Volume 6 Issue 37…Dedicated to the Dialogue on Race…September 19, 2003

Sir Karl Raimund Popper (1902-1994)

British philosopher Karl Popper was born in Vienna, Austria on July 28,1902. In 1928, he received a Ph.D. from the University of Vienna. From a modest background as an assistant cabinetmaker and teacher, Popper became one of the most influential philosophers of the twentieth century. His most important contributions are his theory of falsification and criticism of historical determinism.

In 1934, Popper published The Logic of Scientific Discovery. Considered his magnum opus, it gave scientists a set of methodological rules or theory of falsification. Rather than verifiable, Popper held that scientific theories are never more than provisionally adopted and remain acceptable only as long as scientists are devising new experiments to test (falsify) them.

His attacks on the doctrine of historicism are found in The Open Society and Its Enemies (1945) and the Poverty of Historicism (1957). Popper challenged the ruling orthodoxies of philosophy arguing that there are no subject matters, only problems and our desire to solve them. He believed the best philosophy was about profound problems, not word meanings. Popper promoted a critical ethos in which the give and take of debate is highly esteemed. Given we are all infinitely ignorant and differ only in the little bits of knowledge we have, Popper felt with cooperation we may get nearer to the truth. Popper's persistent pursuit of the truth led to contributions in political theory, quantum mechanics, logic, scientific method and evolutionary theory.

From 1937 to 1945, Popper taught at Canterbury University, New Zealand, and then the University of London. His intense defense of the free-market made him a key Cold War ideologue. A Fellow of the Royal Society and British Academy, a Membre de I'Institute de France, an Honorary member of the Harvard Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, and Honorary Fellow of the London School of Economics, King's College London and of Darwin College Cambridge, Popper received numerous prizes and honors, including the Lippincott Award of the American Political Science Association, Austrian Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold, and the Sonning Prize for merit in work which furthered European civilization.

Queen Elizabeth II knighted Popper in 1965 and awarded him the Insignia of a Companion of Honour in 1982. Sir Karl Popper died on September 17, 1994. Apropos, his biography is Unending Quest. (Sources: www.eeng.dcu.ie/~tkpw/ and www.heartfield.demon.co.uk/popper.htm)

Action: Tell Senate No New Nukes

The United States Senate is slated to vote on a crucial water and energy appropriations bill. The bill, S.1424, includes funding for the Department of Energy's nuclear weapons program. The Bush Administration is asking for $15 million for further research on "bunker busters" or robust nuclear earth penetrators, and another $6 million for other nuclear weapons research (MOAB).

Called "bunker busters" because of their ability to destroy military facilities up to 300 feet underground, the RNEPs would have a yield of approximately 70 times the size of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. The House passed its version of the bill on July 18th, cutting two-thirds of the requested $15 million and all of the additional $6 million for other nuclear research. In order for this victory to be carried through, the Senate must vote with similar conscience.

Speak Out! E-mail your Senators today before the Senate votes. Use the form on Sojo.net to urge your Senators to support amendments to block further funding for new nuclear weapons. Take action today at: http://go.sojo.net/campaign/no_new_nukes

Excerpts from America's Global Role

By George Soros

Profoundly opposed to the Bush administration's policies, not only in Iraq but altogether, I believe it is leading the United States and the world in the wrong direction. In the past, my philanthropy focused on defeating communism and helping with the transition from closed societies to open societies in the former Soviet Empire. Now, I would go so far as to say that the fight for a global open society has to be fought in the United States. In short, America ought to play a very different role in the world than it is playing today.

Philosopher Karl R. Popper developed the concept of "open society." His book Open Society and Its Enemies argued that totalitarian ideologies - such as communism and fascism - posed a threat to an open society because they claimed to have found the final solution. Ultimate truth is beyond human reach. Those who say they possess it are making a false claim and can enforce it only by coercion and repression. So Popper derived the principles of freedom and democracy - the principles Bush championed in his February speech on Iraq - from the recognition that we may be wrong.

Bush makes absolutely no allowance for the possibility that we may be wrong, and he has no tolerance for dissenting opinion. If you are not with us, you are against us, he proclaims. Donald Rumsfeld berates our European allies who disagree with him on Iraq, and he has a visceral aversion to international cooperation. Attorney General John Ashcroft accuses those who opposed the USA Patriot Act of giving aid and comfort to the enemy. These are the views of extremists. Perhaps because of my background, these views push the wrong buttons in me. And, I am amazed and disappointed that the general public does not have a similar allergic reaction. Of course, that has a lot to do with September 11. But the trouble goes much deeper.

It is not merely that the Bush administration's policies may be wrong, it is that they are wrong. They are bound to be wrong because they are based on a false ideology. A dominant faction within the Bush administration believes that international relations are relations of power. Because we are unquestionably the most powerful, they claim, we have earned the right to impose our will on the rest of the world. This position is enshrined in the Bush doctrine that was first enunciated in the president's speech at West Point and incorporated in the National Security Strategy.

