by Travis Irvine
For some liberals, October 28, 2005, was a new ‘day that will live in infamy.’ The Bush administration was finally given a blow when the Vice-President’s Chief of Staff, I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, was indicted on two counts of perjury, two counts of obstructing justice and one count of being a grown man called “Scooter.”
On the radio, Al Franken talked about what a great day it was, while Frenchmen and hippies danced arm and arm in the streets. Birds were singing, the sun was shining, and there was much rejoicing.
The charges could not be more appropriate for someone of this administration. While the CIA leak case is not solved, and probably never will be, Libby was nailed for going in front of a grand jury and lying. Not only did he say he heard about Valerie Plame’s covert status from other reporters – when he in fact was telling reporters himself – he also tried to convince them that Plame, in his words, “totally used to be a dude.” But besides trying to play the ‘Plame Game’ – ba dom ching, thank you – Libby’s dishonesty represents something the Bush clan has become proficient at in the last four years.
These guys could write a ‘How-to’ book about lying, and Joseph Goebbels would pen the forward. They’ve lied about the War on Terror, the War in Iraq, their 9/11 foul-ups, their corporate ties, and where and how they get their money for golf games in Scotland. They’re very good. People who believe in the honesty of this administration need to be smacked in the face with a newspaper.
Hopefully, Libby’s defense that “all the cool Chiefs of Staff are doing it,” won’t hold up in court. If he is convicted, it will be one small step in restoring some honesty to the White House.
It could also provide some further insight as to why the office of the Vice-President was so involved with the leak in the first place. Perhaps they’ll find the office janitor knows every covert CIA agents’ name and has serious turrets. They wanted to fire him, but let’s face it – things would only get much worse from there.
This whole mess drives me to think of a world where the White House didn’t have to lie, and the Bush administration was up front about their mindsets and motives. The relief it could bring to everyone! They wouldn’t have to waste their time putting on a façade and the press wouldn’t have to bother deciphering it. The new policy would be to just tell it like it is.
REPORTER: What’s up with Iraq?
PRESS SECRETARY: We went to Iraq so our oil companies possess oil until the world runs out. This is to support Americans’ ridiculous consumption needs and to get rich.
REPORTER: And the War on Terror?
PRESS SECRETARY: Really just an excuse to increase military spending and invade countries we need. Once again – oil. Mainly oil.
REPORTER: And what about 9/11? What happened there?
PRESS SECRETARY: Ooo, good one. 9/11 was kinda, sorta allowed to happen so we could push through our new foreign policies involving us invading countries with oil. Come on people; not rocket science here.
REPORTER: Aren’t you worried about this getting to voters?
PRESS SECRETARY: (bellowing laughter) Voters! That’s funny. You’re funny.
The gullibility of the public really is proving to be democracy’s weakest aspect, dare I say undoing. In a government based on the public, public opinion is God, and often can be too easily manipulated or misinformed. Minds can be changed with a simple twist of words, a careful omission of facts or details, a creative generalization or euphemism. Through the power and tools of public relations and marketing, an economically driven war against a sovereign nation can turn into a fight to spread freedom. With the expansive mass media we can spread these messages faster and easier all over the country, and we can add really neat graphics to give it some sex appeal.
Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald used Libby’s own words against him. A similar process could be exercised considering all the contradictory and false statements made by members of the administration over the past four years. The list of ‘perjury’ and ‘obstruction of justice’ charges would be longer than a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Unfortunately, it’s not illegal to lie to the public.
The trials will proceed, the White House will adjust, and soon the CIA leak case will be forgotten. But hopefully by the end of it, the jury will tell Libby exactly what he deserves to hear. “Scooter, you made a bad decision. Now go to your room. And take the turrets guy with you. He’s hogging the oil.”
Showing posts with label Issue 16 - Nov. 2005. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Issue 16 - Nov. 2005. Show all posts
Feb 19, 2008
Waiting for Winter in the Wake of Disaster
by Haley Duschinski and Alex Keefe
Three weeks have passed since the Kashmir Earthquake of October 8. As the death toll continues to rise, the mainstream media has turned its attention elsewhere, cloaking the preventable deaths of tens of thousands of people in silence. Winter is descending on the survivors who remain in the high mountains of Kashmir. Now is the time to act.
The earthquake had devastating consequences throughout region. The estimates are staggering: at least 79,000 dead, many more injured, and three million displaced, with all of these figures expected to rise. Multitudes of people lost family members, homes, and livelihoods. The disaster destroyed essential infrastructure, including hundreds of hospitals, road networks, water supplies, school buildings, and government offices. These problems have complicated the relief effort, as aid workers have been unable to reach more than 3 million people living in remote mountain villages. UN officials have called it the worst disaster that they have seen.
Tragically, the world community has been slow to respond. The UN has been operating for more than three weeks without adequate financial support from many of the world’s largest and wealthiest nations. Relief workers are facing a race against time to provide shelter and food to people in Kashmir before the onset of the winter in the high Himalayas. Their current concern is that the number of deaths taking place after the earthquake will exceed those that took place during the actual tremor itself.
Concerned students and faculty of Ohio University are committed to the idea of raising funds and channeling them to two existing non-partisan humanitarian organizations operating on the ground in Kashmir: The Edhi Foundation (http://www.paks.net/edhi-foundation), and The Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (www.jkccs.org).
Both groups have established strong distribution networks in the region through their prior development and assistance work at the community level. They are responding in ways that have real consequences for people’s lives, and they desperately need money.
Please consider making a donation in support of this cause. We are processing donations through People to People Aid in Support of Nurani Dunia, a registered 501(c) organization, based at OU. All contributions made through this organization are tax deductible. Checks or money orders should be made payable to “P2P Aid in Support of Nurani Dunia” and sent to: Haley Duschinski, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Bentley Annex 131, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio 45701. For more information on how to donate, please contact Alex Keefe (keefea@ohio.edu) or Haley Duschinski (duschins@ohio.edu).
