The DISH

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Volume 9 Issue 3…Dedicated to the Dialogue on Race…January 20, 2004

Intuit’s Vibe

Thru These Eyes

By Yohannes Sharriff

I see it. I feel it.

Everyday the crushing weight

Designated Atlas of this white-hot world

Stars and stripes bar code the minds of little boys and girls, drunk on sugar plum guns, dancing across the sterile chalk board of the insane white man ranting in our heads.

Grand Daddy Fred said the foundation is strong

We’ll survive the storm and rebuild our home.

No matter the condition, ancestors exist in the present tense.

And, less we remember then this existence is just disconnected emptiness.

Really, what is existence if you never witness your own divinity?

In the midst of corporate cell therapy for the well trained and spiritually under fed

Unable to discern between life and death, zookeepers monitor our dreams.

We speak of freedom in terms that only the oppressed can relate.

How the waking hours temper my rage.

A guerilla’s struggle is much deeper than the cage.

Trust nothing not even the page these words are written on

Pull back my locks and put on the safe face.

Pretend you just another slave.

N*gga act like it’s just a movie

Open credits find me in a pit of vipers and thieves

White hoods mean me no good

No Cuba Gooding…

I mean no cubical for me

I choose to pick cotton

At conventions and rock shows

Smoke and mirrors of your good time had by all

We serve the system well oiled and n*gga-rigged

The train keeps on moving..keeps right on moving

As long as we stay in line, out of sight, out of mind, while spy satellites try to mine my mine.

Mind you I’m thinking,

“Cracker, ain’t no way in hell

I’m gonna let you and your red-neck ways keep me from liberation!”

And, I’m saving ammo for the occasion

Oh yeah, I’m on the plantation, playing this sick and twisted game, ‘cause I got to make the payments on the basic cable to my mixer.

Nearer draws the time and the picture’s getting clearer.

The uncomfortable looks and stares, peering and jeering, provoking and prodding

Wanting to know,

Where I come from?

Who let me in?

And, will I bring others?

Oh, I wish!

When I grow up I’m rich

‘Cause being poor is the pit

So, what’s a little kid to do growing up in the ghetto?

Comments from the Bat Cave

The Dark Knight-Batman/White Ninja/Zorro did not make a New Year's resolution, in terms of personal changes. He has, however, wished for several things outside his sphere of influence. His first wish-more money for doing chores-was promptly dismissed. His second -- less homework, fewer school projects and more free time to do what he wanted-- did not fair any better. With no luck on wishes, the Dark One/Ninja/Zorro wondered, "Who do you call for help?"

Bit of History

Bush's Case for War (2002-2003)

On January 29, 2002, George W. Bush delivered the State of the Union Address. He stated, "States like these (Iran, Iraq and North Korea), and their terrorist allies, constitute an axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world. By seeking weapons of mass destruction, these regimes pose a grave and growing danger." Throughout 2002, Bush pressed this issue at every opportunity.

On September 12, 2002, Bush addressed members of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, New York. His speech recalled 9-11 and urged the UN to take action to address the "grave and gathering danger" posed by Iraq. Bush outlined Iraq's failure to comply with a number of UN resolutions, regarding human rights abuses, weapons of mass destruction, and conventional weapons, including long-range missiles. Beginning with Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, Bush painted Hussein as a rogue with violent ambitions, which threaten civilization.

In his October 5, 2002 radio address, Bush proclaimed, "The danger to America from the Iraqi regime is grave and growing." While he claimed, "The United States does not desire military conflict, because we know the awful nature of war," he let it be known the country would not shy away from armed aggression to remove Saddam from power. On October 16, 2002, Bush signed the Iraq Resolution, which passed with near unanimous support by Congress. It authorized the use of force, if deemed necessary to defend the national security interest of the USA. In signing the measure, Bush repeated the theme that Iraq posed a "serious and growing threat to peace," and listed its transgressions from ties to terrorism and weapons of mass destruction to its failure to abide by UN resolutions.

On November 8, 2002, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 1441, which gave Hussein a final chance to disarm and comply with UN demands, including unfettered inspections. On February 5, 2003, Secretary of State Colin Powell addressed the U.N. Security Council, delivering the coup de grace of the Bush case for war.

According to Powell, the Bush dossier contained indisputable "facts, corroborated by many sources." He claimed, "Every statement I make today is backed up by sources, solid sources, based on solid intelligence." Based on this intelligence, Powell stated that Hussein had failed to cooperate with UN inspectors (UNMOVIC), possessed vast quantities of biological and chemical agents, illegal long-range missiles, rocket engines, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), had links to terrorist organizations, including Al Qaida, and was actively seeking nuclear weapons. Given these 'facts,' Powell declared Iraq was in material breach of Resolution 1441. In the words of former CIA Director George Tenet, it was "a slam dunk."

