Volume 21, Number 11
CONVENTION PROTEST
Battle of St Paul
Abe Walker
HOUSING
Evict This
Jeffrey Reinhardt
“FREE GAZA MOVEMENT”
Breaking Gaza's Seige
Bryan Farrell
Commentary
ELECTION TIDBITS
The Infamous Three G's
Frazer Merritt
Outrageous Gift Offer
Z Staff
Goodbye to Bush Offer
Z Staff
Net Briefs
Various Contributors
GAY & LESBIAN COMMUNITY NOTES
Quo Vadis Culture Wars?
Michael Bronski
FOG WATCH
US Nuke Threat
Edward Herman
CONSERVATIVE WATCH
Bush Seeks Legacy
Bill Berkowitz
Culture
TRADE AGREEMENTS
Globalization v. Democracy
Roger Bybee
REEL POLITICK
Review: Monsanto
Jeffrey M. Smith
REEL POLITICK
NESHOBA
Eleanor j. Bader
REEL POLITICK
Gibney Interview
John Esther
BOOK REVIEW
Abortion & Life
Eleanor j. Bader
BOOK REVIEW
Hubert Harrison
Bill Fletcher
Features
INVASIONS
The American War in Pakistan
Tariq Ali
INTERVIEW
Bailout & Election
Noam Chomsky
ANOTHER TRILLION
Bush Economic Legacy
Jack Rasmus
FINANCIAL CRIMES
Wall St.
Arun Gupta
Zaps
FREE LISTINGS
Zaps
Various submissions
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.
Sarah Palin and the Infamous Three G’s
After eight long years of abysmal incompetence and shameful blunders under neo-conservative rule, I never thought I’d see this again in my lifetime: a presidential ticket that espouses major tax cuts for big corporations and the filthy rich, across the board deregulation, oil drilling to solve our energy crises, denial of climate change’s causes, expansion of market-based healthcare, and kooky religious attitudes towards science and the fate of the world. Is it just me or is it Groundhog Day all over again? Despite Bush’s monumental failures--Katrina, two wars, inaction before 9/11--and despite problems of historic proportions facing our country--the economy, international terrorism, Wall Street bailouts--the Religious Right is blissfully gung-ho for a Palin presidency. Uhm, I meant a McCain presidency.
Judging by the enthusiastic response, it’s no secret the evangelical base was lukewarm about John, but has fallen in love with Sarah. Despite zero foreign policy experience (other than being able to see Russia from Alaska), despite zero military experience (other than gubernatorial powers over the Alaska National Guard), despite little erudition of history (her cluelessness about the Bush doctrine), and despite flip-flopping on several issues (Bridge to Nowhere), the Republican base is frothing at the mouth for this former mayor of Lake Wobegon.
But honestly, why? The secret lies with Karl Rove as usual. While Obama is running a 1980 campaign (like Reagan trying to convince the American public he’s reliable), McCain is using Bush’s 2004 strategy. According to Time magazine, Rove “speaks regularly with the McCain campaign.” Rove’s protégé, Steve Schmidt, is campaign manager. According to Politico, Rove was heavily involved in McCain’s VP selection process. If there is anything Rove knows (as the documentary Bush’s Brain illustrated), it’s how to ignite the religionistas using the three G’s: gays, genocide, and God. They’re fail-safe topics to fire up the Values Voters, which is a quarter of the electorate, because no Democrat can argue against this sacred cow.
Let’s discuss the first infamous G. According to the “reality based community” (scientists), homosexual’s brains are involuntarily attracted to pheromones of the same sex: Gay men’s hypothalamuses are activated by a chemical found in male sweat. Their brains react as though female. Homosexuality, therefore, is by no means a “choice.” As to the roots of gay bashing--the story of
As for “genocide” (abortion), the basic facts of human reproduction must be acknowledged: 15 to 20 percent of pregnancies result in miscarriage; 60 to 80 percent of all fertilized eggs never become implanted in the uterus. Maybe God ought to be tried at
There is one tried and true method of decreasing the abortion rate: A strong economy. During the
Moreover, there is no biblical basis for anti-abortionists’ fervent beliefs. In the 600 laws of Moses, not one mentions abortion. In Exodus 21:22-25 (right after the Ten Commandments), it’s very clear a fetus is not considered a human. If a pregnant woman has a miscarriage as the result of a quarrel between two men, the offender should be fined; if the woman dies, the offender must be killed. In Genesis 2:7, there’s no mistaking when life begins: “[God] breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul.” Zygotes do not have nostrils.
Finally, the big G, the politics of God. Was Jesus’s mission on earth to die for our sins and teach Christ-consciousness or to establish a state-run Christian empire? When the Devil tempted Jesus with world dominance during his 40-day fast, Jesus replied: “Get thee behind me Satan. For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord thy God and serve him only.’” To the Son, government, country, and politics were inconsequential ephemeral things: “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
Sarah Palin’s lack of knowledge, lack of experience, and “faith based” beliefs are disturbing. Since 30 percent of vice presidents become president, this should be a serious concern for all Americans. The fact that John McCain is 72 and has a reoccurring form of cancer cannot be overlooked. A major question in this election is, will “values” voters be able to see beyond their worldview or, once again, fall prey to their own religious temptations?