The earthquake was a natural disaster with immense destructive power. We may not be able to control this force of nature, but we are able to shape the form of our humanitarian response. In this globalized world, we are all interested parties with a stake in the future of Kashmir. Humanitarian responses and political processes are delicately intertwined. Our donations, channeled through grassroots agencies that operate across international boundaries, will have critical consequences for the future of Kashmir.
Three weeks have passed since the Kashmir Earthquake of October 8. As the death toll continues to rise, the mainstream media has turned its attention elsewhere, cloaking the preventable deaths of tens of thousands of people in silence. Winter is descending on the survivors who remain in the high mountains of Kashmir. Now is the time to act.
The earthquake had devastating consequences throughout region. The estimates are staggering: at least 79,000 dead, many more injured, and three million displaced, with all of these figures expected to rise. Multitudes of people lost family members, homes, and livelihoods. The disaster destroyed essential infrastructure, including hundreds of hospitals, road networks, water supplies, school buildings, and government offices. These problems have complicated the relief effort, as aid workers have been unable to reach more than 3 million people living in remote mountain villages. UN officials have called it the worst disaster that they have seen.
Tragically, the world community has been slow to respond. The UN has been operating for more than three weeks without adequate financial support from many of the world’s largest and wealthiest nations. Relief workers are facing a race against time to provide shelter and food to people in Kashmir before the onset of the winter in the high Himalayas. Their current concern is that the number of deaths taking place after the earthquake will exceed those that took place during the actual tremor itself.
Concerned students and faculty of Ohio University are committed to the idea of raising funds and channeling them to two existing non-partisan humanitarian organizations operating on the ground in Kashmir: The Edhi Foundation (http://www.paks.net/edhi-foundation), and The Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (www.jkccs.org).
Both groups have established strong distribution networks in the region through their prior development and assistance work at the community level. They are responding in ways that have real consequences for people’s lives, and they desperately need money.
Please consider making a donation in support of this cause. We are processing donations through People to People Aid in Support of Nurani Dunia, a registered 501(c) organization, based at OU. All contributions made through this organization are tax deductible. Checks or money orders should be made payable to “P2P Aid in Support of Nurani Dunia” and sent to: Haley Duschinski, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Bentley Annex 131, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio 45701. For more information on how to donate, please contact Alex Keefe (keefea@ohio.edu) or Haley Duschinski (duschins@ohio.edu).
The earthquake was a natural disaster with immense destructive power. We may not be able to control this force of nature, but we are able to shape the form of our humanitarian response. In this globalized world, we are all interested parties with a stake in the future of Kashmir. Humanitarian responses and political processes are delicately intertwined. Our donations, channeled through grassroots agencies that operate across international boundaries, will have critical consequences for the future of Kashmir.
Migrant Workers in Southeast Ohio
by Danny Burridge
On Tuesday October 25, about twenty Ohio University students received a rare and informative glimpse into one of the most overlooked segments of the population of southeastern Ohio- migrant workers.
United Campus Ministries and the Latin American Student Union sponsored a lecture/ discussion led by Humberto Gonzalez, the Regional Administrator for the non-profit organization Rural Opportunity Inc. (ROI). Humberto gave a presentation about his group, which focuses on helping migrant farm workers find permanent employment, and providing social services to the migrant worker communities in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York.
Also present at the discussion were Lucy and Dora, two migrant workers from Oaxaca, Mexico who have been in the United States for two years and have been aided immensely by ROI.
Here in Athens, we are not overly exposed to the world of migrant workers, but right next door in Meiggs County there is a thriving and growing community of migrant workers, primarily from southern Mexico.
Humberto said, “We did not even know there was a migrant camp in Meiggs County. We found them about a year ago and have been working with them ever since.”
He estimated that at any one time there are at least 400-500 migrant workers in the largest camp in Meiggs County. In the county as a whole, he said, there could be close to 1,200. In the state of Ohio, there are about 16,000 migrant workers, half of which are undocumented. By government regulations, ROI is not permitted to provide services to any undocumented workers.
Workers like Lucy and Dora typically stay in Appalachian states like Ohio for the summer and fall seasons. During the fall, many migrant workers work in plant nurseries. During the summer months, they pick vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, and lettuce- typically from sunup to sundown.
Lucy mentioned, “You know its time to stop for the day when you cannot tell if the tomato is ripe or not because it is too dark.”
This was in Spanish, though. A representative from UCM, Kerri Shaw, interpreted for them. Lucy and Dora both expressed the desire to learn English but have no access to any type of classes and probably would not have the time to take them anyway, because of their work schedules.
Very few migrant workers are proficient in English. Not only does this make it difficult for them to get anything but a minimum wage, labor intensive job, but it also makes it almost impossible to integrate fully into U.S. society.
For many Latinos, U.S culture can be quite an obstacle, but at the same time, they take a certain amount of pride in maintaining their own communities and cultures. Humberto, who was a migrant worker for ten years before joining ROI said, “You can put us wherever you want, but you are not going to brainwash us. You are not going to change us. A lot of people try to intimidate us. They say we are taking their jobs. But Americans do not want the jobs we take.”
On the other hand, Lucy and Dora said they have never felt any intimidation from U.S. citizens. Perhaps times have changed since Humberto was a worker and U.S. citizens are treating migrant workers with more respect.
However, migrant workers still face grave conditions as they try to make lives for themselves in the U.S. For this reason, ROI attempts to make it easier for migrant workers tosustain themselves through the National Farm Workers Job Program, which provides job training that migrant workers need to acquire permanent employment in fields such as nursing, early childhood development and retail. ROI also provides social programs dealing with housing, mentoring, drug and alcohol abuse prevention, economic development, and women’s reproductive health. Lucy and Dora have both received benefits from the reproductive health program.
