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Kerry v Bush - Elite's Dream * DU Award
16 February 2004
"Kerry doesn't need Botox injections;
he needs a spinal transplant. "
– Michael Colby1) Wisconsin Democratic Presidential Debate 2004
2) Bush v. Kerry: The Power Elite's Dream Ballot
3) Kerry Tells Peace Movement ‘to Get Over It'
4) March 4th Books Not Bombs Day of Action
5) Global Citizens Say Dennis Makes the Difference
6) First award for depleted uranium poisoning claimEditor's Notes:This issue of Flyby News questions the wisdom of a Kerry-Bush election ticket. Anything but Bush AT THIS TIME IN THE PRIMARY ELECTIONS points us to the edge of the abyss. But on top is the Wisconsin Debate. Listen to the substance of what is said, and avoid analysis with fears that covers over truth. The truth not of words, but of actions. The media has so effectively cut off Dennis Kucinich from serious national attention, it may be debated about his wisdom of joining a Jay Leno "Tonight Show" for a Dating Game. This, sadly, was on another day of death and turmoil in Iraq. Yet what many call a mistake is nothing compared to the mistake of trusting George W. Bush in authorizing ‘him' to engage the US in a war against humanity and the principles of the Constitution of the United States of America.
The "coincidence" of the Bush family and Kerry in this same club is to obvious to overlook. Michael Colby, editor of Wild Matters, makes this clear in his article, "Bush v. Kerry: The Power Elite's Dream Ballot." In response to Tim Russert's question on this issue on "Meet the Press," George W. Bush responded vaguely that Kerry was not yet nominated. The "Anything But Bush" brainwashed crowd has got to wake up. It's time to end this self-fulfilling prophecy resulting in fuel for the power elite. Many people are being tricked and responding in fear, and not looking at the facts . This is the time to get beyond the grand illusion. This is time to see who has the best plan for peace and a domestic fair economy, and who can take on Corporations to demand a clean environment.. And for nuclear weapon disarmament.
Item 4 is on a Books Not Bombs Day of Action. The revolution will not be televised, so get out there and help, please. We need each of us to unite and spread the word for peace and not a direction of permanent war. Item 5 is a wonderful article on international citizens rallying behind Dennis. And item 6 is about the first award for a depleted uranium poisoning claim.
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"Kerry and his comrades in the progressive internationalist movement
are as gung-ho about U.S. military action as their counterparts in the White House.
The only noteworthy difference between the two groups battling for power in Washington
is that the neocons are willing to pursue their imperial ambitions in full view of the
international community, while the progressive internationalists prefer to keep
their imperial agenda hidden behind the cloak of multilateralism."
– Mark Hand
1) Wisconsin Democratic Presidential Debate 2004Link to Excerpts edited by Flyby News
http://www.flybynews.com/cgi-local/newspro/viewnews.cgi?newsid1076963468,94719,For the complete transcript of the 90-minute of the
Wisconsin [Democratic] Presidential Debate 2004
Sunday, Feb. 15 at Marquette University in Milwaukee.
See this following url link:
http://www.wisconsindebate.com/transcript.asp
2) Bush v. Kerry: The Power Elite's Dream BallotFebruary 14/15, 2004
Bush v. Kerry
The Power Elite's Dream Ballot
By MICHAEL COLBY
If you hear gleeful giggling from behind the curtain shielding the political elites from the mere masses, you're not alone. There's a party going on and we haven't been invited. It's a presidential election party, where the puppeteers of our democracy are celebrating an upcoming election that they can't lose. It's a contest between two of their own.
George Bush versus John Kerry is a dream ballot for those whom C. Wright Mills called the "power elite," that tight little club of economic, political and military leaders who truly rule the nation. The power elite doesn't care about political party affiliations. That's child's play. In their view, fools line up to vote while the real players decide who's on the ballot. And for some reason we still refer to the whole charade as democracy. The joke's on you.
