based remedies as a means of dealing with depression level employment in the Black community, indicating instead that the overall success of his Stimulus Program will be the rising tide that lifts all boats."
"However, while impressive, Black progress has always been fragile and insufficient, particularly as it relates to the working class and the poor. [In the last decades] Republican conservatives seized the initiative to launch a major legislative and legal assault calculated to nullify or reverse these gains, arguing that Black progress was achieved by infringing on the rights of Whites.... And, with more conservatives on the Supreme Court and in the federal judiciary, race-based remedies, including virtually every form of affirmative action, have increasingly been ruled unconstitutional.
"Though structural racism remains the most plausible explanation for the kinds of disparities consistently documented by the National Urban League's State of Black America Report, conservatives have been successful in persuading a majority of Americans that whatever problems exist in Black America are due to cultural defects and a lack of 'personal responsibility'.... At Obama's prime-time news conference to mark his first 100 days in office, a BET [Black Entertainment Television] reporter asked him whether targeted programs might be needed to address situations like the massive unemployment of Black and Latino men in New York City. The president refused to take the opportunity to embrace race-based remedies as a means of dealing with depression level employment in the Black community, indicating instead that the overall success of his Stimulus Program will be the rising tide that lifts all boats."
Oil Exploration
A Canadian oil company has signed a deal with Peru's government allowing it to explore land inhabited by one of the world's last uncontacted tribes, according to news from www.survival-international.org sent on May 13. The company, Petrolifera, has reached an agreement to explore almost 4,000 square kilometers of a remote part of Peru where Cacataibo Indians live. Two local organizations, the Instituto del Bien Comun (IBC) and FENACOCA, had previously asked the government to turn the area into a reserve for the Cacataibo who have been split into two groups by a highway built in 1940 to connect the remote Amazon to Peru's capital city, Lima. The highway was built in the 1940s and since then it is believed that the two groups have been unable to meet each other. Petrolifera already has conducted seismic tests using dynamite and the IBC and FENACOCA have appealed to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to stop them. Despite this, the Petrolifera CEO, Richard Gusella, has described his company as a "poster child" for companies interacting with local communities. Survival Director Stephen Corry said, "Despite so much publicity about uncontacted tribes in the world's press over the last year, Peru continues to turn a blind eye to the rights, lives, and livelihoods of its most vulnerable citizens."
Chemical Burns
Chemical Burns
On May 11, www.independent.co.uk, via portside moderator, sent an article about Afghanistan's top human rights group's investigation into whether white phosphorous was used in a U.S.-Taliban battle that killed scores of people the week before. This could further deepen controversy over an incident in Farah province that has already sparked public anger. Doctors have said villagers wounded in the fighting had "unusual" burns. The American military denied using the incendiary in the battle—which President Hamid Karzai said killed 125 to 130 civilians—but left open the possibility that Taliban militants did. The U.S. says Taliban fighters have used white phosphorus, a spontaneously flammable material that leaves severe chemical burns on flesh, at least four times the last two years.
Human rights groups denounce its use for the severe burns it causes, though it is not banned by any treaty to which the United States is a signatory. The U.S. military used white phosphorus in the battle of Fallujah in Iraq in November 2004. Israel's military used it in January against Hamas targets in Gaza.
Using white phosphorus to illuminate a target or create smoke is considered legitimate under international law, but rights groups say its use over populated areas can indiscriminately burn civilians and constitutes a war crime. Allegations that white phosphorus or another chemical may have been used threatens to deepen the controversy over what Afghan officials say could be the worst case of civilian deaths since the 2001 U.S. invasion.
In Kabul, hundreds of people have marched near Kabul University to protest the U.S. military's role in the deaths. The incident in Farah drew condemnation of Karzai, who called for an end to airstrikes. However, President Barack Obama's national security adviser said the United States would not end airstrikes. Retired Gen. James Jones refused to rule out any action because "we can't fight with one hand tied behind our back."
Photo Ops?
Human rights groups denounce its use for the severe burns it causes, though it is not banned by any treaty to which the United States is a signatory. The U.S. military used white phosphorus in the battle of Fallujah in Iraq in November 2004. Israel's military used it in January against Hamas targets in Gaza.
Using white phosphorus to illuminate a target or create smoke is considered legitimate under international law, but rights groups say its use over populated areas can indiscriminately burn civilians and constitutes a war crime. Allegations that white phosphorus or another chemical may have been used threatens to deepen the controversy over what Afghan officials say could be the worst case of civilian deaths since the 2001 U.S. invasion.
In Kabul, hundreds of people have marched near Kabul University to protest the U.S. military's role in the deaths. The incident in Farah drew condemnation of Karzai, who called for an end to airstrikes. However, President Barack Obama's national security adviser said the United States would not end airstrikes. Retired Gen. James Jones refused to rule out any action because "we can't fight with one hand tied behind our back."
Photo Ops?