Kerri Shaw worked for ROI for a year and was the person who picked up Lucy for her bi-monthly doctor visits when she was pregnant. Shawwould right now be getting ready to do the same for Dora who is currently five months pregnant, but federal funding for ROI has been drastically cut, causing ROI to drop Shaw’s former position. This year alone, grant money for ROI from the Department of Labor, who is the organization’s largest donor, was cut by $250,000.
Dora has been hitching rides to the medical clinic with various members of the migrant camp. Unfortunately, she has no interpreter such as Kerri to tell her what is truly going on with her pregnancy.
ROI does not only deal directly with migrant workers and communities, but also works to educate and raise awareness about migrant issues in the U.S. Congress and among the farmers who employ the workers. Effectively lobbying Congress is becoming more and more difficult, as shown by ROI‘s funding cut, but farmers have started to become more receptive of working with representatives of ROI.
“They (the farmers) used to think we were trying to bust them for hiring undocumented workers, but now they are starting to realize that we just want to ease their relations with the workers,” said Humberto.
Of late, ROI has been working extensively to try to get farmers to train their workers in the proper use of potentially harmful pesticides and fertilizers. Lucy and Dora said that they were exposed to pesticides during the summer when they worked on the farms, but did not feel any adverse side effects. Many effects of exposure to harmful chemicals are not seen until years after the exposure, so their testimony is not too reassuring.
Agriculture is one of the driving forces of the U.S. economy, and migrant workers are one of the driving forces of Ohio agriculture.
Some of them may not speak English too well, but migrant workers are here to stay, and here to grow. Tuesday’s discussion forged the kind of links between the Latino community and the dominant U.S. community that will be vital in ensuring that these cultures can coexist in mutually beneficial ways.
On Tuesday October 25, about twenty Ohio University students received a rare and informative glimpse into one of the most overlooked segments of the population of southeastern Ohio- migrant workers.
United Campus Ministries and the Latin American Student Union sponsored a lecture/ discussion led by Humberto Gonzalez, the Regional Administrator for the non-profit organization Rural Opportunity Inc. (ROI). Humberto gave a presentation about his group, which focuses on helping migrant farm workers find permanent employment, and providing social services to the migrant worker communities in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York.
Also present at the discussion were Lucy and Dora, two migrant workers from Oaxaca, Mexico who have been in the United States for two years and have been aided immensely by ROI.
Here in Athens, we are not overly exposed to the world of migrant workers, but right next door in Meiggs County there is a thriving and growing community of migrant workers, primarily from southern Mexico.
Humberto said, “We did not even know there was a migrant camp in Meiggs County. We found them about a year ago and have been working with them ever since.”
He estimated that at any one time there are at least 400-500 migrant workers in the largest camp in Meiggs County. In the county as a whole, he said, there could be close to 1,200. In the state of Ohio, there are about 16,000 migrant workers, half of which are undocumented. By government regulations, ROI is not permitted to provide services to any undocumented workers.
Workers like Lucy and Dora typically stay in Appalachian states like Ohio for the summer and fall seasons. During the fall, many migrant workers work in plant nurseries. During the summer months, they pick vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, and lettuce- typically from sunup to sundown.
Lucy mentioned, “You know its time to stop for the day when you cannot tell if the tomato is ripe or not because it is too dark.”
This was in Spanish, though. A representative from UCM, Kerri Shaw, interpreted for them. Lucy and Dora both expressed the desire to learn English but have no access to any type of classes and probably would not have the time to take them anyway, because of their work schedules.
Very few migrant workers are proficient in English. Not only does this make it difficult for them to get anything but a minimum wage, labor intensive job, but it also makes it almost impossible to integrate fully into U.S. society.
For many Latinos, U.S culture can be quite an obstacle, but at the same time, they take a certain amount of pride in maintaining their own communities and cultures. Humberto, who was a migrant worker for ten years before joining ROI said, “You can put us wherever you want, but you are not going to brainwash us. You are not going to change us. A lot of people try to intimidate us. They say we are taking their jobs. But Americans do not want the jobs we take.”
On the other hand, Lucy and Dora said they have never felt any intimidation from U.S. citizens. Perhaps times have changed since Humberto was a worker and U.S. citizens are treating migrant workers with more respect.
However, migrant workers still face grave conditions as they try to make lives for themselves in the U.S. For this reason, ROI attempts to make it easier for migrant workers tosustain themselves through the National Farm Workers Job Program, which provides job training that migrant workers need to acquire permanent employment in fields such as nursing, early childhood development and retail. ROI also provides social programs dealing with housing, mentoring, drug and alcohol abuse prevention, economic development, and women’s reproductive health. Lucy and Dora have both received benefits from the reproductive health program.
Kerri Shaw worked for ROI for a year and was the person who picked up Lucy for her bi-monthly doctor visits when she was pregnant. Shawwould right now be getting ready to do the same for Dora who is currently five months pregnant, but federal funding for ROI has been drastically cut, causing ROI to drop Shaw’s former position. This year alone, grant money for ROI from the Department of Labor, who is the organization’s largest donor, was cut by $250,000.
Dora has been hitching rides to the medical clinic with various members of the migrant camp. Unfortunately, she has no interpreter such as Kerri to tell her what is truly going on with her pregnancy.
ROI does not only deal directly with migrant workers and communities, but also works to educate and raise awareness about migrant issues in the U.S. Congress and among the farmers who employ the workers. Effectively lobbying Congress is becoming more and more difficult, as shown by ROI‘s funding cut, but farmers have started to become more receptive of working with representatives of ROI.
“They (the farmers) used to think we were trying to bust them for hiring undocumented workers, but now they are starting to realize that we just want to ease their relations with the workers,” said Humberto.
Of late, ROI has been working extensively to try to get farmers to train their workers in the proper use of potentially harmful pesticides and fertilizers. Lucy and Dora said that they were exposed to pesticides during the summer when they worked on the farms, but did not feel any adverse side effects. Many effects of exposure to harmful chemicals are not seen until years after the exposure, so their testimony is not too reassuring.
