The DISH

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Volume 9 Issue 12…Dedicated to the Dialogue on Race…March 24, 2006

Cave Man vs Humanity

By John Burl Smith

Reflectivity was a definite diversion for Homo sapiens. Who am I? Why am I here? What am I going to do? Like signposts, these questions marked milestones on the road to human consciousness. Reflective intelligence began went some woolly hominid peered into a watery pool at its reflection and asked Who am I? With such an elementary thought, Homo habilis may have reasoned that no matter how similar in size, shape or other apparent features, its unique reflection separated mankind from all other creatures.

Self-awareness made individuality a fixed concept for humanoids. An individual perspective necessitated identifying and defining relationships, functions and the utility of things in its environment. During the ordering of things, Homo erectus probably reasoned, Why am I here?

The notion of survival advanced this mental schema establishing roles and tasks that expressed the value and utility of things and creatures in its environment. Understanding the relationship between actions that increased survival and those that decreased it produced self-directed behavior. The realization that its behavior had a major impact on its environment made choice a defining adjunct to the mental schema of human consciousness.

What am I going to do? Choice or self- directed purposeful behavior and goal-oriented decision-making marked the beginning of the Homo sapiens journey. No longer aimless woolly creatures, humans possessed a fully developed mental schema that, not only recognized their individuality, their role and the impact of their choices, it incorporated the function and utility of things in their environment. Consequently, humans today ask, why do Europeans and their American descendants, the ones supposedly with the highest developed intelligence, behave like wooly Neanderthals?

The road to intelligence became an information super highway, where today satellites project human knowledge to the far reaches of the solar system. Yet, on Earth, recessive Neanderthal genes dominate Homo sapiens intellect. Devolving, George W. Bush’s anti-evolutionary, big stick, might makes right, caveman mind-set has replaced diplomacy with mayhem and slaughter. It took millions of years for humans to evolve into caring beings. In just six years, Bush has reversed humanistic affinity, while bombing the world back to Stone Age barbarism. As a result, US society, which is supposedly motivated by humanistic concerns, is the most brutish, totalitarian and despotic since Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. The Huns would be proud!

Prior to Bush, self-awareness, the relationship between actions and outcomes and the understanding that humans are the major determinants of what happens in the environment dictated choices. Now, a cave man is in charge, an industrial-consumerism mind-set fuels utility companies’ insatiable appetite for energy, thereby destroying the environment. More cars, air conditioners, neon signs, green lawns and golf courses have a greater priority than Native American families and farms. Even Homo erectus possessed the intelligence to choose food and fresh water over fuel.

Bush has used the fear of men hiding in caves to turn Americans into cavemen. In Bush’s war of choice, killing the elderly, children and women, bombing hospitals, schools and churches, as well as torture, kidnapings, renditions and targeted assassinations are US policy.

Comments from the Bat Cave

The Dark Knight-Batman/White Ninja/Zorro recently learned that with age comes responsibility. He was told to watch his baby sister, who happens to be a “terrible two.” After only a few minutes of chasing the little monkey, the Dark One/Ninja/Zorro threw up his hands and said, “I can’t control what can’t be controlled!”

DISHing It Up Hot!

Swift Boats Again?

By Dot

Rather than attack the message and discredit it because it lacks merit, the GOP will again deploy “swift boat-type” advertisements to attack the messenger. In the 2004 presidential campaign, George W. Bush supporters used a group of Vietnam veterans in a series of campaign ads to discredit the military record of his Democratic opponent John Kerry. Today, the target of the GOP attack ads is Russ Feingold, who dared to introduce a resolution calling on Congress to censure Bush for breaking the law in spying on US citizens without warrants.

There is no doubt that Bush broke the law; he admitted in public that he did not secure warrants for wiretaps as called for by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). According to Bush and US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Bush has the constitutional right to ignore the FISA law. In other words, Bush thinks he is above the law.

The USA bills itself to the rest of the world as a nation of laws. No man, even a president, is above the law. Touting the rule of law, Congress impeached former President Bill Clinton, who violated the law when he lied under oath about his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. If lying about a sexual liaison warrants impeachment, then surely breaking the law to engage in domestic spying calls for censure. To do nothing about Bush’s obvious violation of the law sends a dangerous message of double-standards and double-speak. It goes without saying, Bush must be held accountable.

Feingold has pledged to do just that. He has demanded that Congress upholds its constitutional oversight responsibility and hold Bush accountable. To help counter the swift boat attack ads, funds are being raised and signatures collected in support of Senator Feingold’s censure resolution at .

As a show of support, members of our household, young and old, donated a dollar to the fund and signed the resolution. It was not much, but if everyone donates a dollar, we can help Feingold send the swift boaters and their backers packing. It is time to take our country back, remove that little Hitler from the people’s house and send this gaggle of crooks on a swift boat down the Potomac!

