Hey MercedGreens-
   Great article Bruce! Thanx! Here's one for good measure:
   April 22, 2003

The NYT and WMD
Finally, the Necessary Evidence
by GARY LEUPP

Some thoughts on Judith Miller's piece "Illicit Arms Kept Till Eve of War, an Iraqi Scientist Is Said to Assert" (New York Times, April 21). I recommend this article for everyone's careful reading.

Imagine you are Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense [sic] and de facto Secretary of State. You (and that marionette, some of whose strings you pull, and some of whose strings Powell pulls, depending on the day) have insisted for many months that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction threatening me here in Boston. Your troops encountered no such weapons in their invasion, and have found none since the occupation began. This might strike some as embarrassing. You are a billionaire and so need have no need for shame, but Powell whines about international opinion, and some action seems in order to assure the world and even your own people that the pretext for war was valid. You apply yourself to that task with your wonted shrewdness and efficiency.

The last thing you want is for that Blix fellow, who you had Wolfowitz investigate early on in the Bush presidency, to go prowling around actually hunting for the weapons in a professional manner. You don't want the U.N. in, conducting some unserviceable lame-ass investigation which, you've stated from the outset, will never find anything. One option is to simply fed-ex the anthrax to Iraq and stage its discovery, rather like you staged the jubilant welcome by kids waving U.S. flags on one or more streets in Baghdad as it was liberated. There are risks in that, which you've listed and mulled over carefully. A more refined approach would be to plant a story in the New York Times, a reliable vehicle in the past for such operations, somewhat along the following lines.

You announce that an unnamed Iraqi scientist (unnamed for his own security reasons, since he might face "reprisals" from some unnamed somebody in newly-free Iraq), a scientist unavailable for interview by reporters, has told U.S. authorities that on the eve of the U.S. invasion, Saddam's regime "destroyed chemical weapons and biological warfare equipment" and that U.S. investigators have visited the site of destruction, and confirmed the scientist's story. (So the Iraqis, facing immanent invasion, saw fit to destroy powerful weapons threatening the whole world, anticipating defeat but hoping to embarrass the victors by eliminating evidence for the pretext of that invasion. Makes good sense, don't it?)

More. You have this scientist wax helpfully loquacious, informing you "that Iraq had secretly sent unconventional weapons and technology to Syria, starting in the mid-1990's." This abets your faction in the ongoing discussion of the timing of the Syria regime change effort you've advocated for years. And have him also note "that more recently Iraq was cooperating with Al Qaeda," confirming a tie you announced the day after Sept. 11 to widespread and enduring, irksome skepticism.

You allow a New York Times reporter, who was not permitted to interview the scientist, nor visit his home, nor permitted to write about this momentous discovery for three days, whose copy was submitted for a check by military officials, to reveal this information to the world. You announce that this is the best evidence "to date" (as though one or more other shreds of evidence had been unearthed recently), adding that "it may be the discovery," so others might not be necessary.

Quite brilliant. You have to admire such audacity. But I think of the opening passage of the samurai epic, Heike Monogatari, that chronicles the inevitable downfall of a ruling circle less obnoxious that the one now wreaking havoc on Iraq. "The proud do not endure, they are like a dream on a spring night; the mighty fall at last, they are as dust before the wind."

In the meantime, let us not let them throw dust in our eyes.

Gary Leupp is an an associate professor, Department of History, Tufts University and coordinator, Asian Studies Program.

Hello Merced Greens, thought you might in enjoy this article.......
Learning to Be Stupid in the Culture of Cash
March 8, 2003
By Luciana Bohne

You might think that reading about a podunk university's English teacher's attempt to connect the dots between the poverty of American education and the gullibility of the American public may be a little trivial, considering we're about to embark on the first, openly-confessed imperial adventure of senescent capitalism in the US, but bear with me. The question my experiences in the classroom raise is why have these young people been educated to such abysmal depths of ignorance.

"I don't read," says a junior without the slightest self-consciousness. She has not the smallest hint that professing a habitual preference for not reading at a university is like bragging in ordinary life that one chooses not to breathe. She is in my "World Literature" class. She has to read novels by African, Latin American, and Asian authors. She is not there by choice: it's just a "distribution" requirement for graduation, and it's easier than philosophy--she thinks. The novel she has trouble reading is Isabel Allende's "Of Love and Shadows," set in the post-coup terror of Pinochet's junta's Nazi-style regime in Chile, 1973-1989. No one in the class, including the English majors, can write a focussed essay of analysis, so I have to teach that. No one in the class knows where Chile is, so I make photocopies of generalinformation from world guide surveys. No one knows what socialism or fascism is, so I spend time writing up digestible definitions. No one knows what Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" is, and I supply it because it's impossible to understand the theme of the novel without a basic knowledge of that work--which used to be required reading a few generations ago. And no one in the class has ever heard of 11 September 1973, the CIA-sponsored coup which terminated Chile's mature democracy. There is complete shock when I supply US de-classified documents proving US collusion with the generals' coup and the assassination of elected president, Salvador Allende.
 