Agriculture is one of the driving forces of the U.S. economy, and migrant workers are one of the driving forces of Ohio agriculture.
Some of them may not speak English too well, but migrant workers are here to stay, and here to grow. Tuesday’s discussion forged the kind of links between the Latino community and the dominant U.S. community that will be vital in ensuring that these cultures can coexist in mutually beneficial ways.
by Chelsea Baker
Lance Cpl. Andrew W. Nowacki, 24, S. Euclid Ohio… PFC Christopher R. Dixon, 18, Obertz, Ohio… Staff Sgt. Sean G. Laundrus, 31, Thompson, Ohio… These are just a few of the names of deceased Ohio soldiers that were part of the Eyes Wide Open: Ohio (EWOO) exhibit that came to Athens on this year’s homecoming weekend, October 21 and 22.
EWOO, which was brought to Athens by The Appalachian Peace and Justice Network (APJN) and People for Peace and Justice (PPJ), was originally intended to occupy the Howard Hall site, where it would have been in prime view amidst all the homecoming festivities, but was unfortunately forced into the Baker 1804 lounge due to weather.
Upon entering the exhibit, viewers were met with row upon row of empty military combat boots (96 total), each affixed with the name, age, and Ohio town of the fallen occupant they honor. An additional pile of civilian shoes were present to mourn the over 100,000 innocent Iraqi citizens killed during the war. A map of Ohio honored the wounded soldiers with red poppies, and a station was set up to make cards of encouragement and thanks to be sent to those still in active duty. A large sign outside of Baker Center marked to most recent death toll of the war at a total of 1,992 U.S. soldiers on the first day the display was here. The total has since surpassed 2000 and continues to rise almost daily.
EWOO is a smaller version of the American Friends and Service Committee’s nationally acclaimed exhibit, Eyes Wide Open, which began touring nationally in March 2004 and has been seen by over 400,000 people thus far, is intended to serve as a tangible memorial of the human cost of the war in Iraq. Ohio is currently the pilot project for the statewide displays, with the focus being on more rural areas that could not otherwise afford to bring the entire U.S. display.
Literature handed out at the exhibit explained that the display is not intended to be a political statement, but rather a peaceful way to provide “a human face (of both Ohioans and Iraqis) of the impact of the war and occupation”. One local volunteer, Trisha Lachman, said that her group felt, when deciding to bring EWOO to Athens, that it “seemed like an exhibit people could interact with.”
Development and Program Coordinator of APJN, Christie Truly, said that she saw no adverse reactions to the display, but did witness one woman’s emotional response upon encountering a familiar name from her home town on one of the boots.
In a notebook provided for responses to EWOO, one Athens observer wrote, “Even though I consider myself an educated person about the issues of this war, no videos, stories, or photos have hit me as hard as this exhibit. It is devastating, but also empowering.” Another wrote, “Such a shame…some of these guys are younger than me.”
Lance Cpl. Andrew W. Nowacki, 24, S. Euclid Ohio… PFC Christopher R. Dixon, 18, Obertz, Ohio… Staff Sgt. Sean G. Laundrus, 31, Thompson, Ohio… These are just a few of the names of deceased Ohio soldiers that were part of the Eyes Wide Open: Ohio (EWOO) exhibit that came to Athens on this year’s homecoming weekend, October 21 and 22.
EWOO, which was brought to Athens by The Appalachian Peace and Justice Network (APJN) and People for Peace and Justice (PPJ), was originally intended to occupy the Howard Hall site, where it would have been in prime view amidst all the homecoming festivities, but was unfortunately forced into the Baker 1804 lounge due to weather.
Upon entering the exhibit, viewers were met with row upon row of empty military combat boots (96 total), each affixed with the name, age, and Ohio town of the fallen occupant they honor. An additional pile of civilian shoes were present to mourn the over 100,000 innocent Iraqi citizens killed during the war. A map of Ohio honored the wounded soldiers with red poppies, and a station was set up to make cards of encouragement and thanks to be sent to those still in active duty. A large sign outside of Baker Center marked to most recent death toll of the war at a total of 1,992 U.S. soldiers on the first day the display was here. The total has since surpassed 2000 and continues to rise almost daily.
EWOO is a smaller version of the American Friends and Service Committee’s nationally acclaimed exhibit, Eyes Wide Open, which began touring nationally in March 2004 and has been seen by over 400,000 people thus far, is intended to serve as a tangible memorial of the human cost of the war in Iraq. Ohio is currently the pilot project for the statewide displays, with the focus being on more rural areas that could not otherwise afford to bring the entire U.S. display.
Literature handed out at the exhibit explained that the display is not intended to be a political statement, but rather a peaceful way to provide “a human face (of both Ohioans and Iraqis) of the impact of the war and occupation”. One local volunteer, Trisha Lachman, said that her group felt, when deciding to bring EWOO to Athens, that it “seemed like an exhibit people could interact with.”
Development and Program Coordinator of APJN, Christie Truly, said that she saw no adverse reactions to the display, but did witness one woman’s emotional response upon encountering a familiar name from her home town on one of the boots.
In a notebook provided for responses to EWOO, one Athens observer wrote, “Even though I consider myself an educated person about the issues of this war, no videos, stories, or photos have hit me as hard as this exhibit. It is devastating, but also empowering.” Another wrote, “Such a shame…some of these guys are younger than me.”
La Chinatla Journal
by Jimmy & Danny Burridge
This is an excerpt of an email from Jimmy Burridge, who is a volunteer with a Catholic Marianist Mission in La Chinatla, Mexico. La Chinatla is in the southern, impoverished, and highly indigenous state of Vera Cruz. Burridge works specifically with a program which distributes farm animals to needy families. He also gives workshops on gender relationships and baking bread, and tries to grow vegetables.
