Volume 6 Issue 11…Dedicated to the Dialogue on Race…March 21, 2003

 Bit of History

Moab

Today, the name Moab is generally associated with a city in Utah, a western state of the USA. It is renowned for its scenic canyons and majestic mountains. In ancient times, Moab referred to a Semitic people and the land they occupied between the Arabian Desert and the Dead Sea. Some authorities believe they settled in this region as early as the 13th century BC. The exact territorial boundaries of Moab are unknown, since they changed with armed conflict, both victories and defeats.

The origin and meaning of Moab is unknown. Some experts accept the biblical scriptures of Genesis 19:37 and believe Moabites were descendants of the oldest son of Lot. Others maintain that the expression "children of Lot" from Deuteronomy 2:9, 19 comes from the name of the land, which was Lotan or Lot. Spoken of in the Bible in Numbers 22:1, the "plains of Moab" are the hot plains of the Jordan River valley.

A pastoral people, the Moabites were noted for the riches of their land. Their great prosperity is frequently referred to in prophetic writings, while their exceeding pride and corruption are the objects of threatening oracles. They established the institution of monarchy much earlier than the Israelites. While their language, religion and customs were similar to the Hebrews, rather than worship Jehovah, the Hebrew god, Moabites were polythiests that worshiped Chemosh, their supreme god, and other local deities. Their religion remains somewhat of a mystery, but human sacrifices and other rites formed a part of their worship services.

As Israelites approached, Moab King Balak sent the prophet Balaam to curse them. His curses became blessings. Then, the daughters of Moab were sent to entice the Israelites into idolatry and immorality. Moabitess Ruth was introduced into the line from which David was descended. A tributary to Israel under David and Solomon, Moab regained its independence either during the latter part of Solomon's reign or the reign of Rehoboam. Later the Moabites paid tribute to the Arabian Desert tribes. Their national existence ended in the 6th century BC (Sources: Encyclopedia Americana and www.crystalinks.com/moab.html) Other Bits of History

You Can Make a Difference

 According to Georgia Alliance for Children (GAC), a youth advocacy group, on any given day, more than 2,500 juveniles are jailed in Georgia. Although blacks make up less than 40% of the state's population, 65% of its juvenile detainees are black males. Most of their 'crimes' are non-violent offenses.

Often their parents are unaware that bail for juveniles is the law in the state of Georgia. This leads to unnecessary incarceration and overcrowding, which invariably means non-violent and violent offenders are housed in the same facility. Overcrowded facilities are dangerous for staff and detainees. Moreover, schools in juvenile detention facilities are not accredited, so youthful detainees continue to fall behind academically.

Troubled young people across the state are abused by a disgraceful juvenile justice system that does nothing to improve their lives. The state builds more prisons to provide jobs for local residents not to rehabilitate troubled youth. So, rather than build more juvenile prisons, GAC wants Gov. Sonny Perdue and the State Legislature to place greater emphasis on community-based prevention and correctional strategies.

You Can Make a Difference by telling the governor and legislature to invest more in community programs, enforce juvenile constitutional right to bail and open juvenile court hearings to the public as part of the creation of a Court Watch Program intended to monitor the treatment of juveniles. For more about GAC and how you can help, visit www.gac.org. More News You Use

By John Burl Smith

Today, oil is the lifeblood of the world's industrialized economy. As such, Iraq is up for grabs just as Africa was when the Christian Church blessed slavery, thereby making African slaves the base of European wealth creation. Meeting in the Azores, Great Britain, Spain, Portugal and the United States were reminiscent of the Pope drawing the 1494 Demarcation Line that divided the world between Spain and Portugal with the Treaty of Tordesillas. That status quo ended with the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588. Emerging a superpower in the early 1700s, by the 1800s, the sun never set on the British Empire. As superpowers come and go, today Iraq represents just such hegemony for the US, and the Azores summit acceded to that notion.

Without the Church's sanction, UN authorization or support of world opinion, the USA holds Iraq's people hostage to press its demands. Wielding raw military power, the US is dictating the terms for the world's surrender. Possessing more nuclear bombs and other weapons of mass destruction than any country, George Bush's invasion of Iraq is the same as Adolf Hitler's occupation of the Sudetenland. It is no secret, Bush's invasion and occupation of Iraq is only a prelude for Iran. Employing Hitler's blitzkrieg, Bush has made it clear; he will attack Iraq regardless of world opinion. Moreover, Bush's "road map" follows this course throughout the Middle East. Of course, his justification for armed conflict is to replace dictatorships with democracy.

