Volume 5 Issue 35…Dedicated to the Dialogue on Race…September 6, 2002

On Saturday, August 31, 2002, the Islamic Society of North America convened in Washington, D.C. Internationally renowned scholars discussed Jihad and Terrorism. Tariq Ramadan author of European Muslims began with "Islam is a religion of justice and peace, not for total disarmament." Louay Safi, President of the Association of Muslim Social Scientists concluded, "suicide bombers are desperately frustrated people responding to aggression and occupation." Imam Zaid Shakix quoted I Corinthians Chapter 13 to reflect the common religious and cultural significance of charity, a Middle Eastern value. Unanimously opposed to a U S attack against Iraq, they agreed that Jihad is the personal struggle to resist what is bad and to pursue what is good.

The Origins of the Palestine-Israel Conflict authored by Jews for Justice in the Middle East (The DISH Vol. 5 No 13) made some of the same points. "Israeli commitment to taking Arab land is at the heart of the conflict." Israel is the United States' toehold in the region to control the flow of oil. Metaphorically, From Damascus to Afghanistan (The DISH Vol. 4 No 41) presents the dynamic power of truth as a looking glass showing the false charity of moderate Arabs, who are sacrificing Palestinians to appease the United States and Israel. A reality reiterated by Imam Shakix.

Today, moderate Muslims are in crisis. Their paradox consists in two parts. First, since Anwar Sadat, moderates have been committed to appeasing the United States, which means stable oil prices. In exchange, they are given a United States' promise not to destabilize their regimes. Secondly, their support of U.S. foreign policy makes them lackeys in the eyes of their people. Even though these so-called moderate leaders support the US' outrageous Middle East policies, they are slapped around in the US and other Western media daily as undemocratic, corrupt abusers of human rights that support terrorism. Pinned to the wall by George Bush's "You are either with us or against us" doctrine, moderate Muslims must publicly grovel at the U.S.' feet to show their loyalty. A joke in the Arab world asks, "Where do you find a moderate Arab?" The answer: "Underneath a pile of camel dong."

A case in point: Responding to demands from moderate Arabs, Palestinian leaders like Hanan Ashrawi, Palestinian Legislative Council, prevail on Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah and Al Aqsa Martyr's Brigade to restrain suicide bombers (Maturating Martyrs, The DISH Vol. 5 No 13) to see if America would press Israel to make concessions. Dog on a Leash (The DISH Vol. 4 No 20), Israel continues to target Palestinian leaders for assassinations and killing innocent civilians, which are viewed as collateral damage. Paradoxically, moderate Arabs form the major roadblock to Palestinians declaring a state. What have Palestinians received for their concessions? The answer is only death and destruction.

The United Nations' World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) is a follow-up to the Rio de Janeiro meeting held ten years ago. Attended by more than one hundred world leaders, WSSD's theme is how to ensure global development without ruining the environment for future generations. WSSD topics include water privatization, conservation, energy, global climate change and genetically modified foods.

Vivendi Environnement, a subsidiary of Vivendi Universal, is among the corporations advocating the privatization of the world's water supplies and systems. Privatization has come under heavy criticism from environmentalists and world leaders who believe water is a human right, not a commodity. For more on this and other issues at WSSD, visit www.citizen.org.

Called Mesopotamia in ancient times, it is believed the biblical Garden of Eden was located in this area near Basra, where the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers converge. Home of the Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians and Arabs, it was part of the Turkish Ottoman Empire. As part of the WWI peace settlement, the Allies divided the Ottoman possessions. Great Britain gained control of the territory known as Iraq. It retained control until 1958, when a group of army officers killed the British-imposed king and proclaimed a republic.

In 1961, when the oil-rich British protectorate Kuwait gained its independence, Iraq claimed sovereignty over it. Britain dispatched a brigade to the region to force Iraq to back down. In 1963, Iraq recognized Kuwaiti sovereignty and its borders.

A 1968 coup put Ahmad Hasan al-Bakr in power as Iraq's President and Prime Minister. The Revolutionary Command Council (RCC) became the center of governmental power. President al-Bakr's key deputy - Saddam Hussein - assumed power in 1979.

The 1979 Islamic Revolution, which gave rise to a Shia government in Iran and opposition movement in southeastern Iraq, concerned Hussein. In early 1980, Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini called on Iraqi Shia to overthrow the government. Resurrecting a dispute over the Shaatt a-Arab waterway, Hussein invaded Iran. By 1982, Iran had reestablished its border and advanced into Iraqi territory. By 1986, a stalemate had ensued.

Fearing fundamentalist Islam in Iran, the West and conservative monarchies in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia supported Iraq. They loaned Iraq vast sums of money. The Gulf Cooperation Council increased oil production so oil prices would drop. Iran, dependent on oil revenues to finance the war effort, was crippled. July 1988, the war ended with Khomeini accepting UN Resolution 598, which called for a cease-fire.