Things here are about the same as ever, but maybe a little different. I am getting frustrated with the way we work because we are supposed to be promoting development, or changing the way people relate to each other, but I do not think we do that. We are just like a boss that has lots of animals, and we do not actually change anything. We simply enable people to have more animals and thus a slightly larger income.
Also, we do not have any idea how to relate to the indigenous people here. Nearly all of us are mestizos, and we totally lack an understanding of indigenous history, culture, society, and values, which significantly inhibits our ability to work with and for them. If we do not even understand the people that we work for, the reality that they come from, their vision of the world, their dreams, and how they hope to attain those dreams, how are we supposed to help them to help themselves?
I decided that we needed to change and expand the way we work. I set up meetings with some groups in Chiapas because I know that there they have a wealth of organizations that deal with development and indigenous identity. Raymundo, who is one of three indigenous people that work here, and I drove to San Cristobal last Sunday and came back Wednesday. For me, in was reinvigorating to be in that environment again, and for Raymundo, it was totally new. He, like most people in my community, has never been exposed to different ways of seeing the world before.
First, we met up with the sister that was my guide the first time I went through Chiapas. We talked to her about the reality of Chiapas during the 70’s and 80’s. The indigenous people had to work against structural racism, and against the wealthy, white landholders who controlled virtually every aspect of their lives- from the church, to the schools, to the community store.
In 1994, the Zapatistas rebelled and many of the large landowners fled. The peasants occupied the abandoned land, and continue to occupy it today, which is the source of a huge amount of conflict. After the ‘94 rebellion, the landowners formed paramilitary groups which fight and intimidate the peasant groups, and are often backed by the Mexican army and political parties like the IRP (Institutionalized Revolutionary Party).
The next day, we talked with an organization that works almost exclusively with the autonomous municipalities, or the communities in rebellion, or the Zapatista communities. In the years following the rebellion, the Zapatista communities formed their own system of governance. This occurred not only because the Mexican government had historically disrespected and abused them, but because they felt that as indigenous people, they had a different culture and different needs from other Mexicans, and therefore, a right to govern themselves.
Now, the communities are arranged in what they call “juntas de buen gobierno,” (committees of good government). The organization we talked with works through these juntas. A group of people in a community presents a proposal for a project to their local junta, and then the junta presents it to the organization we talked with. So, all the projects stem directly from a popular need of a community.
The next day we talked with a doctor that directs a program which educates and trains indigenous people that have received little or no education. He runs a mechanic shop, a carpentry shop, metal working and sodering instruction, a bakery, and a tortilla factory. He also has a sewing shop, an architecture school, a women’s center and even a university. All the programs are run for and by indigenous people. The programs are not focused on preparing people to go out into the larger world, compete in the job market, and become like any other working Joe, but rather to acquire a trade, become educated and aware of the world, themselves, their culture, and the value of that culture. They are educated to work in their communities for the benefit of their communities. Maybe that does not sound so special, but it is. Many people in Mexico, and even more so in indigenous communities, see the only way to succeed as leaving their community/Mexico to work somewhere else, leaving behind, or even denying their indigenous identity. We have all been sold the idea that it is desirable to have a high paying job in the city, to be able to buy lots of things, in short, to participate fully in the capitalist society. This organization takes a very different view of development, and with other grassroots groups, elements of the Catholic Church and the Zapatistas, is revitalizing indigenous culture and community.
Throughout our stay in Chiapas, we saw people working for a different world- one where people work, live, and relate to one another in better ways- one where people are not caught up in a culture that only values things that are efficient and profitable, and seeks to diminish culture itself into trinkets and folklore that can be bought and sold, or only appreciated as quaint or romantic. Many people have the desire to do away with the dominate culture and create a different one. They think this can and must be done from the bottom up- that initiatives must come from groups, organizations, and communities, traveling from group to group, and spreading knowledge about alternative ways of living and learning.
So that is what I see happening with some of the organizations in Chiapas. I think it’s pretty exciting how these people believe that another world is possible, and that they want to invent this other world that allows us to live and to relate to each other as real human beings.
This is an excerpt of an email from Jimmy Burridge, who is a volunteer with a Catholic Marianist Mission in La Chinatla, Mexico. La Chinatla is in the southern, impoverished, and highly indigenous state of Vera Cruz. Burridge works specifically with a program which distributes farm animals to needy families. He also gives workshops on gender relationships and baking bread, and tries to grow vegetables.
Things here are about the same as ever, but maybe a little different. I am getting frustrated with the way we work because we are supposed to be promoting development, or changing the way people relate to each other, but I do not think we do that. We are just like a boss that has lots of animals, and we do not actually change anything. We simply enable people to have more animals and thus a slightly larger income.
Also, we do not have any idea how to relate to the indigenous people here. Nearly all of us are mestizos, and we totally lack an understanding of indigenous history, culture, society, and values, which significantly inhibits our ability to work with and for them. If we do not even understand the people that we work for, the reality that they come from, their vision of the world, their dreams, and how they hope to attain those dreams, how are we supposed to help them to help themselves?
I decided that we needed to change and expand the way we work. I set up meetings with some groups in Chiapas because I know that there they have a wealth of organizations that deal with development and indigenous identity. Raymundo, who is one of three indigenous people that work here, and I drove to San Cristobal last Sunday and came back Wednesday. For me, in was reinvigorating to be in that environment again, and for Raymundo, it was totally new. He, like most people in my community, has never been exposed to different ways of seeing the world before.
First, we met up with the sister that was my guide the first time I went through Chiapas. We talked to her about the reality of Chiapas during the 70’s and 80’s. The indigenous people had to work against structural racism, and against the wealthy, white landholders who controlled virtually every aspect of their lives- from the church, to the schools, to the community store.