Geography, history, philosophy, and political science--all missing from their preparation. I realize that my students are, in fact, the oppressed, as Paulo Freire's "The Education of the Oppressed" pointed out, and that they are paying for their own oppression. So, I patiently explain: no, our government has not been the friend of democracy in Chile; yes, our government did fund both the coup and the junta torture-machine; yes, the same goes for most of Latin America. Then, one student asks, "Why?" Well, I say, the CIA and the corporations run roughshod over the world in part because of the ignorance of the people of the United States, which apparently is induced by formal education, reinforced by the media, and cheered by Hollywood. As the more people read, the less they know and the more indoctrinated they become, you get this national enabling stupidity to attain which they go into bottomless pools of debt. If it weren't tragic, it would be funny.

Meanwhile, this expensive stupidity facilitates US funding of the bloody work of death squads, juntas, and terror regimes abroad. It permits the war we are about to wage--an unfair, illegal, unjust, illogical, and expensive war, which announces to the world the failure of our intelligence and, by the way, the creeping weakness of our economic system. Every man, woman, and child killed by a bomb, bullet, famine, or polluted water will be murder--and a war crime. And it will signal the impotence of American education to produce brains equipped with the bare necessities for democratic survival: analyzing and asking questions.
 
Let me put it succinctly: I don't think serious education is possible in America. Anything you touch in the annals of knowledge is a foe of this system of commerce and profit, run amok. The only education that can be permitted is if it acculturates to the status quo, as happens in the expensive schools, or if it produces people to police and enforce the status quo, as in the state school where I teach. Significantly, at my school, which is a third-tier university, servicing working-class, first-generation college graduates who enter lower-etchelon jobs in the civil service, education, or middle management, the favored academic concentrations are communications, criminal justice, and social work--basically how to mystify, cage, and control the masses.

This education is a vast waste of the resources and potential of theyoung. It is boring beyond belief and useless--except to the powers and interests that depend on it. When A Ukranian student, a three-week arrival on these shores, writes the best-organized and most profound essay in English of the class, American education has something to answer for--especially to our youth.

But the detritus and debris that American education has become is both planned and instrumental. It's why our media succeeds in telling lies. It's why our secretary of state can quote from a graduate-student paper, claiming confidently that the stolen data came from the highest intelligence sources. It's why Picasso's "Guernica" can be covered up during his preposterous "report" to the UN without anyone guessing the political significance of this gesture and the fascist sensibility that it protects.
 
Cultural fascism manifests itself in an aversion to thought and cultural refinement. "When I hear the word 'culture,'" Goebbels said, "I reach for my revolver." One of the infamous and telling reforms the Pinochet regime implemented was educational reform. The basic goal was to end the university's role as a source of social criticism and political opposition. The order came to dismantle the departments of philosophy, social and political science, humanities and the arts--areas in which political discussions were likely to occur. The universities were ordered to issue degrees only in business management, computer programming, engineering, medicine and dentistry-- vocational training schools, which in reality is what American education has come to resemble, at least at the level of mass education. Our students can graduate without ever touching a foreign language, philosophy, elements of any science, music or art, history, and political science, or economics. In fact, our students learn to live in an electoral democracy devoid of politics-- a feature the dwindling crowds at the voting booths well illustrate.

The poet Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote that, in the rapacity that the industrial revolution created, people first surrendered their minds or the capacity to reason, then their hearts or the capacity to empathize, until all that was left of the original human equipment was the senses or their selfish demands for gratification. At that point, humans entered the stage of market commodities and market consumers--one more thing in the commercial landscape. Without minds or hearts, they are instrumentalized to buy whatever deadens their clamoring and frightened senses--official lies, immoral wars, Barbies, and bankrupt educations.
 
 Meanhile, in my state, the governor has ordered a 10% cut across the board for all departments in the state--including education.
 