In July 1990, Hussein accused Kuwait of oil overproduction and theft of oil from the Rumaylah oilfield. Iraqi troops massed on the Kuwaiti border. On 2 August 1990, Iraqi tanks rolled into Kuwait and secured the country. On August 8, Iraq annexed Kuwait as its 19^th province, provoking international condemnation. The UN swiftly assembled a multinational force to remove Iraq from Kuwait.

UN Resolution 661 (6 August 1990) leveled sanctions and a trade embargo on Iraq. On 29 August 1990, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 678, setting 15 January 1991 as the deadline for Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait. When the deadline passed, Operation Desert Shield became Operation Desert Storm; U.S. warplanes attacked Iraqi military targets.

On February 23, 1991, the ground war began. Four days later, President George Bush ordered a cease-fire in the Kuwaiti Theater of Operations (KTO).

On March 2, 1991, Shia Muslims in southern Iraq, followed by Kurds in the north, rebelled against Saddam Hussein's rule. Iraqi army crushed both revolts. Kurds, protected by the allies, took control of a large area of the north. On March 3, 1991, Iraqi military leaders formally accepted the cease-fire terms.

Since 1992, "no-fly zones" have been imposed over southern and northern Iraq to prevent air attacks against Shia Muslims and Kurdish rebels. The U.S. and allied, mainly Great Britain, air patrols continue today with bombings on a regular basis. Clearly in a box of containment, Iraq has remained under a regime of economic sanctions. In 1997, it was allowed to sell a limited amount of oil for food and medicine under the UN "Food-for-Oil" program. (Sources: Iraq Country Handbook and Encyclopedia Americana)

Imagine the profundity of despair fueling the rage of

'les damnes de la terre'

the mujahideen...the martyrs

even the unconscious ones

There is enough for all of us

Why should some die at 30 so others can live to 70?

There is enough for us all

Justice is the righteous demand

There is enough for all of us

Imagine the rage

There is enough for us all

Imagine the despair

There is enough for all of us

Imagine

There is enough for us all"

Thus spake Usamah Ben Mohammed Ben Laden

Disgruntled wants to know: In television detective shows, lawbreakers return to the scene of the crime. In October, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) will meet in Atlanta, Georgia. AIPAC infused funds into Denise Majette's 4^th Congressional District upset of Cynthia McKinney. AIPAC may have helped Majette, but can we say beyond a reasonable doubt that AIPAC and Jews are responsible for McKinney's defeat?

Disgruntled feels: Duplicity! No one knows how many people have died in Afghanistan. Mass graves have been found in areas controlled by US forces. The US has advocated prosecuting other war criminals, but opposes the International Criminal Court (ICC). US troops may have committed atrocities that fall under ICC jurisdiction. The US cannot assume the moral high ground in international relations and practice deception. Duplicity reflects poorly on the world's super power.

Disgruntled says: At the end of 2001, 3.1 percent of US adults was either incarcerated or under justice supervision. Blacks make up less than fifteen percent of the US' population, but were nearly a third of those on probation. Relative to their population, blacks are over-represented among those in prisons. Given the nature of justice in US towns, like Tulia, Texas, where ten percent of the black population was incarcerated in a corrupt drug sting operation, one can readily see why so many blacks are rotting in US prisons.

The analysis of US Rep. Cynthia McKinney's lost to Denise Majette, The Anatomy of A Loss (The DISH Vol. 5 No 34) was based on what happened on the ground in DeKalb County. Granted, for 10 years McKinney faced many daunting challenges as a black woman from the South that served with dignity, grace and fearless determination. Again, I agree that she fought racism and spoke to the plight of black farmers and other oppressed people. However, blaming her loss to a rookie on others begs the question, "What happened to the community organization McKinney built while doing all those wonderful things?" Superstars do not simply appear on stage. Production crews behind the scenes make that happen.

Not one to beat a dead horse, first of all, Cynthia had no trained workers at the polls. On August 12, 2002, there were 285,709 registered voters in DeKalb; 133,649 ballots were cast in the Democratic primary. McKinney got only 48,798 votes to Majette's 66,467, a difference of 17,669, less than 10 percent of DeKalb's registered voters. Many of the 152,060 voters who stayed home, probably mulled over the question I did. "After 10 years, what difference will a McKinney victory make for DeKalb County?" "All politics are local!" Had Cynthia or one of her campaign workers come by my home, called on the telephone or stopped me on the street and asked for my vote, she would have gotten it.

Those blaming McKinney's defeat on others discount the value of door-to-door campaigning and personal contact with voters. Relying instead on signs, mail outs, radio and TV advertising, they discount entirely the grunt work of constituent services that go on when no election is on the horizon. Therefore, weaknesses become magnified during the long hot grind of July and August. Without ground troops in the field, most Democrats wilt and fade like Al Gore in 2000 (Gore's Last Stand, The DISH Vol. 3 No 42). After the hand shaking, attack ads and speech making, campaigns are won on the ground with hard fighting in the trenches.