In 1994, the Zapatistas rebelled and many of the large landowners fled. The peasants occupied the abandoned land, and continue to occupy it today, which is the source of a huge amount of conflict. After the ‘94 rebellion, the landowners formed paramilitary groups which fight and intimidate the peasant groups, and are often backed by the Mexican army and political parties like the IRP (Institutionalized Revolutionary Party).
The next day, we talked with an organization that works almost exclusively with the autonomous municipalities, or the communities in rebellion, or the Zapatista communities. In the years following the rebellion, the Zapatista communities formed their own system of governance. This occurred not only because the Mexican government had historically disrespected and abused them, but because they felt that as indigenous people, they had a different culture and different needs from other Mexicans, and therefore, a right to govern themselves.
Now, the communities are arranged in what they call “juntas de buen gobierno,” (committees of good government). The organization we talked with works through these juntas. A group of people in a community presents a proposal for a project to their local junta, and then the junta presents it to the organization we talked with. So, all the projects stem directly from a popular need of a community.
The next day we talked with a doctor that directs a program which educates and trains indigenous people that have received little or no education. He runs a mechanic shop, a carpentry shop, metal working and sodering instruction, a bakery, and a tortilla factory. He also has a sewing shop, an architecture school, a women’s center and even a university. All the programs are run for and by indigenous people. The programs are not focused on preparing people to go out into the larger world, compete in the job market, and become like any other working Joe, but rather to acquire a trade, become educated and aware of the world, themselves, their culture, and the value of that culture. They are educated to work in their communities for the benefit of their communities. Maybe that does not sound so special, but it is. Many people in Mexico, and even more so in indigenous communities, see the only way to succeed as leaving their community/Mexico to work somewhere else, leaving behind, or even denying their indigenous identity. We have all been sold the idea that it is desirable to have a high paying job in the city, to be able to buy lots of things, in short, to participate fully in the capitalist society. This organization takes a very different view of development, and with other grassroots groups, elements of the Catholic Church and the Zapatistas, is revitalizing indigenous culture and community.
Throughout our stay in Chiapas, we saw people working for a different world- one where people work, live, and relate to one another in better ways- one where people are not caught up in a culture that only values things that are efficient and profitable, and seeks to diminish culture itself into trinkets and folklore that can be bought and sold, or only appreciated as quaint or romantic. Many people have the desire to do away with the dominate culture and create a different one. They think this can and must be done from the bottom up- that initiatives must come from groups, organizations, and communities, traveling from group to group, and spreading knowledge about alternative ways of living and learning.
So that is what I see happening with some of the organizations in Chiapas. I think it’s pretty exciting how these people believe that another world is possible, and that they want to invent this other world that allows us to live and to relate to each other as real human beings.
Anti-War Movement Takes New Direction
by Danny Burridge
On Wednesday October 19, a delegation from the Pittsburgh Organizing Group (POG) came to Athens to give a presentation about the group’s campaign against military recruitment, which has achieved remarkable success in Pittsburgh over the past six months.
The event was sponsored by local progressive groups Positive Action, InterAct and the Athens Can’t Wait Coalition. The groups hoped the presentation would spark interest in, and give guidance to the counter recruitment campaign, which will be starting in Athens on November 2 in conjunction with the nationwide “World Can’t Wait: Drive Out the Bush Regime” movement.
Damon Krane, who coordinated POG’s visit for InterAct, explained: “InterAct is always trying to network with progressive activists from around the region. I’m originally from Pittsburgh. My brother Justin is a member of POG. So we’ve been following POG’s efforts for a while now. We were very impressed with what we saw in Pittsburgh and decided Athens activists could learn some valuable lessons from POG’s counter recruitment campaign.”
About 50 Ohio University students and Athens community members attended the presentation. It was followed by a lively discussion amongst all participants about the prospective obstacles and achievements of the Counter Recruitment Movement.
POG is a democratically governed group which promotes systemic change as a vehicle towards affecting economic and political justice in a global context. It was represented at this presentation by mem
bers: Alex Bradley, Marie Skoczylas, De’Anna Caliguiri, Justin Krane, and David Meieran.
POG has been involved in many anti-war actions, but in the past six months, it has concentrated its anti-war efforts on counter recruitment. This has entailed picketing in front of Pittsburgh military recruiting centers and actually shutting them down, thereby physically impeding U.S. citizens from being recruited.
During the pre sentation, the POG representatives provided the back-
ground and rationale behind the growing nationwide counter recruitment movement, as well as the impressive successes, harsh brutalities, and information war that has accompanied the specific counter recruitment campaign that POG has enacted in Pittsburgh.
In regard to the rationale of counter recruitment, De’Anna Caligiuri said, “Counter Recruitment is a way to be direct. I was tired of just holding a sign and crossing my fingers, hoping that things would change. Counter recruitment localizes the war issue, and actually limits recruiters’ access to students. If everyone participates in getting recruitment to stop, the movement will be effective.”
Throughout the night, POG representatives reiterated the idea that counter recruitment is a tangible way to combat the war. As Alex Bradley stated, “If the military cannot recruit new soldiers, the U.S. government cannot continue its war-based foreign policy.”
The military has missed its recruiting quota for 2005 by 25,000 soldiers, and according to the POG representatives, this shows that counter recruitment campaigns have already been a successful deterrent to the war effort.
Pittsburgh organizers also said that the effectiveness of counter recruitment can be clearly seen in the brutality, repression, and information manipulation that it has been met with as it becomes more influential and visible.
POG feels that anti-war activists that just hold signs, chant, and resign themselves to designated areas are too easily marginalized and ignored by police and policy makers. Counter recruitment activists, on the other hand, have unfortunately become the target of deplorable acts of police repression.
POG has had first hand experience with this.
On August 20, 2005 POG led a march down a main Pittsburgh street which culminated in a protest in front of the Pittsburgh military recruitment center. The center had already been closed down in anticipation of the protest.