The Bush doctrine is built on two pillars: First, the United States will do everything in its power to maintain its unquestioned military supremacy, and second, the United States arrogates the right to preemptive action. Taken together, these two pillars support two classes of sovereignty: the sovereignty of the United States, which takes precedence over international treaties and obligations, and the sovereignty of all other states, which is subject to the Bush doctrine. This is reminiscent of George Orwell's Animal Farm: All animals are equal but some are more equal than others.

The Bush administration claims to be fostering democracy by invading Iraq. But democracy cannot be imposed from outside. The Bush vision of American supremacy is not only unsound and unsustainable, it is in contradiction with American values. We are an open society. The fact that we have a bunch of far-right ideologues in our executive branch does not turn us into a totalitarian dictatorship. There are checks and balances, and the president must obtain the support of the people. I put my faith in the people. But in the end, open society will not survive unless those who live in it believe in it. (See writings by author at www.soros.org)

About Me: Born in Budapest, Hungary in 1930, Soros emigrated to England in 1947 and graduated from the London School of Economics in 1952. He moved to the USA in 1956. Billionaire financier, philanthropist, philosopher and author of seven books, Soros has foundations in 24 countries. While George Bush claims Jesus Christ is the philosopher most influential in his life, Soros would probably say Karl R. Popper, father of the theory of falsification and proponent of an open society.

Disgruntled says: The domino theory referred to Vietnam: "If one Southeast Asian nation falls to communism, they will all fall like dominos." This faulty justification introduced US troops to Vietnam. Ipso facto, "Now that the US is there, we must stay. We cannot just walk." Bush gives the same rationale for staying in Iraq. Interchanging communists with Middle East terrorists, Bush insists, "The US is not an occupier; we only want to make Iraq safe for democracy." However, even though he claims he invaded Iraq to enforce UN resolutions, he refuses to turn Iraq over to the UN, which will return Iraqi sovereignty.

Disgruntled feels: Vindicated! Well before the Supreme Court selection of George W. Bush and certainly every since, mainstream media have basically given him a bye, which facilitated his nonsense. CNN's foreign correspondent Christiane Amanpour recently confirmed that "the press was muzzled and self-muzzled, and to a certain extent intimidated by the administration and its foot soldiers at Fox News." There is no better vindication better than when a respected member of mainstream media provides confirmation that they have been a propaganda arm of the Bush administration.

Disgruntled wants to know: According to a grand jury inquiry, DeKalb County, Georgia CEO Vernon Jones has spent nearly half a million dollars on personal security since taking office in 2001. Jones is fighting the grand jury report. A judge deleted some remarks. Rumors are rife that the report contains unsavory details of Jones' life. Jones does not fit the usual political profile; there is no wife and the requisite number of offspring. Jones is single, so where is the hoard of women clamoring for the CEO's attention, and why is there no speculation about his eligible bachelor status?

America Coming Together

By John Burl Smith

Surveying the political spectrum, Democrats face a situation similar to 1968. In 1967, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rev. Hosea Williams realized that white Democrats will never respond to black demands unless we harnessed the potential power represented by the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Organizing the Poor People's Campaign, Dr. King and Rev. Williams employed "mass action" to bring civil rights and black power activists together with other poor Americans. The Poor People's Campaign mobilized thousands, who had never voted before the 1968 election.

Unfortunately, Dr. King's assassination diminished the Poor People's Campaign, but Rev. Williams revived the dream on behalf of US Rep. Shirley Chisholm for the 1972 election. Although both Democratic challengers failed, the "Poor People's Campaign" succeeded in bringing record numbers of blacks and minority voters into the political process. Dr. King and Rev. Williams' efforts helped to elect legislators, governors, Congressmen and Senators, giving Democrats huge majorities throughout the 1970s and '80s.

Democrats caved in to racism following Election 2000. They refused to fight Republicans over counting every vote. Their cowardice helped deny blacks, elderly and immigrant voters "equal protection" and "due process." Stopping the counting of legally cast ballots in Bush v Gore, the Supreme Court stood "one-man-one-vote" on its head. They used the same "equal protection" argument denied blacks to justify selecting George Bush president.

Approaching the 2004 election, the Democratic rank and file are straining to find differences between "I support the president" Democrats and Republicans. Tin Men, Scarecrows and Cowardly Lions, "blue dogs" cosigned Bush's blank checks. The right to vote is at the heart of the black struggle for dignity, freedom, justice and equality in the US. Shackled by Article 1 Section 2 of the US Constitution (the 3/5 Compromise), Bush v Gore gutted the fight against racism in America. Disenfranchised by the Supreme Court, and absent black and white signs, the Supreme Court pushed blacks to the back of the bus once again.