The April 28 New York Post headline read "The Air Heads In DC Terrorize City: Fed Wing Nuts' Idiotic Flight Spurs 9/11 Evac." The cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/27 headlined their story "White House Apologizes for Air Force Flyover," explaining that "an Air Force One lookalike, the backup plane for the one regularly used by the president, flew low over parts of New York and New Jersey on Monday morning, accompanied by two F-16 fighters, so Air Force photographers could take pictures high above the New York harbor." But the exercise—conducted without any notification to the public—caused momentary panic in some quarters and led to the evacuation of several buildings in Lower Manhattan and Jersey City. By the afternoon, the situation had turned into a political fuse box, with Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg saying that he was "furious" that he had not been told in advance about the flyover. Louis E. Caldera, director of the White House Military Office, who served in the Clinton administration as secretary of the Army, said in a statement: "Last week, I approved a mission over New York. I take responsibility for that decision. While federal authorities took the proper steps to notify state and local authorities in New York and New Jersey, it's clear that the mission created confusion and disruption." At 4:39 PM Monday, the White House issued an apology for the flyover.The Police Department confirmed that it had been notified, but said it had been barred from alerting the public: "The flight of a VC-25 aircraft and F-16 fighters this morning was authorized by the FAA for the vicinity of the Statue of Liberty with directives to local authorities not to disclose information about it."
Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, said Monday afternoon that he was unaware of the flyover. Also unaware were hundreds of office workers flooded out of buildings. Johnny Villafane, 42, of the Upper West Side, said, "The plane did a 360. There was a vibration. The glass in the skyscrapers was shivering." He added, "It sounded like the building were cracking, everything started shaking. I thought the plane was coming down."
Z
NET BRIEFS are culled from our email box. Email your items of interest to zmag@zmag.org.
Go to a specific issue
Z Magazine Archive
Z Magazine Archive
Announcements
CUBAN 5 - From May 30 to June 5, supporters of the Cuban 5 will gather in Washington DC to raise awareness about the case and to demand a humanitarian solution that will allow the return of these men to their homeland.
Contact: info@thecuban5.org; info@thecuban5.org.
BIKES - Bikes Not Bombs is holding its 24th annual Bike- A-Thon and Green Roots Festival in Boston, MA on June 3, with several bike rides, music, exhibitors, and more.
Contact: Bikes Not Bombs, 284 Amory St., Jamaica Plain, MA 02130; 617-522-0222; mailbikesnotbombs.org; www.bikesnotbombs.org.
LEFT FORUM - The 2013 Left Forum will be held June 7-9, at Pace University in NYC.
Contact: 365 Fifth Avenue, CUNY Graduate Center, Sociology Dept., New York, NY 10016; http://www.leftforum.org/.
VEGAN FEST - Mad City Vegan Fest will be held in Madison, WI, June 8. The annual event features food, speakers, and exhibitors.
Contact: 122 State Street, Suite 405 B, Madison, WI 53701; madcityveganfest@gmail.com; http://veganfest.org/.
ADC CONFERENCE - The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) holds its annual conference June 13-16 in Washington, DC, with panel discussions and workshops.
Contact: 1990 M Street, Suite 610, Washington, DC, 20036; 202-244-2990; convention @adc. org http://convention.adc.org/.
CUBA/SOCIALISM - A Cuban-North American Dialog on Socialist Renewal and Global Capitalist Crisis will be held in Havana, Cuba, June 16-30. There will be a 5-day Seminar at the University of Havana, plus visits to a co-op and educational and medical institutions.
Contact: cuba@globaljusticecenter.org; http://www.globaljustice center.org/.
NETROOTS - The 8th Annual Netroots Nation conference will take place June 20-23 in San Jose, CA. The event features panels, trainings, networking, screenings, and keynotes.
Contact: 164 Robles Way, #276, Vallejo, CA 94591; registration@netrootsnation.org; http://www.netrootsnation.org/.
MEDIA - The 15th annual Allied Media Conference will be held June 20-23, in Detroit.
Contact: 4126 Third Street, Detroit, MI 48201; http://alliedmedia.org/.
GRASSROOTS - The United We Stand Festival will be hosted by Free & Equal, June 22 in Little Rock, Arkansas. The festival aims to reform the electoral process in the U.S.
Contact: http://freeandequal.org/
LITERACY - The National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE) will hold its conference July 12-13 in Los Angeles.
Contact: 10 Laurel Hill Drive, Cherry Hill, NJ 08003; http://namle.net/conference/.
IWW - The North American Work People’s College will take place July 12-16 at Mesaba Co-op Park in northern Minnesota. The event will bring together Wobblies from across the continent to learn skills and build one big union.
Contact: http://workpeoplescollege.org/.
PEACESTOCK - On July 13, the 11th Annual Peacestock will take place at Windbeam Farm in Hager City, WI. The event is a mixture of music, speakers, and community for peace. Sponsored by Veterans for Peace.
Contact: Bill Habedank, 1913 Grandview Ave., Red Wing, MN 55066; 651-388-7733; billhabedank@yahoo.com; http://www. peacestockvfp.org.
LA RAZA - The annual National Council of La Raza (NCLR) Conference is scheduled for July 18-19 in New Orleans, with workshops, presentations, and panel discussions.
Contact: NCLR Headquarters Office, Raul Yzaguirre Building, 1126 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036; 202-785-1670; www.nclr.org.
ACTIVIST CAMP - Youth Empowered Action (YEA) Camp will have sessions in July and August in Ben Lomond, CA; Portland, OR; Charlton, MA. YEA Camp is designed for activists 12-17 years old who want to make a difference.
Contact: info@yeacamp.org; http://yeacamp.org/.
