Volume 5 Issue 26…Dedicated to the Dialogue on Race…July 5, 2002

Hanged for fighting Italian occupation of Libya, Omar El Muhktar said, "You never have to accept an oppressor's right to oppress you." One of the most deceptively intelligent individuals I ever encountered was Richard L. Kirksey, Jr. A penchant for irritatingly stating the obvious, Richard would say, "History precedes all future." Very impatient with his analysis, I realized his point only after he departed this earth. Invariably as most humans, I viewed history retrospectively. Prospectively, Richard saw history as today and one's only opportunity to change the future. Manifest Destiny in America illustrates his point.

An instrument of national policy, Manifest Destiny nearly annihilated Native Americans. Implicit in every treaty, this politico-economic philosophy used the pretext of peace to rob Indigenous people of their land by increasing white settlements. East of the Mississippi River, Native people were forced to adopt white culture. Out West, like the wildfires today, the US government wiped out the buffalo to make Native people totally dependent on government and missionaries for survival. Their culture destroyed, whether east or west, government agencies controlled their everyday existence and pushed Native people to the brink of extinction.

George Bush's peace plan exports America's land confiscation scheme to the Middle East. Demanding democracy for Palestinians, America and Israel insist they must be satisfied. Isolated on postage stamp size lots, like Native Americans on reservations, Israel began as a toehold in the region by occupying Palestinian land with settlements. Much in the same way that whites blamed Indigenous people for the violence they fermented, Bush has made Yasser Arafat the problem. Resembling Jenin and Ramallah, which are being walled off, peace plans or treaties were only preludes to white settlers taking even more land, all the while the government claimed it could do nothing. Emblematic of Palestinians, today Native Americans live hand-to-mouth on isolated reservations dependent on government handouts for their existence. This is Bush's real plan for Palestinians, i.e., the path to extinction.

For moderate Arab leaders, the Palestinian problem consists of two propositions. First, not declaring a Palestinian State as promised was a serious tactical error; it allowed America and Israel to dangle the prospect of a Palestinian state in Arab faces. Essentially, a declaration of statehood would take the issue off the table and move negotiations forward to the question of how the international community will aid Palestinians in changing their past and reshaping their future today.

Next, following Richard's logic, how credible are those demands for democracy made by a man who was not elected? Selected President when the US Supreme Court stopped the count of legally cast votes, democracy was trumped by raw judicial power. Personifying CEOs that lack a moral compass, Bush ignores the absence of democracy in the Supreme Court-led coup d'etat that put him in office. A ludicrous spectacle, Bush is leader of the world's only superpower, but of the industrialized nations, he is the only leader not elected by the people; the count shows Bush lost by more than 500,000 votes. Obscenely, Bush demands for Palestinians something Americans do not enjoy. Overseas, Bush is viewed like a Josephine Baker burlesque show. Ironically, this debut in any other country would not be accepted as legitimate. While a classic sellout in America, for Palestinians, Bush's peace plan is a cheap recasting of Othello. John 2002

The Dark Knight-Batman/White Ninja/Zorro is enjoying summer camp. When asked for his comments, the Dark One/Ninja/Zorro declared, "I'm making news friends; some of them go to my school."

Dark storm clouds gather;

fierce winds sweep the land.

A violent storm is coming

blowing away all who cannot comprehend.

This storm is coming fast.

No unturned stone will be left.

Seeking out all dark places,

where the blackest of secrets have been kept.

A false structure built on lies and pain

will crumble like mud-rock in the pouring rain.

I hope my people understand this storm is for you.

Do not be afraid; embrace it.

It is a storm of truth.

Connecting the dots in the war on terrorism hot spots show oil is the common denominator. From Afghanistan to the Philippines, wherever the US is engaged in or contemplating war, oil is the key. George Bush's closest advisers, Cabinet members, appointees and VP are tied to the oil and gas industry. Owned by big business, the media are silent. A case in point, CNN's Christiane Amanpour narrated a special report on the war in Chechnya and did not connect the oil dot.

A businessman whose family made a fortune in oil, Bush looked into Russian President Vladimir Putin's heart and saw an oily ally in his quest for more 'black gold.' The U.S. State Department stopped complaining about Russian human rights abuses and agreed with Putin in labeling Chechnya freedom fighters 'terrorists.'

Understandably, the oil war is unpopular in Russia. As the death toll in Chechnya mounts, Russians are beginning to protest the draft. When Russia fought to possess Afghan oil, many lives were lost. Back then, the US supported the Taliban. Before Bush and a disagreement over the oil pipeline, the Talibans were freedom fighters. Post-911, they are terrorists. Clearly oil is the key; none of the 9-11 hijackers were Afghani.