On March 19, 2003, Bush addressed the nation. His message, "At this hour, American and coalition forces are in the early stages of military operations to disarm Iraq, to free its people and to defend the world from grave danger." He declared, "We come to Iraq with respect for its citizens, for their great civilization and for the religious faiths they practice. We have no ambition in Iraq, except to remove a threat and restore control of that country to its own people."

Politics Y2K6

Mobile Goal Posts

Within weeks of starting "shock and awe," George W. Bush sauntered across the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln dressed as a top gun to announce, "Mission Accomplished” in Iraq. The US-led coalition had met little resistance from Iraq's military. It was a real slam-dunk!

Thoroughly unarmed and weakened by decade-long sanctions, Iraq was no match for a modern well-equipped army. Iraq had no missiles with which to repel an invasion. It had no weapons of mass destruction to thwart its eventual conquest or protect its sovereignty from a determined enemy.

After nearly three years of US occupation, no huge stockpile of biological or chemical weapons to threaten anyone, including its neighbors, has been found. Iraq had no delivery system for such weapons had it possessed them, no mobile labs to manufacture more lethal agents or unmanned aerial vehicles to threaten coalition forces.

Ironically, the world has not denounced the false case for war, i.e., the grave and growing danger posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, its nexus to Middle East terror, etc., etc. Sure, Saddam Hussein has been deposed and Iraqis no longer live in fear of his tyranny, but neither do they control their country or destiny. Rather, the liberator that had no interest in nation-building maintains an occupation force, which effectively controls that country.

Rather than mobile labs, there are mobile goals. The new US mission in Iraq, which is now the front in the "war on terror," is to install "democracy in the region."

Super Ballerina or Jackboot Mistress

By John Burl Smith

Newly elected German Chancellor Angela Merkel is emerging as a star coryphée on the diplomatic scene. Leading the new German overture of rapprochement, the prima ballerina's dance with George W. Bush last week (1-10-06) was billed as a stellar success in the US. However, beneath the Arc de Triomphe her performance was ruefully view as a "Last Tango in Paris." Appearing to have signed on as under study in Bush's planned invasion of Iran, Merkel's adagio with a man whose best move is the Texas two step, may prove to be a clumsy escapade.

With Europe in difficult economic straits, due to the Russian natural gas supply crisis and a weak US dollar, Merkel is trying to teach EU nations new dance steps. Sounding like a prima donna, declaring a new "strategic partnership" with Russia, Merkel will have to nail her pirouettes in Moscow (1-16-06), trying to teach President Vladimir Putin new moves learned in Washington. Merkel's challenges are maintaining the Franco-German axis, improving on Germany's anemic 1.5% gross domestic product and capturing center stage in Europe, while two stepping with Bush but holding Putin's hand.

A hoofer from the Cold War school, Putin is presently partnered with Iran, so a ménage à trois would turn Merkel's tango into a chorus line. Currently, Putin is reeling in the East, reasserting Russia's influence in the Ukraine, cooperating with China, expanding his sphere of influence in the Persian Gulf and developing the BRIC alliance (Brazil, Russia, India & China). The music Merkel and Bush are rehearsing for their Iranian shindig should sound like a death march to Putin and Russia's resurgence as a global power. In Moscow, a "jackboot" waltz with Merkel will only serve to enhance her chances of becoming Bush's "privileged partner" in Western Europe.

A wallflower during the run up to the invasion of Iraq, Merkel missed Bush's song and dance at the UN. Not a soft shoe impresario, Bush clod hopped the world to war. Today, playing the same music, based on the same flawed score of mushroom clouds and grave and growing threats, Merkel has replaced Tony Blair as Bush's "jackboot" marionette. Now, it is clear to everyone, Bush's entire case for war against Iraq was a scam concocted to justify seizing control of Iraq's oil, defending petrodollars from an encroaching euro and securing bases in the oil-rich Middle East. Complying with UN resolutions was never the issue. Trying to satisfy the US, Saddam Hussein was destroying rockets two days before the US launched "shock and awe." Nothing Iran does will satisfy the US, save give up its oil and plans for a commodity bourse.

Putin should recognize Merkel's invitation to join the Bush "step team" as an attempt to reduce Russia's push for a multi-polar world. Merkel should know her burlesque road show is nothing new. She can learn lessons from the shake dance performed by the US Congress. Their fan dance obscured the truth about pre-war intelligence and helped choreograph the Iraq war dance. After months of disclaiming any responsibility for dragging the country to war, these same shameless congressional hussies are leading the chorus line for war in Iran.

Bush has done in the US what Adolf Hitler did in Germany. He has used the "war on terror" and war in Iraq to justify spying on US citizens, bankrupt the country, subvert the Constitution, and create a police state. He has replaced international law with "jackboot" diplomacy. Merkel should learn to dance to George Washington's theme of "avoiding foreign entangling alliances."

Hood Notes

Iran: Iraq Again?

