Why We Fight
"Why We Fight"
Directed by Eugene Jarecki
Running time: 98 mins.
It is mentioned in the film’s tagline that “it is nowhere written that the American empire goes on forever.” One interview subject points out the rise and fall of past empires such as the Roman Empire, Imperial Britain, Nazi Germany, and the Soviet Union, as a warning that the crisis of American capitalism will follow these totalitarian regimes to the grave.
Why We Fight, a documentary detailing the emergence of the military-industrial-complex, opened recently at the Drexel East Theater. The film takes its name from a series of pro-U.S. World War II propaganda films. In doing so, the film’s theme explores the symbiotic relationship involving the weapons industry, the American government, its military, and commerce, as the principal reason for constant war readiness following World War II.
Directed by Eugene Jarecki
Running time: 98 mins.
It is mentioned in the film’s tagline that “it is nowhere written that the American empire goes on forever.” One interview subject points out the rise and fall of past empires such as the Roman Empire, Imperial Britain, Nazi Germany, and the Soviet Union, as a warning that the crisis of American capitalism will follow these totalitarian regimes to the grave.
Why We Fight, a documentary detailing the emergence of the military-industrial-complex, opened recently at the Drexel East Theater. The film takes its name from a series of pro-U.S. World War II propaganda films. In doing so, the film’s theme explores the symbiotic relationship involving the weapons industry, the American government, its military, and commerce, as the principal reason for constant war readiness following World War II.
Utah testing of the Diebold touch-screen reveals new problems
Emery County Clerk Bruce Funk has been running elections for 23 years.
He was quite content with his optical scan system. The state of Utah thought
otherwise: On Dec. 27, Funk took delivery on 40 Diebold TSx touch-screen
machines, part of a statewide directive.
"I had concerns about Diebold," says Funk, "but I thought, 'If the state is going to mandate it, then I guess they'll assume responsibility if anything goes wrong.'"
Not so. He soon learned that he will be responsible but the state will decide what election system will count the votes.
"YOU'RE GOING TO HATE MY GUTS ON ELECTION DAY"
Funk's concerns escalated when he heard a particularly unusual statement by Diebold sales rep Dana LaTour.
"Some of you are going to hate my guts on Election Day," she said to the assembly of elections officials. Later, another Diebold representative named Drew was asked what LaTour meant when she said "Some of you are going to hate my guts..."
"We're going to have problems on Election Day, and we're just going to have to work through them," he said.
FAILURES RIGHT OUT OF THE GATE
"I had concerns about Diebold," says Funk, "but I thought, 'If the state is going to mandate it, then I guess they'll assume responsibility if anything goes wrong.'"
Not so. He soon learned that he will be responsible but the state will decide what election system will count the votes.
"YOU'RE GOING TO HATE MY GUTS ON ELECTION DAY"
Funk's concerns escalated when he heard a particularly unusual statement by Diebold sales rep Dana LaTour.
"Some of you are going to hate my guts on Election Day," she said to the assembly of elections officials. Later, another Diebold representative named Drew was asked what LaTour meant when she said "Some of you are going to hate my guts..."
"We're going to have problems on Election Day, and we're just going to have to work through them," he said.
FAILURES RIGHT OUT OF THE GATE
“Murdered By Capitalism: A Memoir of 150 Years of Life & Death on the American Left”
“Murdered By Capitalism: A Memoir of 150 Years of Life & Death on the American Left”
by John Ross (Nation Books, 2004)
In his most recent book, author John Ross combines the fire of Edward Abbey with the rampaging flare of Hunter S. Thompson to produce a masterpiece of historical prose. Caught between his personal memoir and an intimate discussion with the dead the author slips in and out of history - fueled by wine, whiskey, and drugs - to tell the story of the American Left.
The book begins in Trinidad, California at the grave of Eddie Schnaubelt brother of Rudolph Schnaubelt an anarchist who was implicated in the bombing at the Haymarket on May 4th, 1886. The historical narrative begins when Ross accidentally spills a bottle of wine at the grave and hears the voice of Eddie demanding more.
by John Ross (Nation Books, 2004)
In his most recent book, author John Ross combines the fire of Edward Abbey with the rampaging flare of Hunter S. Thompson to produce a masterpiece of historical prose. Caught between his personal memoir and an intimate discussion with the dead the author slips in and out of history - fueled by wine, whiskey, and drugs - to tell the story of the American Left.