 Luciana Bohne can be contacted at lbohne@edinboro.edu.
 Cao Anh Quan
 
 19910 Villa Lante Place
 Boca Raton, Florida 33434

 (561) 482-5237
         866-7028
         852-5624 (Fax)
 
 Keep up the good works....
First they laugh at you, then they hate you, and then you win......Ghandi

This is really increadible to see a group of people in Merced so involved in the Green Party.
I am in the middle of reading Ralph Nader's book "Crashing the Party" as we speak. A definate eye-opener as is Michael Moore's books and movies.
Our country is in serious crisis right now. We have a President who's idea of "foreign policy" is to attack first, steal the oil, and "globalize" the "Corporate American Way of life". Our enviornmental laws are being repealed, citizens civil rights are being taken away thanks to Homeland Security and the Patriot Act. Large Corporations are receiving huge tax cuts and the gap between the rich and poor is increasing. Sometimes it makes me feel helpless that a small group of people have SO much power over All Americans. Everywhere I go I see the same things AOL/Time Warner, Clear Channel, Starbucks etc...
Things like the Peace March in San Francisco a couple of weekends ago make me hopeful. I saw so many people from different age groups, social, economic, and cultural backgrounds united to Stop the War!
Unfortunately, I think the War on Iraq is inevitable. The President delivered a State of the Union speech and DID what he DOES best. Deliver FEAR into American people. It really sickens me how some people actually think it's OKAY to kill innocent Iraqi people. And for such a greedy purpose.
Hopefully in 2004, the Greens receive 5% of the vote. I do see George W Bush getting re-elected in 2004. (If he doesn't get re-elected then a clone of his with the Democrat label will get elected).
I wish the Merced Greens the best of luck and support in getting the word out!!
PEACE

Alicia,
Students for Social Justice and instructor Mary Berquist accomplished a very positive step in bringing Richard Becker to the Merced College theater on Tuesday. For those who weren't there, Mr. Becker is a full time activist and lecturer against war. He spoke to an audience of about 80 students which is a pretty good turnout. He was able to field a few questions from the audience. I feel there needed to be more time allotted to questions. Maybe next time. The subject of his talk centered around the situation unfolding in the middle east and touched on some of the history behind how the United States has been involved in the situation as it exists. It would be great to have a speaker a month at the college theater. Interestingly, there was some pressure by college administration to postpone Richard Becker's appearance until after the election. My guess is there were fears that any controversy he might arouse would have a negative effect on the outcome of the bond measure the college is supposedly depending on to fund future construction at the college. I believe the measure passed by the way.

Well, Students for Social Justice hosted Richard Becker from International Action Center. We had a great turn out and I heard positive things the next day at school about the event. So now the group will be making plans for the next event.

Merced County Greens ~ notes from 10-08-02 meeting

Meeting began at 7:15 PM

At the meeting: Barbara F., Melissa K., Alicia, Ian H., Mike, John, Jaime

Alicia reported on Students for Social Justice campus group formed at Merced Community College, 20 sign ups - 12 attended meeting, working on event for October 30th, 12 - Richard Becker to speak - they need to raise funds, will forward treasurer's contact information. Also working on event for World Food Day 10/16 -Will provide information on Iraq in Free Speech area of Student Union bldg.

Treasurer's Report: Barbara Re: account currently at $58.40 - money was collected at this meeting not reflected in this amount. County Bank charges 5 dollars per month to maintain checking account. Jaime suggested group brainstorm fund raising ideas for the local. Can start a topic on the Merced Greens bulletin board on this subject.

Barbara reported on meeting at Civic Center last month re: Federal requirement of local needs assessment of homeless/housing resources. heads of local agencies attended. Main speaker from H.U.D. - S.F. Results due in March. She noted that some of the key people weren't there from MCAA and Salvation Army. Another meeting this Friday (the 11th) . Barbara will attend and will forward info via e-mail to group (County Council), also will keep us informed of future meetings

Jaime passed around signup sheet for those interested in putting a Camejo sign in their yard. Asked for suggestions for future tabling/registering.

Meeting adjourned at 8:15 PM

Andrea,
It's good to hear from you. We are meeting tonight (Tuesday the 8th)at 7 PM at Ambrosia. You are more than welcome to join us. If you would like to be put on our mailing list for the Merced Greens forward your e-mail address to me at jofyre@yahoo.com and we'll keep you updated. Hope to see you there.

Andrea,

 Regards,Jaime Ortega http://www.cagreens.org "One Earth, One People"Life is change, growth is optional, choose wisely...