Z
Frazer Merritt has spent considerable time researching the influences of corporate lobbyists on
Z Magazine Archive
Announcements
OCCUPY TOGETHER - Occupy Together is the unofficial hub for the various occupations springing up across the country in solidarity with Occupy Wall St. Towns and cities worldwide are participating.
Contact: http://www.occupytogether.org/.
MAY DAY - May 1 is May Day, also International Workers Day, celebrating the successful fight of workers for rights such as the eight-hour workday. A General Strike is called for May Day by many groups, and events are planned worldwide.
Contact: http://maydayunited.org/; http://www.may1.info/; info@maydayunited.org.
LABOR - The 2012 Labor Notes Conference, themed Solidarity for the 99%, will be held May 4-6, in Chicago. Thousands of union members, officers, and grassroots labor activists will attend the event, which features workshops, meetings and organizing opportunities.
Contact: 313-842-6262; http:// labornotes.org/conference.
MARIJUANA MARCH - On the first Saturday of May (this year: May 5) marijuana legalization activists will hold informational and educational events, rallies and marches in over 300 cities around the world.
Contact: http://globalcannabismarch.com; http://cannabis.wikia.com.
AMERICAN MUSLIMS - KinderUSA will celebrate its 10th Anniversary with a Fundraising Banquet Dinner in Los Angeles on May 5. The keynote speaker will be Norman Finkelstein. KinderUSA was founded as a group of concerned humanitarians and physicians, and has become a leading American Muslim charity organization helping families through health development and emergency relief.
Contact: http://www.kinder usa.org/.
SEXUAL VIOLENCE - SWAN (Service Women’s Action Network) will present Truth and Justice: The 2012 Summit on Military Sexual Violence in Washington, D.C. on May 8. The conferences will give survivors the opportunity to share their stories with congressmembers, policy experts and the general public; with key panels by military law and policy experts on major topics involving military sexual violence and survivors’ access to justice.
Contact: http://truthandjustice summit.org/.
MEDIA - The Alliance for Community Media Youth Summit 2012 will be held May 8 at Pierce College in Philadelphia, PA. The summit will consist of four one-day symposia that provide a public forum for discussion about media and news literacy in America. Participants will include educators, community leaders, media professionals, journalists, nonprofit leaders, policymakers and students.
Contact: http://www.allcommunitymedia.org.
MOMS/BOMBS - Moms Against Bombs and the Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action will honor the long history of women’s resistance to injustice, war and nuclear weapons on May 12. A full day of activities is planned, including Orientation to the Trident Nuclear Weapons System, Nonviolence Training, Action Planning and Preparation, Mother’s Day Proclamation for Peace, and a Vigil and Nonviolent Direct Action at the Bangor Trident Submarine Base.
Contact: Anne Hall, 206- 545-3562, annehall@familyhealing.com; gznonviolencenews@yahoo.com; www.gzcenter.org.
MOTHER’S DAY/PEACE - The Mother’s Day Walk for Peace began in 1996 for families who had lost their children to violence. On a day that celebrates mothers and children, the Walk became a place for families and friends to feel support and love with thousands of others who pledge their commitment to peace.
The day has also become a way for thousands of people to financially support the work of the Louis Brown Peace Institute. Mother’s Day is May 13.
Contact: http://www.kintera.org/faf/home/; http://www.ldb peaceinstitute.org/.
BRECHT FORUM - The Beginning Is Near: An Evening with Michael Moore & Cornel West, a special benefit for the Brecht Forum, will be held May 18 at Hunter College in New York City.
Contact: https://brechtforum.org.
LABOR - The Pacific Northwest Labor History Association’s 44th annual conference, A Century of Bread and Roses, is scheduled for May 18-20 in Tacoma, WA.
Contact: PNLHA, 2402-6888 Station Hill Drive, Burnaby, BC, V3N 4X5; 604-540-0245; pnlha@shaw.ca; www.pnlha.org.
HOMELESSNESS - PM Press and First Presbyterian Church will host author Summer Brenner at the Conference on Homelessness on May 19 in Palo Alto, CA.
Contact: First Presbyterian Church, 1140 Cowper Street, Palo Alto, VA 94301; http://www.pmpress.org/.
NATO/G8 - The Coalition Against NATO/G8 War & Poverty Agenda is organizing protests at the NATO and G8 meetings being held in Chicago, May 19-21. A legal, permitted, family-friendly march and rally are planned for May 19. An Occupy Chicago month-long occupation is being planned to begin May 1. The Network for a Nato-Free Future and American Friends Service Committee will also be hosting a Counter-Summit for Peace and Economic Justice May 18-19 at People’s Church in Chicago.
Contact: http://cang8.wordpress.com/about/; http://www.natofreefuture.org/.
ANARCHY FEST - A month-long Festival of Anarchy is scheduled for May in Montreal. The festival includes The Montreal Anarchist Bookfair (May 19-20).
Contact: http://www.radical montreal.com/;http://www.anarchist bookfair.ca/.