The book begins in Trinidad, California at the grave of Eddie Schnaubelt brother of Rudolph Schnaubelt an anarchist who was implicated in the bombing at the Haymarket on May 4th, 1886. The historical narrative begins when Ross accidentally spills a bottle of wine at the grave and hears the voice of Eddie demanding more.
GOP bids to take ANWR while region was ravaged by major oil spill
The Senate passed approved a measure in a budget bill Thursday that included a provision to open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling - just as the region suffers through one of the worst oil spills in history.
The provision to permit drilling in ANWR was included in a resolution passed last week by the Senate Budget Committee. The full Senate is expected to vote on the issue as early as Thursday.
The measure was prepared by the Republican-controlled Senate in such a way that it would be protected from a filibuster by Senate Democrats opposed to the issue. Drilling in ANWR has been debated at least half a dozen times over the past five years.
The issue is one of the cornerstones of President Bush's National Energy Policy. Bush has said that drilling in ANWR is crucial in order for the United States to cut its dependence on foreign oil.
The provision to permit drilling in ANWR was included in a resolution passed last week by the Senate Budget Committee. The full Senate is expected to vote on the issue as early as Thursday.
The measure was prepared by the Republican-controlled Senate in such a way that it would be protected from a filibuster by Senate Democrats opposed to the issue. Drilling in ANWR has been debated at least half a dozen times over the past five years.
The issue is one of the cornerstones of President Bush's National Energy Policy. Bush has said that drilling in ANWR is crucial in order for the United States to cut its dependence on foreign oil.
Confessions of an economic hit man
A couple of days ago I was part of a group that met at the Dayton International Peace Museum to discuss John Perkins’ book "Confessions of an Economic Hit Man” in which he relates his role in convincing various poor nations to accept loans
In the past I had read about various loans from the World Bank and the IMF, which instead of helping poor people in other countries, actually increased their suffering. This happened because these nations were not able to repay their loans and the banks, in the process of renegotiating them, successfully demanded that these nations reduce or eliminate their small-scale social programs as a part of "structural adjustment." It was difficult for me to completely understand why they could not repay the loans, although I knew that it was likely that some of the loans had gone into the pockets of the ruling oligarchy in some nations.
In the past I had read about various loans from the World Bank and the IMF, which instead of helping poor people in other countries, actually increased their suffering. This happened because these nations were not able to repay their loans and the banks, in the process of renegotiating them, successfully demanded that these nations reduce or eliminate their small-scale social programs as a part of "structural adjustment." It was difficult for me to completely understand why they could not repay the loans, although I knew that it was likely that some of the loans had gone into the pockets of the ruling oligarchy in some nations.
Lawsuit calls genetically engineered alfalfa a risk to farmers and the environment
Groups Challenge USDA Approval of First Perennial Gene Altered Crop
San Francisco, Calif. – Shortly after a government report cited problems with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) oversight of genetically engineered (GE) crops, a coalition of farmers, farm groups, consumers, and environmentalists filed a lawsuit today calling the department’s approval of GE alfalfa a threat to farmers’ livelihoods and a risk to the environment.
The suit contends that the USDA improperly allowed the commercial release of GE alfalfa, the first commercial release of a GE perennial crop, and failed to analyze the public health, environmental, and economic consequences of the release.
The suit also asserts that the GE alfalfa will likely contaminate natural alfalfa and ultimately prevent farmers from producing natural, non-GE alfalfa for markets that demand it.
San Francisco, Calif. – Shortly after a government report cited problems with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) oversight of genetically engineered (GE) crops, a coalition of farmers, farm groups, consumers, and environmentalists filed a lawsuit today calling the department’s approval of GE alfalfa a threat to farmers’ livelihoods and a risk to the environment.
The suit contends that the USDA improperly allowed the commercial release of GE alfalfa, the first commercial release of a GE perennial crop, and failed to analyze the public health, environmental, and economic consequences of the release.
The suit also asserts that the GE alfalfa will likely contaminate natural alfalfa and ultimately prevent farmers from producing natural, non-GE alfalfa for markets that demand it.
Statisticians recommend new measures to ensure vote count accuracy, release "Ohio’s 2004 exit poll analysis for novices”
Why should Americans care about possible 2004 vote miscounts? The 2004 election is over. It’s old news. The only reason for rehashing prior elections is to ensure that our votes are counted the way voters intend in the future. Should Americans trust that our votes are counted accurately; or is wholesale electronic election tampering occurring? How could the evidence of vote tampering be hidden? Are the future of democracy and U.S. elections at stake? The U.S. press has dismissed exit polls as surprisingly inaccurate in the 2004 presidential election when exit polls conflicted with official vote counts. Were exit polls wrong or were vote counts altered?