Various cameramen, and other media representatives were on the scene, and one cameraman (later revealed to be employed by Fox News), accused a protester of hitting him. Police officers tried to arrest the alleged assailant, but he resisted and a violent scuffle ensued. This resulted in numerous arrests and the use of Taser stun-guns on two protesters. One was Caligiuri, who was Tased for an appalling 14 seconds. This barbaric scene was captured on camera by Athens filmmaker and activist, Roger Hill. Later that day, a sixty-eight year old woman was bitten by a police dog when police demanded that the sidewalk in front of the recruiting center be cleared.
Unfortunately, Caligiuri’s story and that of other Pittsburg activists is not unique. Counter recruitment activists all over the country have felt the heavy arm of the law coming down on them.
On September 29, 2005 at Holyoke Community College in Massachusetts, Charles Peterson, the Vice President of the college’s student senate and an outspoken war critic, was peppered sprayed and kicked off the campus for allegedly “grabbing and bruising an officer’s arm.” He was subsequently allowed to return to campus amid large student protests.
On the same day at George Mason University, a former Air Force pilot and current student at the university, Tarik Khan, was brutally assaulted by a police officer and a university assistant. Khan was tackled, put in a chokehold, and possibly subjected to other violence simply for standing next to a recruiting table with a sign taped to his shirt which said: “Recruiters lie; Don’t be deceived.” He is currently facing criminal charges.
Counter recruitment efforts have also been the object of what David Meieran called “information warfare.” He gave many examples in written publications and television news coverage which showed a distinct bias against counter recruitment activists. Meieran showed one news clip from a Pittsburgh network that focused on the plight of Samuel Muoio, the police officer who used his Taser stun-gun on Caligiuri. Muoio said he feared for the lives of himself and his family because his name and address had been posted to an online independent news outlet (Pittsburgh Indy Media www.pittsburgh.indymedia.org). No heed was paid to the violent and unwarranted act he had committed which had garnered him such attention.
POG representatives also stated that the counter recruitment campaign is not just about direct action, but educational efforts as well. They provide potential recruits, such as high school students, with information regarding the harsh realities of military enlistment. On their flyers, POG states that only 35% of soldiers get any GI bill money, and only 15% of soldiers actually receive a college degree. Especially frightening is the fact that 75% of women who join the military are subjected to sexual harassment. Also, there is a caveat attached to enlistment papers that states that the government does not have to follow up on any promises made by recruiters to enlistees.
The response by attendants to the POG presentation was very positive. Freshman Emily Hanlon said, “It was really inspiring to see so many people actually affecting change through counter recruitment. I protested in Washington D.C., but that was symbolic. This is direct action.” Lizzy Sullivan, also a freshman, echoed the same sentiments. When asked if she would participate in the counter recruitment efforts in Athens on November 2 she responded, “Definitely. I want to be involved with this movement. It is very important.”
Two weeks after POG’s presentation, the Athens Can’t Wait Coalition launched its local counter recruitment campaign with a march from OU’s College Green, down Court Street, to the Athen’s recruitment center at 25 Grosvenor St. With roughly 200 participants, the demonstration was the largest anti-war rally since the US invaded Iraq on March 19, 2003.
The atmosphere was electric as the march reached the center. A lone counter-protestor, Athens resident Monika Gasztonyi, awaited the group’s arrival. Gasztonyi physically barred the door of the recruitment center, waved the U.S. flag, and held signs that said such things as “U.S. Military: Duty, Honor, Country: You? Selfish SWINE.”
The protestors were not deterred. They formed a semi-circle around the recruitment center chanting slogans such as “Shut it down No recruiters in our town.”
Numerous people spoke, among them Associate Professor of Cultural Studies in Education at OU Jaylynne Hutchinson, former OU professor and World War II and Korean War veteran Chuck Overby, and peace activist Peggy Gish, who has spent much of the past three years working in Iraq.
The recruiting center itself did not shut down, but protestors certainly made enough commotion over the course of the two hour protest to keep the office from doing much recruiting. The event has also created a strong buzz in the Athens media about counter recruitment and the Athens Can’t Wait Coalition.
Jordan Rogoff, the liaison between Athens and the national office of World Can’t Wait said: “The Athens Can’t Wait Coalition is committed to opposing the Bush Regime, and counter recruitment efforts are a way to do that on the ground level. Counter recruitment will be one of our major focuses in the months to come.”
On Wednesday October 19, a delegation from the Pittsburgh Organizing Group (POG) came to Athens to give a presentation about the group’s campaign against military recruitment, which has achieved remarkable success in Pittsburgh over the past six months.
The event was sponsored by local progressive groups Positive Action, InterAct and the Athens Can’t Wait Coalition. The groups hoped the presentation would spark interest in, and give guidance to the counter recruitment campaign, which will be starting in Athens on November 2 in conjunction with the nationwide “World Can’t Wait: Drive Out the Bush Regime” movement.
Damon Krane, who coordinated POG’s visit for InterAct, explained: “InterAct is always trying to network with progressive activists from around the region. I’m originally from Pittsburgh. My brother Justin is a member of POG. So we’ve been following POG’s efforts for a while now. We were very impressed with what we saw in Pittsburgh and decided Athens activists could learn some valuable lessons from POG’s counter recruitment campaign.”
About 50 Ohio University students and Athens community members attended the presentation. It was followed by a lively discussion amongst all participants about the prospective obstacles and achievements of the Counter Recruitment Movement.
POG is a democratically governed group which promotes systemic change as a vehicle towards affecting economic and political justice in a global context. It was represented at this presentation by mem
bers: Alex Bradley, Marie Skoczylas, De’Anna Caliguiri, Justin Krane, and David Meieran.POG has been involved in many anti-war actions, but in the past six months, it has concentrated its anti-war efforts on counter recruitment. This has entailed picketing in front of Pittsburgh military recruiting centers and actually shutting them down, thereby physically impeding U.S. citizens from being recruited.