It feels like deja vu! A nuclear-armed West is afraid. It fears Iran's expressed intention to acquire nuclear power for peaceful purposes obscures its nuclear weapons ambition. Much like the case for war against Iraq, the West claims a nuclear Iran could threaten its neighbors or "blackmail" the West. In reality, a nuclear Iran could repel an invasion and protect its precious reserves of oil and gas.

What has Iran done to cause such fear and loathing by the West? Iran has indicated it plans to create its own commodity market and sell its oil in currencies other than petrodollars. Is this the threat? When we wash away the thin veneer of weapons of mass destruction and the other false charges lodged against Saddam Hussein and used to justify the war in Iraq, it was his temerity to demand payment in euros under the oil-for-food program that sealed his fate.

After all, if Iran had no oil, with what would it blackmail or how could it threaten the West? Oil and unfettered access to it are the West's security interests in the Middle East. Any nation controlling it other than the US or a close ally poses a threat. Will Iran suffer Iraq's fate?

Kudos! Kudos!

Gore on Constitution

"Perhaps a new spirit is rising among us. If it is, let us trace its movements and pray that our own inner being may be sensitive to its guidance, for we are deeply in need of a new way beyond the darkness that seems so close around us." (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.)

Appropriately presented at Constitution Hall in Washington, DC on the day the nation commemorated the life of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., former Vice President Al Gore, Jr. delivered a well-written and researched address on expansive executive power and the danger it poses for the United States Constitution. Contrary to criticism that has appeared in mainstream media, it was not a rant, nor the boundless hypocrisy of a sore loser. Rather, it was an impassioned plea that expressed sentiments held by many in this country- these are dark days for our nation. The perils the USA face must not be underestimated. If this nation is to live up to its flouted values of a democratic government, true patriots cannot be complacent.

Gore provided historical references and enumerated the dangers and changes brought on by executive over-reach. Clearly, the audience shared his perspective and showed their appreciation with applause throughout his presentation. At the end of his speech, the audience rose for a standing ovation.

If there was a shortcoming, Gore failed to call for George W. Bush's impeachment. After all, he laid out a case filled with crimes and misdemeanors. Gore did, however, call for an independent investigator, suggesting Attorney General Alberto Gonzales should recuse himself and appoint an impartial person to conduct an investigation of the warrantless wiretapping.

Gore ended his speech with the above quote. It too seemed apropos. To Gore, who dared speak truth to power at a desperate hour, we say kudos!

Disgruntled feels: Plantation! At the founding of the US republic, the founding fathers agreed that slaves would be valued at 3/5 a white man. In 1950, the black to white median family income was about 40 percent. Since then, it has risen to roughly 3/5 or 62.3% in 2004. This is the nature of progress since the nation's founding. Before a predominantly black audience celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, Senator Hillary Clinton said, "the House of Representatives has been run like a plantation." Clinton has received a lot of criticism for using the p-word. If truth be told, she did not go far enough. As the income data show, the country is run like a plantation, where blacks are still second-class citizens.

Disgruntled says: Following the earthquake last year that left many Pakistanis homeless and on the verge of certain death this winter, they need food, clothing and shelter. Instead of humanitarian assistance, the US sent hell-fire missiles. Ordered by George W. Bush, CIA drones dropped bombs that destroyed more homes and killed more people. The US is not sure the targeted assassination was successful, but it makes no apology for attempting to kill Ayman al-Zawahiri. In the eyes of the survivors, this was an act of terror. And, for them and others, Bush wears well the title bestowed on him by Harry Belafonte on a visit to Venezuela.

Disgruntled wants to know: There is an Internet rumor that George W. Bush, or more specifically, Dick Cheney and Karl Rove, maintain secret dossiers on all members of Congress and other political opponents that could prove to be embarrassing. Were warrantless wiretaps used to gather information on Bush-Cheney enemies?

Mailbox: E-Mails, Faxes and Telephone Calls

Email www.freemarketnews.com Iran responsible for M3 flush?...By Anthony Wile...Is the Federal Reserve's recent surprise announcement - that it would stop releasing aggregate statistics on US dollars around the world- actually aimed at financial stabilization after the opening of an Iranian commodities bourse? That's the latest 'Net rumor,' and it is intriguing because the success of such a bourse could cause the dollar to fall hard against other currencies.

Email www.alternet.org ...Geov Parrish: Is George Bush in political trouble? Noam Chomsky: Bush would be in severe political trouble, if there were an opposition political party in the country...An opposition party would be making hay; the Democrats are so close in policy to Republicans that they can't do anything. When they try to say something about Iraq, Bush turns back to them, or Karl Rove turns back to them, and says, "How can you criticize it? You all voted for it." And, yeah, they're basically correct.

Email www.AfterDowningStreet.org A Zogby International poll show by a margin of 52% to 43% that Americans want Congress to impeach Bush, if he wiretapped American citizens without a judge's approval.

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