George Soros, one of the world's richest men, offers a glimmer of hope. He has donated $10 million to "defeat George Bush in 2004." Soros is seeking international donors to help fund America Coming Together (ACT) www.americacomingtogether.org, his massive "get out the vote" effort. Approaching American voters like those in Third World nations or "banana republics," ACT will use many of the grassroots organizing techniques developed by Dr. King and Rev. Williams. Their goal is to reach millions of disaffected voters, those falsely purged from rolls, as well as, those who never registered.

Turnout 75% is combining its "Buddy Voting Project" with Soros and ACT to "defeat Bush in 2004." This new coalition has the potential to revive Dr. King's dream of a Poor People's Campaign. "No permanent friends, no permanent enemies, only permanent interest." Under Soros' leadership, we can bring Americans of all colors, genders, sexual orientation, religious affiliation and economic class together. However, the reality is leadership at the top determines what troops in the trenches can accomplish. The choice for any group hoping to defeat Bush is to buy commercial air-time or dedicate resources to procure supplies and logistics for troops that will fight the ground war ahead.

On WTO Meltdown

By Dot

The 5th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization in Cancun, Mexico began with the suicide of 56-year-old rice farmer and president of the Korean Advanced Farmers Federation Lee Kyung-hae. Mr. Lee's death is reminiscent of Buddhist monks burning themselves in protest against the Vietnam War.

In developing countries worldwide, farmers and their families are starving because they cannot compete against the heavily subsidized agricultural products of developed nations, such as the United States, Canada and European Union (EU). Many are losing their livelihood, land and dignity. Mr. Lee personifies the inequity of WTO policies and the poor farmers' tragedy.

As the WTO Conference began, it concluded. Developed nations did not bulge on subsidies, while demanding developing countries make concessions in other areas. Unimpressed with EU rhetoric and US threats, developing countries - Brazil, China and India - strengthened their case by forging an unusual alliance. Some observers believe this kind of unity among developing nations could spell the end of WTO. But, since the living standards in the Third World have worsen under its umbrella, the death of WTO may be the best thing given Western intransigence.

Email www.pnews.org NOW think about Bush's assault against Iraq. There were NO terrorist attacks carried out against Americans from Iraqi soil. NONE! There was no negotiation with Saddam Hussein. There was NO road map for peace. There were sanctions for almost 13 years which devastated the people, caused hundreds of thousands of Iraqi deaths, (not Americans) and bombings, which destroyed the infrastructure and coupled with the sanctions reduced one of the best health systems in the Arab world to one of the worst.

Email will@hotmail.com Recently, the Bush administration relaxed rules that say hospitals have to examine and treat people requiring emergency medical care, regardless of their ability to pay. The rule change means hospital can refuse to provide medical care and not be liable in the event the patient dies or is otherwise harmed by the hospital's refusal. Senate majority leader Bill Frist (R-TN) is a heart surgeon. His family owns the Healthcare Company, a large hospital chain. Relaxing the rules make him and his family richer.

Email www.just-food.com/news A Brazilian court reversed an earlier ruling that had lifted a ban on the planting and sale of Monsanto's genetically modified soybeans. In August, one of the federal tribunal's judges lifted the injunction that prevented Monsanto from selling its GM Roundup Ready soybeans. Following an appeal by Greenpeace and other anti-GM groups, the federal tribunal re-imposed the ban. The Brazilian government is attempting to sort out its regulatory laws on GM crops before the planting season in October.

Email www.un.org "The rhetoric of global trade is filled with promise. We are told that free trade brings opportunity for all people, not just a fortunate few. We are told that it can provide a ladder to a better life, and deliverance from poverty and despair. And we are led to hope that the current round of trade negotiations will deliver on this promise. Sadly, the reality of the international trading system today does not match the rhetoric." - UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Email nation@thenation.com Conservative journalist Bob Novak indicated "senior administration officials" revealed that the wife of former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, Valerie Plame, is a covert CIA operative. Wilson is the envoy the CIA sent to Niger in 2002 to check out the allegation that Saddam Hussein tried to buy uranium there. He reported back that the charge was probably false. Wilson is accusing the White House of a smear attack against him and his wife. It is believed that Novak's source is Karl Rove. Whoever outted Wilson's wife may have committed treason. Disclosing information that identifies covert agents violates the Intelligence Identities Protection Act of 1982.

Email alarkam@webtv.net IRAQ: Experts Warn of Radioactive Battlefields (http://ipsnews.net) Concerns are growing about the presence of depleted uranium and other toxins in Iraq following a rash of illnesses among U.S. troops and the discovery by a reporter that radiation levels in parts of Baghdad are extremely elevated. More than 6,000 soldiers have been pulled out of Iraq for medical reasons. About 1,400 of them were injured in combat or non-combat incidents. In July, two soldiers died of severe pneumonia and more than 100 were hospitalized for the illness. One explanation is the presence of depleted uranium (DU). DU munitions vaporize on contact, dispersing particles over wide areas, where they settle as dust that can be inhaled or ingested.

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