The Caspian Sea basin is rich in gas and oil. It will take a long time to harvest it all, hence the projected protracted war on terror. UNOCAL, an American conglomerate, is building the pipeline to carry the oil and gas to market. To protect the project, the US made Hamid Karzai, a former UNOCAL employee, leader of the new Afghan government.

It is time the media connect the oil dots that explain the terror war. Until they do, Americans will view their reports with the same jaundiced eye with which we view the FBI failure to connect the 9-11 dots.

Kudos! Kudos!

Polls conducted by reputable organizations show most Americans practice some religion. They also support the death penalty. Understandably, truth is a rare commodity. A sad commentary, when Americans dare to frankly assess inconsistencies, they are labeled unpatriotic and invited to leave the country, as if doing so resolves national shortcomings and contradictions.

For her comments on America published in the German newspaper Die Zeit, Martina Navratilova came under fire. Winner of 18 grand slam titles, the tennis pro turned sports announcer's frank opinion earned her the ire of the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board and other journalists. Born in Czechoslovakia, after the 1975 US Open, Martina defected to her dream country-- America.

Here are some of her comments published at www.bbc.co.uk. "I grew up in a complicated system in Czechoslovakia - a system in which one was not allowed to think or speak freely, or to decide for oneself what to do or who to be. The most absurd thing is that in fleeing that injustice I simply exchanged one system which oppresses freedom of thought for another."

"I used to read in Czechoslovak newspapers that capitalists were terrible people and everyone except the Communists lied. But the Republicans manipulate public opinion and sweep any controversial issues under the carpet. It's depressing. Decisions in America are based solely on the question of 'how much money will come out of it' and not on the questions of how much health, morals or the environment suffer as a result."

On minority tolerance, she wrote, "I hate this word. We are constantly told to be tolerant; it sounds as though we have to put up with stinking people by holding our noses. I don't want this kind of pseudo-tolerance - I want to live and let others live - exactly how they want to." For being so frank, kudos Martina! Honest criticism is never unpatriotic.

Bit of History

The first merger wave followed the 1880's 'trust' movement and railroad consolidation. Feeding on public greed, speculators and underwriters created combinations to control certain markets. Congress' first attempt to limit corporate size and power ended with the Sherman Antitrust Act (1890); it outlawed contracts, combinations and conspiracies in restraint of trade and monopolization. Sherman did little to end mergers. In its first twelve years, it mainly thwarted labor unions.

Recession, a 50% increase in prices (1897 to 1913) and greedy autocrats combined to give business a negative image. Standard Oil and American Tobacco were broken up, but real changes in America's corporate structure were minuscule. Mergers declined when the shipbuilding trust collapsed and exposed their deceptive practices. Following a decline in stock prices, the first merger wave ended with the panic of 1907-1908

In response to public outrage, Congress passed the Federal Trade Commission Act (1914), which created an independent agency charged with ending unfair competition. Congress also passed the Clayton Antitrust Act (1914); it outlawed exclusive and tying contracts, intercorporate stockholdings and interlocking directorates and price discrimination whenever these practices lessened competition in commerce.

WWI ended congressional efforts to curtail mergers. The war set the stage for a new merger wave. With foreign policy an overriding concern, the government encouraged business cooperation; competition could hinder the war effort. Government bonds reacquainted small investors with stocks. Americans forgot past Wall Street experiences and feverishly sought quick profits during the postwar boom.

While prior merger waves led to monopolies, this one was characterized by oligopolies, which did not eliminate competition. The 1929 stock market crash ended the second merger wave. The economic rise during this merger wave eclipsed earlier ones, and the accompanying downturn was deeper, i.e. Great Depression. Issues in the 1936 election focused on the business and financial communities' role in bringing about the depression; a new era of trust-busting began.

WWII created ideal conditions for mergers because the government discouraged competition and encouraged cooperation to produce the greatest wartime arsenal in history. Wartime cooperation continued after the war. The current merger wave began and continued with only momentary pauses during the economic slowdowns of 1948-49, 1957-58, 1966, 1969-1970, etc. This merger wave has lasted longer and surpassed the earlier waves in both absolute and relative size.

After WWII, mergers were mainly horizontal and vertical, bringing together related product lines. The pace of these declined following passage of the Celler-Kefauver Antimerger Act (1950), which prohibited the acquisition of the stocks or assets of a competing corporation. Consolidation activity following Kefauver involved seemingly unrelated lines of commerce. While the pace of horizontal and vertical mergers decreased during the 1960's, conglomerate merger activity rose over the same period and continued unabated throughout the 1990's. The economic impact of this merger wave is not as apparent as earlier periods of consolidation.