Hood Notes

More Mad Cow?

An Alabama cow tested positive for the brain-wasting aliment bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly called mad cow disease. This is the third case of USA mad cow. According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), none of the diseased “downer” entered the human or animal food supply. The “downer,” a cow that cannot walk, was buried on the Alabama farm where it was located. It is unclear where the animal was born and raised, since it apparently spent less than a year on the Alabama farm where it died. The USDA is trying to determine where it was born and identify the herd and any offspring.

It is believed that the human form of mad cow (Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease) is linked to eating BSE-contaminated products. The most famous outbreak of human mad cow (1986) that began in the United Kingdom killed more than 150. Scientists believe cows contract BSE from eating contaminated feed. In 1997, the US banned the use of cattle remains in cattle feed. It is unclear whether or not the ban is enforced and/or if other animal remains, such as chickens, do not find their way into cattle feedlots.

The latest case of mad cow came just weeks after Japan halted beef shipments following the discovery of backbone in cuts of meat shipped to that country. Japan had recently lifted a ban on the import of US beef following the discovery of the first US case of mad cow in 2003. With more than 20 cases of BSE discovered in Japan, the Japanese demand 100 percent testing and no brain or backbone material is allowed in the food supply out of an abundance of caution to protect humans from the deadly disease.

With the discovery of the first US case of mad cow, the USDA test levels increased from 55 to 1,000 cows daily. The US cattle population is estimated at more than 95 million. Even with the increased testing level, only a small fraction of the cows that enter the food supply are examined. Tests for mad cow require examination of brain tissue; tests can only be performed on dead animals. Thousands of cattle are slaughtered daily to satisfy US demand for beef. While consumer advocates would like every animal that enters the food supply tested, the USDA and the meat industry have deemed 100 percent testing too costly.

On confirming the third case of mad cow, the USDA also announced its intention to lower testing levels. While the lower level has not been finalized, the USDA’s budget calls for 40,000 tests annually or approximately 110 daily.

Venue for an Artist

White Nationalism Put U In Bondage

By Autum Ashante

White nationalism is what put you in bondage

Pirate and vampires like Columbus,

Morgan, and Darwin

Drank the blood of the sheep,

trampled all over them with

Steel, tricks and deceit.

Nothing has changed take a look in our streets

The mis-education of she and Hegro

– leaves you on your knee2grow

Black lands taken from your hands,

by vampires with no remorse

They took the gold,

the wisdom and all of the storytellers

They took the black women,

with the black man weak

Made to watch as they changed the paradigm

Of our village

They killed the blind, they killed the lazy, they went

So far as to kill the unborn baby

Yeah White nationalism is what put you in bondage

Pirates and vampires like Columbus,

Morgan, and Darwin

They drank the blood of the sheep,

trampled all over them with

Steel laden feet,

throw in the tricks alcohol and deceit.

Nothing has changed take a look at our streets.

About Me: Autum Ashante is a 7 year-old aspiring actress and poet. She has traveled extensively, received numerous accolades for her poetry and speaks several languages. Home-schooled by her father Batin Ashante, she recited the above poem at a Black History Month event held at Peekskill's Middle School in Westchester County, New York. It created such a firestorm that the school system sent recorded messages to all parents apologizing for her performance. Before Autum recited her poem, she asked white students to remain seated while black students stood and recited the Black Children's Pledge, an oath of responsibility and black pride popularized by the Black Panther Party during the 1960s. In response to all the negative feedback from her performance, Autum stated "I don't think there was anything wrong with my poem. I was trying to tell the straight up truth."

News You Use

Stop War!

On the third anniversary of the start of the Iraq War, thousands protested and renewed demands for an end to the conflict. Speakers at rallies worldwide recalled the dossier of lies told to justify the invasion. While all those reasons have been proven false, the war continues under the pretext of “bringing democracy and stability to the region.”

At rallies across the UK, protestors renewed calls for the United Nations to bring those responsible for violations of international law to account. Originally submitted to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and UK Attorney General Lord Goldsmith in December 2005, the request, written by Tony Benn and signed by forty three others, called on the Secretary-General to investigate breaches of The Nuremberg Charter (1945) and Geneva and Hague Conventions.

The violations include planning and conducting an aggressive war using deceit, falsifying reports, extensive destruction of service infrastructure, economic exploitation, political and religious persecution, torture, illegal detentions and the use of depleted uranium shells. Concerned citizens worldwide are encouraged to read the list of charges, sign the petition and join the worldwide campaign to stop the war. For more, visit .