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I am really interested in the Green Party. I have decided to vote Green all the way this coming election. I was looking at the cagreens.org site for guidance on how to vote on the initiatives. It had a list of recommendations but only for 3 or 4 of them. I would like to know about the remaining few. I also am wondering if anyone can just show up to one of the Merced Green Party meetings held at Ambrosia? I am new to all of this and some of the terminology in the posts is foreign to me. I do believe that the Green Party most closely fits my beliefs. I am still registered as of now as a democrat and will change that after the next election. I don't want to change it now for fear of not meeting that time limit and not being allowed to vote in the next election. I hope to see a response to this post soon. Thanks, Andrea

Great meeting tuesday @ Ambrosia

Here is a request from the California Green Party. This is an easy way to act directly and helps to build a relationship with the elections department. Anyone who has an interest in helping out on November 5th at the polls please call me 383 0843 and I'll submit a list when the time comes.
----------------------
Green Party Pollworker Program
Get paid to work the polls this November!

California elections officials have sent out a warning: Our voting system is at risk of collapse. One big reason is a severe shortage of pollworkers. The crisis is real and the Green Party of California has decided to respond. We are asking Greens throughout the state to sign up to be pollworkers on November 5, 2002.

If you sign up, be sure to mention that you are doing so as part of the Green Party Pollworker Program. We began this effort in response to a direct appeal from state elections officials, who told us that nothing else would send such a powerful message to them that Greens care about the integrity of our voting system. Also, we are keeping count of how many California Greens sign up. If you apply to become a pollworker, please let us know by sending an email to Bill Pietz, co-coorinator of the GPCA Electoral Reform Working Group.

Here are a few things coming up that should be of interest to local activists..peace out
----
Tuesday Aug. 6th @10:00 a.m.
Board of Supervisor's Meeting Canceled for this week.
Next Board of Supervisor's Meeting will be Aug. 13th. @ 10:00 a.m.
@ 2222 M St.
for more info. check out:
http://www.co.merced.ca.us/bos/boardagenda/current.pdf
or
http://www.co.merced.ca.us/


Tuesday Aug. 6th ~5 p.m. ~ Sierra Pres. Church
 On Tuesday at 5:00 p.m., we will have a brief meeting to discuss strategy at Sierra Presbyterian Church. Please come. Your input is vital. By the way, we know have 85 sponsors in the Coalition!

Tuesday -Aug. 6th~7:00 p.m. ~ Ambrosia
GREEN PARTY MEETING!!
Agenda to be discussed before meeting

Wed., Aug. 7, 11:00 AM - 1:00 (Fresno) - - -
Hello Merced! You're all invited to attend this event and make Cheney's lunch go down just a little less smoother! :-) PS. If there's anyone there active in homeless rights, I'd like to hear from you. There's a new consortium forming in Merced to help the homeless and you may want to be a part of it! SDM


Demonstration at Dick Cheney
GOP Luncheon
Wed., Aug. 7, 11:00 AM - 1:00
"M" Street & Kern
in front of Fresno Convention Center's New Exhibit Hall
Peace Fresno's themes:
"No War on Iraq"
"Repeal the Patriot Act"


for more info:
Ken Hudson
khudson@msn.com




Wednesday - Aug. 7th~ 7:00 p.m. ~ Fresno
Corporation Personhood (Ten Week Study Session)
Session #3 to be discussed.
YOu can find the sessions and download them at:
http://www.wilpf.org/corp/study-groups.htm

Wednesday - Aug. 7th ~7:00 p.m.~ Modesto ~ Unity Church
Almond Blossom Sangha
Meditation and Book Discussion (Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind)
Teacher Grace will be there and anyone who attends will learn A LOT!!! :)

Thursday - Aug. 8th ~ 6:00 p.m. ~ Farmer's Market ~ Main STreet Merced
We will have the table set up at the market that night and would love anyone and everyone's help in gathering signatures, handing out info., chatting with anyone who comes to the table, etc.
*It's a great way to spend your evening (in my opinion) and there is always the bounce house, which Richard Bressler will let us jump in if we feel like it! :)

**There may be more that I'm missing. If anyone has more to add, please let me know.
Thank you all so much and have an INCREDIBLE week.
I hope to see you all! :)
Melissa
209-726-1732
www.cagreens.org (then click on Merced in left hand column)

Other City Meetings you all might be interested in going to:
Aug. 5 CITY COUNCIL/REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY, 7:00 P.M.
7 PLANNING COMMISSION, 7:00 P.M.
12 PERSONNEL BOARD, 5:00 P.M.
13 TRAFFIC COMMITTEE, 2:00 P.M.
14 DESIGN REVIEW COMMISSION, 4:00 P.M.
15 MERCED COUNTY ASSOCIATION OF GOVERNMENTS, 3:00 P.M.
19 CITY COUNCIL/REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY, 7:00 P.M.
20 REDEVELOPMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE, 12 NOON
20 AIRPORT AUTHORITY, 7:00 P.M.
21 PLANNING COMMISSION, 7:00 P.M.
22 LOCAL AGENCY FORMATION COMMISSION, 2:00 P.M.
26 RECREATION AND PARKS COMMISSION, 5:30 P.M.
27 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE, 7:00 A.M.
28 DESIGN REVIEW COMMISSION, 4:00 P.M.