The Harri Hursti hack and its importance to our nation
I was one of ten people present at the "hack" of the Leon County, Florida voting system, which took place on Tuesday, December 13, 2005 around 4:30 in the afternoon at the county elections warehouse. Leon County's voting system is the Diebold Accu-Vote OS 1.94w (optical scan).
?The Leon County Supervisor of Elections, Ion Sancho, authorized a "test" of his Diebold voting system to see if election results could be altered using only a memory card. Harri Hursti (photo at right), a computer programmer from Finland, who has been working with Black Box Voting, facilitated the test and it has come to be known as the "Harri Hursti Hack."
Following is a description of that hack and its significance for our nation, which I hope will correct much of the misinformation circulating regarding this event.
The Hack
To select which voting machine to use for the test, Ion drew a serial number of one voting machine from a container holding all the serial numbers of all the Leon County machines.
?The Leon County Supervisor of Elections, Ion Sancho, authorized a "test" of his Diebold voting system to see if election results could be altered using only a memory card. Harri Hursti (photo at right), a computer programmer from Finland, who has been working with Black Box Voting, facilitated the test and it has come to be known as the "Harri Hursti Hack."
Following is a description of that hack and its significance for our nation, which I hope will correct much of the misinformation circulating regarding this event.
The Hack
To select which voting machine to use for the test, Ion drew a serial number of one voting machine from a container holding all the serial numbers of all the Leon County machines.
Programmer Jeff Dean worked for chief of White House Plumbers unit
Convicted of 23 felonies for computer crimes, Jeffrey Dean
was sent to prison for four years. Shortly after his release
from incarceration, his company was awarded one of the
largest ballot printing contracts in history.
In a 2003 deposition, Dean states that he was a scapegoat who was left holding the bag in a series of unapproved payments from Culp, Guterson & Grader, one of the most politically connected law firms in Washington state.
One of this firm's partners at the time was Egil "Bud" Krogh, who headed the White House "plumbers" unit under Richard Nixon. Krogh ordered the burglary of Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg.
Dean claimed that other persons from the firm were involved in a scheme, and upon discovery of illicit payments (averaging $14,000/month) he was made to take the blame. Krogh was a partner at Culp Guterson & Grader during the time period that Dean was receiving illicit payments of approximately $15,000 per month.
In a 2003 deposition, Dean states that he was a scapegoat who was left holding the bag in a series of unapproved payments from Culp, Guterson & Grader, one of the most politically connected law firms in Washington state.
One of this firm's partners at the time was Egil "Bud" Krogh, who headed the White House "plumbers" unit under Richard Nixon. Krogh ordered the burglary of Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg.
Dean claimed that other persons from the firm were involved in a scheme, and upon discovery of illicit payments (averaging $14,000/month) he was made to take the blame. Krogh was a partner at Culp Guterson & Grader during the time period that Dean was receiving illicit payments of approximately $15,000 per month.
PA activists sue to vote on machines
Three cheers to activist Mary Beth Kuznik, and others, who recently filed suit against a Pennsylvania county (Westmorland) for violating Art. VII, Sec. 6 of the PA Constitution which "requires that the use of voting machines, or other mechanical devices for registering or recording and computing votes shall be used 'at the option of the electors of such county....'"
Since the BOE and Commissioners selected the voting system (ES&S iVotronic) without seeking the consent of the public, it appears the public has been damaged.
With California and North Carolina sending Diebold packing, this new lawsuit is another (hopefully successful) attack on these hackable voting systems, run by private for-profit corporations that refuse to reveal the source code, and that want us to simply trust their reported results.
Citizen oversight is the price we pay for democracy, and Mary Beth Kuznik exemplifies citizen engagement.
Read the complaint
Since the BOE and Commissioners selected the voting system (ES&S iVotronic) without seeking the consent of the public, it appears the public has been damaged.
With California and North Carolina sending Diebold packing, this new lawsuit is another (hopefully successful) attack on these hackable voting systems, run by private for-profit corporations that refuse to reveal the source code, and that want us to simply trust their reported results.
Citizen oversight is the price we pay for democracy, and Mary Beth Kuznik exemplifies citizen engagement.
Read the complaint