Bush v. Kerry is simply nirvana for the bluebloods. As they say in the business world: it's a win-win situation. From their perspective, whomever places his hand upon the Bible (yes, the Bible) on January 20, 2005 doesn't matter because with a Bush/Kerry contest they're already assured there will be no meaningful change in America for the next four years. None. Zero. Zippo.
Before the delusional Democrats out there start peppering me with hostile emails about the absolute necessity of getting "anybody but Bush" in the White House, just stop yourselves long enough to consider these facts: Kerry supported Bush's war on Iraq; Kerry supported Bush's tax cuts; Kerry hasn't proposed one major social or environmental initiative in over 20 years in the U.S. Senate; Kerry hasn't put forward any meaningful policy initiatives in his campaign for the presidency regarding jobs or healthcare. Kerry's campaign seems to be all about proving that he qualifies as "anybody but Bush." And all that takes is a pulse.
Bush and Kerry are also, of course, both proud military men. Bush took the easy way out of the Vietnam War by joining the National Guard - whether he showed up or not is another matter. Kerry, as he's so fond of telling us, served his country by running gunboats up and down the rivers of Vietnam. Brace yourselves, folks, because the Bush/Kerry contest will be filled with assertions and accusations about who loves the military more.
Kerry is really confusing on the issue of the military, too. Before pro-military audiences, Kerry trots out his military medals (three Purple Hearts!) and talks tough about his "duty and service" to the nation. But then he'll stand before the Dean Democrats and talk about how he led the anti-war movement when he got home. Well, John, what's it going to be: duty and service or conscientious objections?
It's this kind of double talk that has littered the political career of John Kerry. He's always hanging around talking out of both sides of his mouth until it's safe to actually pick a side - and then only if he's forced to. Kerry doesn't need Botox injections; he needs a spinal transplant.
Then consider Kerry's oft-quoted attacks on "special interests." Apparently, his special interests are holier than Bush's special interests. The truth, of course, is that they share many of the same special interests, all to the detriment of we, the non-special people.
While it pains me to invoke the words of David Brooks, a conservative columnist at The New York Times, he did sufficiently lampoon Kerry's rhetoric on special interests in a recently published column entitled "Kerry's Special Friends." After detailing many of Kerry's special favors to the high and mighty, Brooks concludes as follows:
"You just ask David Paul, one of the big figures in the savings and loan scandal, if Kerry didn't make him feel special. You just ask the high-tech executive Bob Majumder how special Kerry made him feel, at least until Majumder was charged with 40 counts of conspiracy, witness tampering, fraud, tax evasion and illegal campaign contributions. You just ask the law firms, the brokerage houses, the oil companies, the < H.M.O >.'s and the drug companies, which have donated tens of thousands of dollars to Kerry.
"Oh, he sometimes pretends that he doesn't care about our special interests. He puts on that callous populist facade. But deep down he cares. Maybe he cares too much. When he's out on the stump saying otherwise, he's just being a big old phony."
Of the many similarities between the patricians Bush and Kerry, there's nothing more disturbing than their membership in the super-secret and super-elite Skull & Bones club at Yale University. The fact that both men are members of this club and neither is willing to spill the beans on any of its internal secrets and favors should speak volumes about the apparent "choice" this nation is being offered on the November ballot.
"America is about to choose between two presidential candidates," writes Sam Smith, editor of the indispensable Progressive Review <
http://www.prorev.com >, "who belonged to an organization whose values were infantile, elitist, misogynist, anti-democratic and secret and whose purposes include the mutual support and protection of its members as they make their into the upper ranks of American society and throughout their adult lives. Far from apologizing for this, the two candidates refuse to give open and honest answers about their participation. Further, at least one of the candidates, Kerry, has retained a close enough relationship to the organization to have sought new members from among his young acquaintances."