Glad things are cruising and you are catching up on some reading. We discussed chapter 7 tonight in "Corporation Nation'. Had a couple of new people show up. This is such a timely issue and there is lots of buzz and lots of books being touted. I'm eager to check out the one you mentioned. Here' s another one I heard about on KPFA today. It's called "Defying corporations and Defining Democracy".. I usually go looking for used editions on Amazon. That's so unGreen. I'll go to my local bookseller, You, when you return and ask you to locate a discounted copy for me. As you were. have fun... -----------------------------------------------------------------
From: Warren Time: 12:31 PM
Hello from San Diego! Doing well here (on vacation)...


 Regards,Jaime Ortega http://www.cagreens.org Life is change, Growth is optional, Choose wisely... "One Earth, One People"

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Hello from San Diego! Doing well here (on vacation)...Anyway, I just wanted to mention the book I'm reading (Why is it I only seem to read when I'm on vacation?). It's called "10 Reasons to Abolish the IMF and the World Bank" (ISBN: 1583224645, $6.95) and it's by Medea Benjamin's husband, Kevin Danaher. And it's awesome! I will be buying up a butt-load of copies to hand out at our next book group discussion (meaning the 13th, I think) and whatever I have left, I think we should pass out at the Farmer's Market on Thursdays. Anywhoooo, just thought I'd pass along that little message and...well, well, continue vacationing. Hope everyone has a Green Day!

Hello,
Thanks to Warren for establishing this bulletin board and for creating a great website for the Merced County Greens.
The potential here is enormous. We can refer all contacts at our tabling events to this site via the web page with any questions and comments they might have. We can also post upcoming events, meetings and projects here. For instance here are a couple of things coming up our local is taking part in:
Monday ~ July 22nd @7 p.m. ~ City Council Building
Public Workshop on the 40% increase in water/sewer/garbage
This will include discussion on the curbside recycling program (which will only cost between $3.00 - $4.00 / month, but may get dropped if we don't have enough support there. YOU ARE NEEDED!)
Please come to show your support for a CLEANER MERCED!

Tuesday ~ July 23rd @7:30 p.m. ~ Ambrosia Cafe (G Street - next to George Brown Fitness in the little galeria)
BOOK TALK
Corporation Nation
Find out how corporations are taking over our lives and what we can do about it. Chapter 6 this week.
***ALSO - there will be talk about the candidates who will be coming to Merced - GREEN CANDIDATES too!!! It would be great to have all interested people join us!!! :)

Hello Sawyer. Are you referring to Warren's comment about cattle waste or your page on cannabis?
Very good question either way.
Merced seems to me, very much like the Bible Belt / Midwest. How much support does either idea receive in those areas?
Thanks for posting your thoughts.

How do you think something like this would be received in the Merced County area?
http://www.pacificsites.com/~mce/Gdocument.html

Thought for the Day: According to the EPA, waste from cattle, chickens and hogs have polluted 35,000 miles of rivers in 22 states and contaminated groundwater in 17 states. In other words, get a filter!

Hi there every Green Body... I too am excited about the potential the group has going... Let's keep that movement rolling!
And the Farmer's Market tabling has been great! Come out and join us on Thursdays (except this Thursday which is the fourth - no market).
The minutes will be typed up in two days or less.
:)
M

Hey MercedGreens-
Ok, so I just finally got this BB up and working and onto the Website...Sorry it took so long! Anyway, I just got home from the monthly meeting at Wired and I have to say I'm excited. I plan on sending out an email on the minutes of the meeting (courtesy of Melissa...Thanx M! You rock!), but I just had to mention how much potential we have as a group. The idea is to get a number California candidates here to Merced to let us know why we should vote for them...And I think we can do it! Anyway, more about this later. In the meantime, the BB is on the website now, so feel free to leave a message anytime!
-Warren
Thought for the day: If a faucet leaks thirty drops per minute, you coul waste almost 100 gallons of water each month!

Hello MercedGreens!
Thanx for visiting our new Bulletin Board! I think this BB can be a great resource for our little group, whether it's to discuss what we're reading now (Remember, our discussion group for Corporation Nation will be every Tuesday night at 7:30 P.M. at Wired! Be there!), how the latest meeting went or just to discuss the days news (aka. media driven drivel).
Thought for the Day: Americans use an estimated 2.5 Million plastic bottles EVERY HOUR, of which only a small portion gets recycled. So...Recycle!