Disgruntled feels: Blowback! To finance its more than $8 trillion in debt, the US relies on the dollar’s preeminence as the world’s reserve currency and foreign countries’ willingness to hold dollar-denominated securities. On Wednesday, the euro closed above $1.20 against the dollar. Recently, Syria switched all its foreign currency transactions to euros. While the Syrian move has been called a protective measure aimed at preventing any possibility of asset seizure as the US ramps up international pressure following the assassination last year of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri, protection is far from the motive behind the proposed Iranian oil bourse and decisions by Russia, Saudi Arabia , the United Arab Emirates and others to hold fewer dollars in reserve. In addition to its loss of value against the euro, holding fewer dollars could well be the leading edge of blowback against US foreign policy, which includes the war against Iraq and threats of pre-emptive strikes.

Disgruntled says: Zacarias Moussaoui is characterized as the lone hijacker that failed to board one of the planes that flew into the World Trade Center and Pentagon on September 11, 2001. A “confessed” al-Qaeda member, he is the only person charged in connection with 9-11. Some observers see his sentencing hearing, without a trial, as a farce, a kangaroo court. Yet, this man could conceivably get the death penalty, based on the prosecution’s contention that had he told the truth, 9-11 could have been prevented. If the entire Moussaoui saga was not so serious, the affair would be hilarious.

Disgruntled wants to know: A select group of GOP lawmakers has proposed legislation to legalize George W. Bush’s warrantless wiretaps. The thought of Congress passing a bill to make illegal acts legal retroactively is beyond strange. With every curious move to protect Bush, one wonders, what dirt does he have on Republicans and Democrats in Congress?

Mailbox: E-mails, Faxes & Phone Calls

Email www.capitolhillblue.com Bush often met with, and praised, corrupt lobbyist...By Doug Thompson..Scott McClellan, as skilled a liar as anyone who has stood before the press and misled reporters on behalf of a President, fails to mention Jack Abramoff's frequent visits to Crawford, Texas, private meetings the lobbyist arranged with Bush on the 2004 campaign trail and at the Republican National Convention. Abramoff kept a photo of himself with Bush, shot at the Crawford ranch, in his DC office. The autograph from Bush said "to my great friend Jack."

Email www.epluribusmedia.org Cato Institute Senior Fellow Doug Bandow resigned on 12/15/05 after admitting receiving funds from indicted lobbyist, Jack Abramoff, in exchange for favorable op-ed pieces. He is a Christian libertarian whose writings frequently decry government transfers to "...greedy private groups that can't legally take other people's money directly."

E-mail www.legitgov.org/ In a remarkable speech, Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael Leavitt recommended that Americans start storing canned tuna and powdered milk under their beds as the prospect of a deadly bird flu outbreak approaches the US.

Email www.nytimes.com Iraq's former interim prime minister said the increasing attacks across his country can only be described as a civil war, and that the United States and Europe could be touched by spreading violence. "It is unfortunate that we are in civil war. We are losing each day an average 50 to 60 people throughout the country, if not more," Ayad Allawi told the British Broadcasting Corp. "If this is not civil war, then God knows what civil war is."

Email jb@ga.net US Middle East Policy controlled by Israel Lobby...By Shmuel Rosner...The US Middle East policy is not in America’s national interest and is motivated primarily by the country’s pro-Israel lobby, according to a study published by researchers from Harvard University and the University of Chicago. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) lobby... “has managed to divert US foreign policy far from what the American national interest would otherwise suggest, while simultaneously convincing Americans that US and Israeli interests are essentially identical,” according to the report.

Email www.realcities.com A Pentagon intelligence agency that kept files on American anti-war activists hired one of the contractors who bribed former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-CA) to help it collect data on houses of worship, schools, power plants and other locations in the US. MZM Inc., headed by Mitchell Wade, who pleaded guilty last month to bribing Cunningham and unnamed Defense Department officials to steer work to his firm, received three contracts totaling more than $250,000 to provide unspecified "intelligence services" to the White House. In 2003, MZM won a two-month contract worth $503,144.70 to provide technical support to the Pentagon's newly created Joint Counter-Intelligence Field Activity.

Email jrswriter@comcast.net The FBI, NSA and other fascist agencies have long spied on Senators and Congress critters and caught many of them in compromising positions or they have recruited them and put them on their payrolls demanding they toe the fascist line. Most are in fact being white mailed or coerced by the Bu$h administration. The rest, despite Bu$H's poll numbers plummeting weekly, are too cowardly to step up and challenge the Bu$h cabal's illegal and immoral policies for fear of being demonized, vilified in the corporate controlled media and called "soft on terrorism" "unpatriotic" or "liberal". They also fear being the victim of a myriad of "dirty tricks" or worse assassination! As a result, the masses are in effect disenfranchised, facing a modern form of taxation without representation.

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