The dilemma for people around the world is locating the model for Bush's democracy. Certainly, it is not the racist Christian corporate police state of America. Here in the US, we have the best Congress money can buy. Energy companies write the regulations for their industry. They control environmental policy and there are more former energy executives in this administration than any other industry. However, the "litmus test" is the US Justice Department. This right wing cabal has turned a blind eye to corporate greed, deception and arrogance by bad guys at Enron, WorldCom and Global Crossing, while preempting constitutional guarantees of free speech, press, assembly and habeas corpus. American democracy today is indistinguishable from a dictatorship.

Slave descendants have always been under the gun, like Iraqis today. Those unsure about what will happen during America's occupation of Iraq need only study why most Native Americans live on reservations and blacks were lynched for entertainment at picnics in America. Against all odds, we continue to fight, no matter how hopeless the fight may seem. Omar Al-Muktar, who was hanged for fighting Italian occupation of Libya said, "You never have to agree to occupation, your only choice is whether or not to resist oppression." Other Essays by John Burl Smith

By Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood and I --
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

About Me: Frost, Robert (1874-1963) was born in California. Named after Robert E. Lee, commander of the Confederate army during the Civil War (1861-1865), Frost drew inspiration from the New England countryside. The above poem deals with an everyday quandary. Whether it is to stand on principle or not, or a less complex decision involving dual routes to a physical destination, we often must choose between mutually exclusive paths. A 19th century bard, Frost's poetry is as relevant for today as it was when written. Venue Homepage

MOAB - Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb

Doctors have identified depleted uranium as the likely culprit in Gulf War Syndrome. Soldiers that fought in that conflict suffer from this multi-symptom malady. The US used depleted uranium during Desert Storm and more recently in the bombing of Afghanistan. Pentagon officials declared depleted uranium is safe. The military continues to use it in making munitions.

In Afghanistan, 15,000-lb. "daisy cutters" or bunker busters (BLU-82), which contain depleted uranium, proved effective in penetrating the ground and routing out suspected al-Qaeda hiding in caves. For the planned 'shock and awe' campaign in Iraq, the military has developed the 21,000-lb., or 95-hundred kilogram, satellite-guided Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb (MOAB). Dubbed the "mother of all bombs," these weapons of mass destruction produce mushroom clouds similar to those produced by atomic blasts. Hood Notes Homepage

By John Burl Smith

Most Americans viewed Tiananmen Square as a desperate cry for freedom. The image of a lone man facing down a tank was seared into our memories by US media. Considered the greatest totalitarian dictatorship in the world and most heartless in crushing dissent, the Chinese tank stopped, rather than crush a human being.

This weekend (3-16-03) the same drama played out in Gaza City. Unnoticed by the world, a young woman stood defiantly facing an Israeli bulldozer. Portrayed as a freedom loving democracy that protects human rights, the Israeli bulldozer did not stop. Unlike Tiananmen, the world will never see the picture of the Israeli bulldozer crushing to death a young 23-year-old American. The image of democracy crushed by a democratic government will not be flashed on CNN, Fox, NBC, ABC or BBC. Rachel Corrie has been relegated to a ticker tape across the bottom of the TV screen.

A native of Olympia, Washington, young Rachel worked with the International Solidarity Movement. Like other American children, she was educated to believe that standing up for right was a patriotic thing. Her beliefs were grounded in moral principles enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution. At the heart of her vision of America was the right of dissent, the right to speak out against tyranny and oppression. Rachel was one of thousands of young Americans, who have fanned out around the world to represent their vision of their beloved country in the face of George Bush's war machine.

The DISH sends deepest condolences to her family and friends. It must be said that young people on both sides of this conflict are dying daily to feed America's desire for empire. If the enduring picture of Tiananmen teaches us anything, it is that tanks, bulldozers, bombs nor guns can crush freedom. A sacrifice mothers and fathers dread, Rachel's death is added to the ledger alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Omar Al-Muktar, Emmit Till, Richard L. Kirksey, Jr. and numerous others. Her death reminds us that "Tyranny is a tree nourished by blood crushed out of the innocence." The world must decide whether it will allow children to be crushed into fertilizer or to pull the tree up by its roots and plants seeds like Rachel Corrie in the hole. Other Essays by John Burl Smith

Disgruntled wants to know: In violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which Israel refuses to sign, the US assisted Israel in becoming the only Middle East nuclear power. The US used its Security Council veto to thwart resolutions condemning apartheid South Africa and Israel. Israel currently violates dozens of UN resolutions; it has invaded its neighbors, continues to occupy land belonging to them and kills its citizens. Yet, the US has no plans to disarm Israel or remove Ariel Sharon from power. Why is the US so hypocritical as to employ a dual track system for handling violators of UN resolutions?