Last, but not least, this was a reapportioned district that Cynthia saw as safe. She believed the numbers assured her reelection. At the time, only The DISH railed against Gov. Roy Barnes entire Blackermandering (The DISH Vol. 4 No 30) scheme, accurately labeling it a rollback to the 1950s (Racial Gerrymandering, The DISH Vol. 4 No 43). Cynthia, as well as other black losers, cowed to Barnes' order to "elect Democrats rather than blacks." Following Roy Barnes, Cynthia got exactly what she deserved.

Parenthetically, the lesson for old school politicians is, black people are fed up with electing blacks that raise taxes, then use the money to improve life in white communities. Like Cynthia, they support things whites want over desires and best interests of people who elected them. An excellent example is the Emory-Atlanta-South DeKalb train, which McKinney favored, while opposing the I-20 train that blacks in South DeKalb demand and need (MARTA Tax Sucks.COM, The DISH Vol. 3 No 40, MARTA Sales Tax, The DISH Vol. 4 No 4). It may take a while to elect blacks to office that recognize the new reality, but the day is coming. Cynthia reflects this awakening!

Founded by Si Kenen in the 1950s, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is considered the most important organization in America affecting the United States - Middle East policy. According to its web site at http://www.aipac.org, AIPAC has 65,000 members. Its staff is drawn from the top echelons of government, diplomacy, academia and politics. AIPAC holds more than 2,000 meetings with members of Congress and is instrumental in getting more than 200 pro-Israel legislative initiatives passed each year.

As outlined on its web site, its agenda, which includes stopping Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, ensuring U.S. support for Israel and urging the U.S. to pressure Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat to fight terrorism or suffer the consequences, attests to its success. More than any other organization, AIPAC controls US-Middle East Policy.

Believed to have been instrumental in the defeat of U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA), AIPAC will hold its National Summit at the Swissotel at 3391 Peachtree Road, NE, Atlanta, Georgia from October 6-7, 2002. Open to all those who contribute a minimum $3,600 annually to AIPAC, the Summit kicks off with a "Senate Club Dinner" hosted by Governor and Mrs. Roy E. Barnes at the Governor's Mansion for those who contributed more than $10,000 to AIPAC.

AIPAC attendees will be addressed by a virtual who's who of Americans. Walter Isaacson, chairman and CEO of the CNN News Group, will speak to the question, "Is the Media Getting the Message?" Tom Ridge, Condoleezza Rice, Senators John Edwards (D-NC), George Allen (R-VA), Zell Miller (D-GA) and Trent Lott (R-MS), Ralph Reed, GA Republican Party chairman and former executive director of the Christian Coalition, and Donna Brazile, former Gore 2000 campaign manager, will be among the speakers.

The Dark Knight-Batman/White Ninja/Zorro loves shortcuts; he takes the path of least resistance. Knowing his grandma is a stickler for getting his assignments right, when she asked to see his homework one night, the Dark One/Ninja/Zorro quickly said, "I checked it!"

Email RDavis120@aol.com Dear John Burl Smith: Judging from this article (Anatomy of a Loss, The DISH Vol. 5 No 34), you still don't understand why Congresswoman McKinney lost her seat. It had nothing to do with small town DeKalb County; instead it had everything to do with the plight of Black America vs. White America. It is a color thing, it is about speaking "Truth to Power." And, you call yourself a journalist...... Do your homework as all true journalist do and report at least some of the truth! Here are some of the real reasons. (The reader sent a copy of an article written by Rev. Timothy McDonald entitled McKinney's Defeat Silenced a Voice of Dissent; it blamed McKinney's defeat on the extreme wing of the Jewish community, the Southeastern Legal Foundation, the Christian Coalition and the Republican Party.)

Email westfield8@aol.com It is sad to see Colin Powell doing his master's bidding when he must know his boss is morally bankrupt. As the world understands, beyond all the hoopla and hype offered to justify an attack against Iraq, oil is at the core of US - Middle East policy. Even the war against Afghanistan is about control of the region's oil reserves. With each day that passes, Powell loses more of his waning credibility.

Email fboyle@LAW.UIUC.EDU President Arafat was democratically elected, unlike President Bush, whose time-frames for a Palestinian state seem deliberately designed to punt on all critical issues beyond the 2004 presidential elections. The Bush administration panders to the Israel lobby and their Christian fundamentalist supporters. As Israel repudiates Oslo and resumes its outright occupation of the West Bank, there is nothing for the Palestinians but vague promises of good intentions by the US that have never materialized during the past 35 years. Basically, Bush gave Sharon the green light to dump Arafat. Violence will continue.

Email alarkam@webtv.net Why is the US so determined to get African nations to accept genetically modified food? The USA has a history of poisoning and infecting numerous black people both within and outside its borders. According to several noted scientists, the US intentionally developed the AIDS virus. Today, 28 million of the 40 million people in the world with AIDS live in Africa. We would be foolish to think this is a coincidence. Neither was the Tuskegee Experiment coincidental--it was an act of biological warfare perpetrated by the US Public Health Department.

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