TRUTHDIG - Truthdig.com will be gathering May 20-25 in New Mexico with other concerned people to assess current prospects for progressive change. Speakers include Dennis Kucinich and Chris Hedges.
Contact: http://www.truthdig.com/event/santafe.
FEMINIST SCI-FI - The feminist science fiction convention WisCon 36 is scheduled for May 25-28 in Madison, Wisconsin, featuring discussion and debate of sci-fi/fantasy ideas relating to feminism, gender, race and class.
Contact: WisCon, c/o SF3, PO Box 1624, Madison, WI 53701; concom35@wiscon.info; www.wiscon.info.
MULTICULTURE - The 25th Annual National Conference on Race & Ethnicity in American Higher Education (NCORE) holds its annual conference May 29 -June 2 in New York City.
Contact: Southwest Center for Human Relations Studies, 3200 Marshall Avenue, Suite 290, Norman, OK 73072; 405- 325-3694; www.ncore.ou.edu.
BIKING - 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 scheduled, music, exhibitors and more.
Contact: Bikes Not Bombs, 284 Amory St., Jamaica Plain, MA 02130; 617-522-0222; mail@bikesnotbombs.org; www.bikesnotbombs.org.
RADIO - The 37th Annual Community Radio Conference is scheduled for June 13-16 in Houston, TX with discussions and workshops.
Contact: National Federation of Community Broadcasters, 1970 Broadway, Suite 1000, Oakland, CA 94612; 510-451 -8200; conference@nfcb.org; www.nfcb.org.
PEOPLE’S SUMMIT - The People’s Summit for Social and Environmental Justice during Rio+20 is an event by global civil society that will take place between the 15 and the 23 of June at Flamengo, in Rio de Janeiro—alongside the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), Rio+20.
Contact: contato@rio2012. org.br; http://cupuladospovos.org.br/en/.
ADC CONFERENCE - The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ACD) holds its annual conference June 21-24 in Washington, DC, with panel discussions and workshops on civil rights, media, the Mideast, etc.
Contact: ADC, 1732 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Washington DC, 20007; 202-244-2990; convention@adc.org; www.adc.org/convention.
MEDIA - The 14th annual Allied Media Conference will be held June 28-July 1 at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI. Participatory workshops and skillshares will emphasize DIY alternative media to advance visions of a just and creative world.
Contact: Allied Media Projects, 4126 Third St., Detroit, MI 48201; www.alliedmediacon ference.org.
LA RAZA - The annual National Council of La Raza (NCLR) Conference is scheduled for July 7-10 in Las Vegas, 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.
PEACESTOCK - On July 14 the 10th Annual Peace- stock: A Gathering for Peace will take place at Windbeam Farm in Hager City, WI. Peacestock (formerly “Pigstock”) is a mixture of music, speakers, and community for peace. The event is sponsored by Veterans for Peace, Chapter 115 and has a peace-themed agenda.
Contact: Bill Habedank, 1913 Grandview Ave., Red Wing, MN 55066; 651-388-7733; billhabedank@yahoo.com; http://www.peacestockvfp.org.
POPULAR ECONOMICS - The Center for Popular Economics is holding its 2012 Summer Institute July 23-27 at Columbia University in New York City. No background in economics is needed for this intensive training. This year’s theme is Economics for the 99%.
Contact: Center for Popular Economics, PO Box 785 Amherst, MA 01004; 413-545-0743; programs@populareconomics.org; www.populareconomics.org.
CUBA/PASTORS - The 23rd annual Pastors for Peace Friendship Caravan to Cuba is scheduled for
July1-July 31. Volunteers will travel across the U.S and Canada collecting aid and educating about the unjust blockade against Cuba, before an orientation in Texas July 15-18, followed by an education program in Cuba July 21-29, and finally a return back to the U.S. People can participate by attending or hosting local events, donating materials, or sponsoring a traveler.
Contact: IFCO/Pastors for Peace, 418 W. 145th St., New York, NY 10031; 212-926- 5757; cucaravan@igc.org; www.pastorsforpeace.org.
COMMUNITY MEDIA - The Alliance for Community Media 2012 National Conference is scheduled for July 31-August 2 in Chicago. Hands-on workshops and skillshares will be offered by this grassroots coalition of community media groups. This year’s theme is Collaborate!
Contact: ACM, 1760 Old Meadow Road, Suite 500, McLean, VA 22102; www.alliancecm.org.
VETERANS - Veterans for Peace is holding the 27th annual convention August 8-12 in Miami, FL. This year’s theme is, Liberating the Americas: Lessons from Latin America and the Caribbean.
Contact: Veterans For Peace, 216 S. Meramec Ave., St. Louis, MO 63105; 314-725-6005; www.vfpnationalconvention.org
COMMUNITIES - The Communities Conference is a networking and learning opportunity for co-operative or communal lifestyles, with workshops, events and entertainment; scheduled for August 31-September 3 at the Twin Oaks Community in Louisa, Virginia.
Contact: Twin Oaks Communities Conference, 138 Twin Oaks Road, Louisa, VA 23093; 540-894-5126; conference@ twinoaks.org; www.communitiesconference.org.