Michael Colby is the editor of Wild Matters
http://www.wildmatters.org/ He can be reached at:
mcolby@wildmatters.org
3) Kerry Tells Peace Movement ‘to Get Over It'February 09, 2004
'It's Time to Get Over It'
John Kerry Tells Antiwar Movement to Move On
By Mark Hand
[Excerpt]
..Kerry informs his reader that it's time we stop questioning U.S. foreign policy intentions:
"As a veteran of both the Vietnam War and the Vietnam protest movement, I say to both conservative and liberal misinterpretations of that war that it's time to get over it and recognize it as an exception, not as a ruling example, of the U.S. military engagements of the twentieth century. If those of us who carried the physical and emotional burdens of that conflict can regain perspective and move on, so can those whose involvement was vicarious or who knew nothing of the war other than ideology and legend."
This last passage is probably the most unsettling part of Kerry's book and one that every advocate of the Anyone-But-Bush 2004 election strategy should read before heading to the polling station in November.
In this one passage, Kerry seeks to justify the millions of people slaughtered by the U.S. military and its surrogates during the twentieth century, suggests that concern about U.S. war crimes in Vietnam is no longer necessary, and dismisses the antiwar movement as the work of know-nothings.
Kerry and his comrades in the progressive internationalist movement are as gung-ho about U.S. military action as their counterparts in the White House. The only noteworthy difference between the two groups battling for power in Washington is that the neocons are willing to pursue their imperial ambitions in full view of the international community, while the progressive internationalists prefer to keep their imperial agenda hidden behind the cloak of multilateralism.
http://www.pressaction.com/pablog/archives/001294.html#001294
4) March 4th Books Not Bombs Day of ActionUnited for Peace and Justice has officially endorsed and is actively supporting the March 4th Books Not Bombs Day of Action sponsored by the National Youth and Student Peace Coalition (NYSPC). We urge you and your organization or coalition to support the day of action and help mobilize youth and students in your community to stand up for peace and justice on March 4th. NYSPC is organizing this day in solidarity with and as a building block toward the March 20th Global Day of Action Against War & Occupation.
As the Bush administration steps up its efforts to silence dissent on campus and intimidate youth and students who stand up for peace and justice, it is now more important than ever that U.S. youth make our voices heard. At Drake University, Iowa last week federal prosecutors handed out subpoenas that would have required participants in a campus forum on non-violent protest to appear before a grand jury. Other subpoenas would have required the university to divulge membership records of the forum's sponsor (Drake chapter of the National Lawyers Guild), the names of those who attended the forum, and what was discussed at the forum.
These efforts were met with outrage as students, faculty and community members - along with people all over the country - stood up and said they weren't going to be intimidated, and they won! In a major victory for the anti-war movement, on Tuesday federal prosecutors withdrew both sets of subpoenas. What happened in Iowa is proof that if we stick together and refuse to be intimidated by aggressive attempts to scare us into silence, we can stop the Bush agenda, one step at a time. ( Read the news article at
http://www.unitedforpeace.org/article.php?id=2278 )
Nearly a year ago, on March 5th, 2003, thousands of young people in more than 450 high schools and colleges nationwide participated in a Student Strike for Books Not Bombs and against the impending war on Iraq. The strike was initiated by the National Youth & Student Peace Coalition, a broad coalition fighting back against the militarization of our lives and our world.
One year later, it has become even clearer that our generation will continue to be betrayed by this government's drive to make our country an empire. On March 4th join thousands of young people across our country as we stand up and let our voices be heard:
* EDUCATION - NOT EMPIRE!
* MILITARY OUT OF OUR SCHOOLS - STOP THE POVERTY DRAFT!
* PROTECT OUR CIVIL LIBERTIES!
* CAMPUSES FOR PEACE - NOT WAR!
* SCHOOLS - NOT JAILS!
Here are 3 things you can do to support the day of action:
1. SPREAD THE WORD.
Help us get the word out to youth and students in your community! You can download the Books not Bombs flyer, as well as an informational brochure about NYSPC, at
http://www.nyspc.netYou can also check out
http://www.campusactivism.org/booksnotbombs to see who else is already signed up to participate.