During the pre sentation, the POG representatives provided the back-
ground and rationale behind the growing nationwide counter recruitment movement, as well as the impressive successes, harsh brutalities, and information war that has accompanied the specific counter recruitment campaign that POG has enacted in Pittsburgh.
In regard to the rationale of counter recruitment, De’Anna Caligiuri said, “Counter Recruitment is a way to be direct. I was tired of just holding a sign and crossing my fingers, hoping that things would change. Counter recruitment localizes the war issue, and actually limits recruiters’ access to students. If everyone participates in getting recruitment to stop, the movement will be effective.”
Throughout the night, POG representatives reiterated the idea that counter recruitment is a tangible way to combat the war. As Alex Bradley stated, “If the military cannot recruit new soldiers, the U.S. government cannot continue its war-based foreign policy.”
The military has missed its recruiting quota for 2005 by 25,000 soldiers, and according to the POG representatives, this shows that counter recruitment campaigns have already been a successful deterrent to the war effort.
Pittsburgh organizers also said that the effectiveness of counter recruitment can be clearly seen in the brutality, repression, and information manipulation that it has been met with as it becomes more influential and visible.
POG feels that anti-war activists that just hold signs, chant, and resign themselves to designated areas are too easily marginalized and ignored by police and policy makers. Counter recruitment activists, on the other hand, have unfortunately become the target of deplorable acts of police repression.
POG has had first hand experience with this.
On August 20, 2005 POG led a march down a main Pittsburgh street which culminated in a protest in front of the Pittsburgh military recruitment center. The center had already been closed down in anticipation of the protest.
Various cameramen, and other media representatives were on the scene, and one cameraman (later revealed to be employed by Fox News), accused a protester of hitting him. Police officers tried to arrest the alleged assailant, but he resisted and a violent scuffle ensued. This resulted in numerous arrests and the use of Taser stun-guns on two protesters. One was Caligiuri, who was Tased for an appalling 14 seconds. This barbaric scene was captured on camera by Athens filmmaker and activist, Roger Hill. Later that day, a sixty-eight year old woman was bitten by a police dog when police demanded that the sidewalk in front of the recruiting center be cleared.
Unfortunately, Caligiuri’s story and that of other Pittsburg activists is not unique. Counter recruitment activists all over the country have felt the heavy arm of the law coming down on them.
On September 29, 2005 at Holyoke Community College in Massachusetts, Charles Peterson, the Vice President of the college’s student senate and an outspoken war critic, was peppered sprayed and kicked off the campus for allegedly “grabbing and bruising an officer’s arm.” He was subsequently allowed to return to campus amid large student protests.
On the same day at George Mason University, a former Air Force pilot and current student at the university, Tarik Khan, was brutally assaulted by a police officer and a university assistant. Khan was tackled, put in a chokehold, and possibly subjected to other violence simply for standing next to a recruiting table with a sign taped to his shirt which said: “Recruiters lie; Don’t be deceived.” He is currently facing criminal charges.
Counter recruitment efforts have also been the object of what David Meieran called “information warfare.” He gave many examples in written publications and television news coverage which showed a distinct bias against counter recruitment activists. Meieran showed one news clip from a Pittsburgh network that focused on the plight of Samuel Muoio, the police officer who used his Taser stun-gun on Caligiuri. Muoio said he feared for the lives of himself and his family because his name and address had been posted to an online independent news outlet (Pittsburgh Indy Media www.pittsburgh.indymedia.org). No heed was paid to the violent and unwarranted act he had committed which had garnered him such attention.
POG representatives also stated that the counter recruitment campaign is not just about direct action, but educational efforts as well. They provide potential recruits, such as high school students, with information regarding the harsh realities of military enlistment. On their flyers, POG states that only 35% of soldiers get any GI bill money, and only 15% of soldiers actually receive a college degree. Especially frightening is the fact that 75% of women who join the military are subjected to sexual harassment. Also, there is a caveat attached to enlistment papers that states that the government does not have to follow up on any promises made by recruiters to enlistees.
The response by attendants to the POG presentation was very positive. Freshman Emily Hanlon said, “It was really inspiring to see so many people actually affecting change through counter recruitment. I protested in Washington D.C., but that was symbolic. This is direct action.” Lizzy Sullivan, also a freshman, echoed the same sentiments. When asked if she would participate in the counter recruitment efforts in Athens on November 2 she responded, “Definitely. I want to be involved with this movement. It is very important.”
Two weeks after POG’s presentation, the Athens Can’t Wait Coalition launched its local counter recruitment campaign with a march from OU’s College Green, down Court Street, to the Athen’s recruitment center at 25 Grosvenor St. With roughly 200 participants, the demonstration was the largest anti-war rally since the US invaded Iraq on March 19, 2003.
The atmosphere was electric as the march reached the center. A lone counter-protestor, Athens resident Monika Gasztonyi, awaited the group’s arrival. Gasztonyi physically barred the door of the recruitment center, waved the U.S. flag, and held signs that said such things as “U.S. Military: Duty, Honor, Country: You? Selfish SWINE.”
The protestors were not deterred. They formed a semi-circle around the recruitment center chanting slogans such as “Shut it down No recruiters in our town.”
Numerous people spoke, among them Associate Professor of Cultural Studies in Education at OU Jaylynne Hutchinson, former OU professor and World War II and Korean War veteran Chuck Overby, and peace activist Peggy Gish, who has spent much of the past three years working in Iraq.
The recruiting center itself did not shut down, but protestors certainly made enough commotion over the course of the two hour protest to keep the office from doing much recruiting. The event has also created a strong buzz in the Athens media about counter recruitment and the Athens Can’t Wait Coalition.
Jordan Rogoff, the liaison between Athens and the national office of World Can’t Wait said: “The Athens Can’t Wait Coalition is committed to opposing the Bush Regime, and counter recruitment efforts are a way to do that on the ground level. Counter recruitment will be one of our major focuses in the months to come.”
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