Disgruntled says: The US Supreme Court justices that voted to uphold the "three strikes" law, i.e., Sandra Day O'Connor, William Rehnquist, Anthony Kennedy, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, installed Bush in office. They upheld a 50-year sentence for shoplifting $153 worth of videotapes. Horrified by amputations for theft in Saudi Arabia, we should be equally outraged by laws that lock people up for life for stealing $153.

Disgruntled feels: Blame Game! When asked about a second resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq, George W. Bush abandoned his script and stated, "No matter what the whip count is, we're calling for the vote...And so, you bet. It's time for people to show their cards, let the world know where they stand when it comes to Saddam." Stymied by a majority opposed to naked armed aggression, Bush and Blair blame France for threatening to exercise its veto as the reason for not calling for a vote. This is classic blame game! More Disgruntled Moments

On PNAC!

By Dot

Founded in 1997, Project for a New American Century (PNAC) is a conservative Washington-based think tank. Members in this conservative cabal include Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Eliot Abrams, Richard Perle, James Woolsey, Richard Armitage, Robert Zoelick and William Kristol.

PNAC's goal is to make the US a planetary empire. The first step to Pax Americana is control of Iraqi oil to fund the enterprise. The overthrow of Saddam will warn Middle East leaders and establish a military staging area for the eventual evasion and overthrow of other Middle East regimes. The targets are Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, the Saudi royal family, Egypt's Hosni Mubarak and the Palestinian Authority.

In 1998, PNAC wrote President Bill Clinton urging war to remove Saddam Hussein because he is a 'hazard' to 'a significant portion of the world's supply of oil'. Dated January 26, 1998, the letter can be found at www.newamericancentury.org. It attacks the UN and says the US should not be 'crippled by a misguided insistence on unanimity in the UN Security Council.'

In black and white, the plan to overthrow Saddam Hussein was concocted long before Bush was installed in the White House. So, nothing Saddam could have done would have changed his fate. The US will bomb Iraq back to the Stone Ages to control its oil and the region. Moreover, if successful, it is only a matter of time before his Arab neighbors are next in line. DISHing It Up Hot! Homepage

Resignations without Regrets

A member of the Dixie Chicks found herself in hot water for lamenting the fact that George Bush hailed from Texas. Others in the entertainment industry that have dared criticize the Bush administration have come under attack. Unlike Rep. Jim Moran, who aptly said "if it were not for the strong support of the Jewish community for this war with Iraq, we would not be doing this...The leaders of the Jewish community are influential enough that they could change the direction of where this is going and I think they should," then did a backtrack, entertainers held fast to their convictions and stood by their remarks. Kudos to them all!

Kudos are also in order for those that resigned from lucrative jobs when jobs are hard to find. Within the Bush administration, US Diplomats John Brown and John Kiesling resigned in protest over Bush's bungling of US diplomacy. In Australia, Andrew Wilkie, a senior analyst, opposed to his country's support for Bush's war plans resigned in protest. In Great Britain, Robin Cook, leader of the House of Commons, John Denham, Home Office Minister, and Health Minister Lord Hunt resigned from the Blair government. Kudos to the individuals that choose a principled path when so few others are willing to take this road less traveled. More Kudos!

Buying, Lying and Spying!

To amass a coalition of the willing, the US used forged documents to convince the world that Iraq has a nuclear program. The US has denied it created the false documents, yet George Bush cited them at least once.

A key component of Colin Powell's powerful presentation to the UN Security Council to prove Iraq's further material breech was a plagiarized student paper. When the lies were revealed, the US resorted to arm-twisting, threats to terminate foreign aid and bribery.

Reminiscent of the "dirty tricks" used by White House plumbers of Watergate break-in fame during the Richard Nixon administration, a National Security Agency (NSA) memo directed operatives to bug phones, intercept email and listen in on Security Council members' conversations. Bush's National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice is implicated in the dirty tricks. Blah on those buying, lying and spying for votes! Blah Homepage

THINC  || 2003 Issues || The DISH