2. TAKE ACTION.
Encourage youth and students to:
* Draft and circulate a petition relating local issues important to youth and students to the struggle for peace and justice. Look at the list of demands for March 4th and pick one or more that relate to something going on in your area. Example: circulate a petition in your high school demanding that administrators take concrete action to achieve one of the Book Not Bombs demands.
* Use March 4th as a day to table and register young people to vote. Make sure you provide a sign up sheet to get involved or for more information on upcoming events. For a .PDF version of the Books Not Bombs Fliers, NYSPC brochure or other materials contact info@nyspc.net or check out
http://www.nyspc.net* Write an article or letter to the editor of your local newspaper and tell them why you are demanding Books Not Bombs on March 4th!
* Call an organizing meeting for youth and students for the March 20th Global Day of Action on the Anniversary of the War on Iraq and talk about how you can mobilize youth and students in your area.
* Host a Books Not Bombs house party or open mic and have a little fun for peace and justice!
3. LET US KNOW YOU'LL BE PARTICIPATING.
Endorse the day of action at
http://www.campusactivism.org/booksnotbombs This interactive website allows activists around the US to sign up to participate in actions, download resources, and connect with other folks in their region. Let the world know that you'll be joining us on March 4.
Founded in response to the September 11th attack and Bush's open-ended "war on terror", the National Youth and Student Peace Coalition (
http://www.nyspc.net ) represents youth and students from 18 national and regional organizations which empower young people to take action for peace and justice in their communities. To learn more about NYSPC, endorse Books Not Bombs, or to ask questions, email info@nyspc.net or call 215-222-4711.
=========================================
MARCH 20: The World STILL Says No to War!
Global Day of Protest on the
One-Year Anniversary of the Iraq War
Visit
http://www.unitedforpeace.org/mar20 to endorse, download leaflets,
find a list of local protests, and more
===========================================
ACTION ALERT * UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
http://www.unitedforpeace.org | 212-868-5545
To subscribe, visit
http://www.unitedforpeace.org/email
5) Global Citizens Say Dennis Makes the DifferenceOpEdNews.com
They can't vote, but internationals
love Dennis Kucinich for U.S. president
Mobile, Global Citizens Say
Dennis Makes the Difference
by Amara Rose
There's a movement afoot that redefines the term "grassroots." Around the planet, non-U.S. citizens, ineligible to vote in the upcoming U.S. presidential election, are buzzing about a dark horse candidate who, like the famous thoroughbred Seabiscuit, seems destined to come from behind for a stunning finish. These global citizens share a common kinship: their faith that Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich spells "sea change" on a worldwide scale. Catalyzed by the tenor of the times, they're reaching out to support a spiritual voice with a practical purpose.
For the complete article, see:
http://www.opednews.com/rose0204_kucinich_international_support.htm= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Kucinich tells Cal crowd he'll win Bay Area vote
by John Wildermuth,
Saturday, February 14, 2004
San Francisco Chronicle
http://tinyurl.com/2e46z
6) First award for depleted uranium poisoning claimThe Herald (Scotland)
February 4, 2004
First award for depleted uranium poisoning claim
MARTIN WILLIAMS
-Dr Schott's research formed part of a study of 16 British veterans of conflicts in the Gulf, Bosnia, and Kosovo, which found that they had 14 times the usual level of chromosome abnormalities in their genes, raising fears that they will pass cancers and genetic illnesses to their offspring.
A Scots ex-soldier has become the first veteran to win a pension appeal after being diagnosed with depleted uranium (DU) poisoning during the 1991 Gulf war.
A Pension Appeal Tribunal Service hearing in Edinburgh accepted medical evidence provided by Kenny Duncan, of Clackmannan, previously dismissed by the MoD, which revealed he had become ill after service in the Middle East.
For the complete article, see:
http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/9272.html
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