News You Use

With the state's blessings, MCI-Worldcom overcharged Georgia prison inmates for telephone calls to friends and family members. The telecommunications giant's charges were so high members of the black community called for a boycott. State Rep. Charlie Walker (D) was among those profiting from the exorbitant charge through a company run by his son. Rather than be robbed when making local telephone calls, we reaffirmed our commitment to boycott MCI.

Last week, MCI-Worldcom reported it made a $3.8 billion accounting error. Well off its high of more than $60, the company's stock fell below one dollar. On Saturday, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (6/29/02) reported that MCI-Worldcom is one of only two bidders for Georgia's $1.87 billion telecommunications contract. If MCI-WorldCom ceases to function, a possibility, Gov. Roy Barnes may rebid the contract. The other bidder, a team composed of BellSouth, AT&T, EDS and Lockheed Martin, is represented by a lobbying group run by the governor's campaign consultants.

Awarding a noncompetitive contract to this group would smack of political patronage. While Barnes is not above engaging in such a dubious practice, Georgians deserve better. Call, fax or email Gov. Barnes and demand the state rebid the contract to ensure taxpayers are not robbed by either a failing company that needs the cash flow or a political ally of the governor.

Disgruntled feels: Confused! To invoke God, Allah, Jehovah, Satan or whatever deity men worship introduces religion into the equation. The United States is reputed to espouse religious tolerance. Its Constitution prohibits the establishment of a state religion. When the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the "one nation under God" phrase in the US pledge of allegiance a violation of the time-honored church-state separation, it seemed consistent. Politicians of all ilk, even Atheists, called the ruling ridiculous. Beyond confused, US political leaders are hypocrites too!

Disgruntled says: Laissez-faire politicians are known for relaxing regulations against anti-competitive business behavior. With the US Supreme Court ruling in favor of school vouchers, which gives public school students federal dollars to pay private school tuition at mainly faith-based institutions, competition religiously avoided in the business sector is touted for its potential to improve public education. Ironically, the same groups that opposed access to an equal education for black children and the court ruling in Brown v Board of Education are the principal backers of school vouchers. Arguments in favor of school vouchers defy logic and national experience, but then, convoluted messages are the bread and butter of self-serving politicians.

Disgruntled wants to know: Flush in predicted budget surpluses for years to come, Congress promised to put the Social Security surplus in a lockbox to keep the federal retirement program solvent. George Bush advocated privatizing the system so its beneficiaries could reap the relatively huge returns on investments in the stock market. With budget deficits all but assured for years to come, the lockbox is no longer part of the national dialogue. For mid-term election show-and-tell, Congress may pass some mediocre senior drug benefit bill. However, will privatizing Social Security be an issue or will uncertainly in financial markets nix the idea?

DISHing It Up Hot!

To err is human! However, states' rights strict construction judges and the people who support them are downright schizophrenic.

On the one hand, they oppose the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that declared the "one nation under God" phrase in the pledge of allegiance to the US flag an unconstitutional violation of separation of church and state. The decision was criticized for being the sort of liberal activist court decision that begged for the Senate to confirm George Bush's judicial nominations.

On the other hand, these same politicians laud the Supreme Court's ruling on school vouchers, which paved the way for public school students to use federal funds to attend private church-run institutions. The same majority that made that decision is the group of five that handcuffed democracy to install Bush in the Oval Office. These are the kind of judges Bush wants to stack the courts with. Schizophrenic, they will issue whatever rulings their political backers wish. The philosophy that guides them is "whichever way the wind blows is alright with me;" it is not based on a strict construction of the Constitution, rather political expediency. Judicial schizophrenia is dangerous, more reason for the Senate to closely vet Bush's nominations.

Mailbox: E-Mails, Faxes and Telephone Calls

Email: alarkam@webtv.net The USA is totally unqualified to declare a winner in a disputed election inside a troubled African nation, which has long-suffered from the effects of white colonialism and neo-colonialism. After all, President Bush acquired his office through a process of fraud and deceit, which hinged on depriving thousands of Black citizens of their right to vote. The Bush Administration has also manifested extreme arrogance by insisting that President Saddam Hussein of Iraq and Chairman Arafat of Palestine must be replaced by leaders who are more to Caligula's liking.

Email: greg@gregpalast.com Florida Secretary of State Katharine Harris sent me a heartfelt billet-doux. Ms Harris begins: "Greg Palast's Annotation distorts and misrepresents the events surrounding the 2000 presidential election in Florida in order to support his twisted and maniacally partisan conclusions. To the chagrin of responsible journalists everywhere, Palast's effort implodes under the slightest scrutiny, owing to his abject failure to check the accuracy of his facts."

Harris' office sent out lists of 57,700 voters - most of them black, almost all of them innocent - to be removed from the voter rolls. Harris' letter, despite its berserker tone, is in fact an astonishing confession. Read it all in this month's Harper's Magazine along with my reply at http://www.GregPalast.com.

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