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INTERNATIONAL ACTION ORGANIZATION

February 2003

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Feature Articles

IRAQ

Deception of America

By Lila Schow

Who Should We Fear?

By Jodie Hemerda

Noteable Quotes…

Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.

Isaac Asimov

Make yourself an honest man, and then you may be sure that there is
one less scoundrel in the world.

Thomas Carlyle

Unswerving loyalty to duty, constant devotion to truth, and a clear conscience will overcome every discouragement and surely lead the way to usefulness and high achievement.

Grover Cleveland

You do it with love, even if you think war is stupid.

JANICE MANN sewing name tags on uniforms for soldiers headed to the Mideast from Fort Stewart, GA.

Every American spends 55 cents a day on soft drinks. Under the oil for food program each Iraqi gets just 47 cents a day to live on

Dr. Hans von Sponeck

Think About This…

A woman in South Africa is more likely to be raped than to learn to read.

View the TV ad paid for by MoveOn.Org members' contributions.

LET THE UN WEAPONS INSPECTIONS WORK

The Dear Colleague letter below was circulated among members of the House in January, 2003 asking representatives to sign on to a letter to President Bush that supports continued UN weapons inspections in Iraq. It was signed by 130 members, including 27 members who supported Bush's war authorization bill in October 2002.

In Memory

It took a wise man to dream big,

To dream great,

To talk of peace, brotherhood, and love

When all around was hate.

It took a strong man

To stand tall,

To speak of liberty and justice

And dignity for all.

He say a great country

With some growing to do.

He dreamed of a better world

Where freedom could ring true.

And so today we’ll gather

For a birthday celebration

For a man who sought to change the mind

And heart of a nations.

Of liberty and brotherhood and peace

Today we’ll sing

As we celebrate the memory of

Martin Luther King.

-Ericka Northrop

Contact Us

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Martin Luther King Jr.
His Dream Lives On

We still have a choice today; non-violent co-existence or violent co-annihilation. We must move past indecision to action. If we do not act, we shall surely be dragged down the long, dark, and shameful corridors of time reserved for those who possess power without compassion, might without morality, and strength without sight.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

STOP THE SILENCE

In the End, we will remember
not the words of our enemies,
but the silence of our friends.

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Lila held InterAct’s motto, “A Time Comes When Silence is Betrayal.” As we walked I raised my sign higher with pride, “Stop the Silence.” Many who read it looked on with dazed expressions, but those participants who comprehended MLK understood my simple message. I marched alongside my eight year old daughter, wondering how much she would absorb. I’m sure my words only distracted her from the feeling of unity and strength our 30,000 emitted.

Only days earlier I had come to a crossroads in my ideology about our country. For I joined the MLK celebration not only to honor an incredible man, but to protest a seemingly inevitable war. My hesitation in my stance came when I read the following,

At a memorial in New York, a little boy left his football with a note for his lost father: Dear Daddy, please take this to heaven. I don't want to play football until I can play with you again some day.

President Bush spoke shortly after the fateful day when 3,044 people died due to terrorist attacks. The above quote caught my eye when I was researching information on Bush’s comments about the Axis of Evil. The image of these words intensified as I shared them with friends and family, and now as I share them with you. I can easily visualize my three year old son having much the same reaction if he were to lose his father, I can hardly hold back the tears.

Since September 11^th I’ve been called unpatriotic, anti-American, and even categorized with Osama bin Laden by my own president who adamantly said “Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists.” I couldn’t be with US as I didn’t want to so easily distinguish an Us versus a Them. In September 2002 I rallied among 3,000 other Coloradoans in Denver to speak out against Bush’s plans to invade Iraq. While crossing the street a motorist yelled out to us, “What about those 3,000 people?”

My father-in-law asked me that same question one year earlier when I stated that I was against bombing Afghanistan. Yes, I watched as those planes crashed through those buildings. Yes, I saw the two towers collapse. Yes, it is a terrible tragedy. And no, I do not want vengeance. I want justice.

But after a year of disappointed and bewildered looks and responses to my anti-war stance, I am tired. Reading Bush’s account of the little boy sending his father to heaven with his football tugged a bit too hard on my heartstrings. My mind said, “Screw this. Hussein deserves what he gets. I’ve had enough of digging up dirt on my own country. The United States government protects my rights, ensures my freedom and does a hell of a lot for a millions of people and nations alike.”

I cannot adequately express how much I would like to erase the knowledge I have amassed about our government’s dirty little secrets. I wish I didn’t know all the corporate, financial, government and media connections. If only I could delete the image of the Hmong fleeing Laos in 1975 when the US pulled out of the region after promising to take care of them. The screams of dying children as they and their parents were used as target practice by the river patrols of the Viet Cong reverberate a bit too loud.

So, as I march I look at my daughter and watch her eyes absorb the positive MLK messages simultaneously with the anti-war ones. Now she too is destined for a life of knowing. I hope I’ve done the right thing. Ignorance may seem bliss, but in such a world Bush and Hussein could annihilate us all without another thought.

Some of us who have already begun to break the silence of the night have found that the calling to speak is often a vocation of agony, but we must speak. We must speak with all the humility that is appropriate to our limited vision, but we must speak. For we are deeply in need of a new way beyond the darkness that seems so close around us… MLK

Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke out against Vietnam, and I am sure he would have done the same in regards to Bush’s war on Iraq. Read his incredible words regarding breaking the silence.

Jodie Hemerda

Is This Our Future?

What good fortune for those in power that people do not think.

- Adolph Hitler

[D]uring the 1930s and after his rise to power, Hitler put his plans into action by launching attack after attack against other sovereign European nations. Of course, part of his plan was to always provide some type of justification for his actions. It was very common for him to manufacture enemies by greatly exaggerating any threat they might pose to the German people.

At one point, he went so far as to order the burning of his country's own Reichstag building where the Parliament held its sessions. Hitler and his cronies blamed the fire on the communists, and while history shows us that the whole affair had been contrived, the action frightened the people so much that they gave up all of their civil liberties in a vain attempt to increase their security. The Enabling Acts were passed, the Parliament was dissolved, and Germany fell into the hands of a ruthless dictatorship which required a world war in order to overthrow it.

Al Vick

They Came for the Muslims, and I Didn't Speak Up
Forum Column (from the Daily Journal, 11/20/02)

Author's Note: The USA Patriot Act became law a little over one year ago.

First they came for the Muslims, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Muslim.

Then they came for the immigrants, detaining them indefinitely solely on the certification of the attorney general, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't an immigrant.

Then they came to eavesdrop on suspects consulting with their attorneys, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a suspect.

Then they came to prosecute non citizens before secret military commissions, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a noncitizen.

Then they came to enter homes and offices for unannounced, sneak and peak searches, and I didn't speak up because I had nothing to hide.

Then they came to reinstate Cointelpro and resume the infiltration and
surveillance of domestic religious and political groups, and I didn't speak up because I no longer participated in any groups.

Then they came to arrest American citizens and hold them indefinitely without any charges and without access to lawyers, and I didn't speak up because I would never be arrested.

Then they came to institute TIPS Terrorism Information and Prevention System recruiting citizens to spy on other citizens and I didn't speak up because I was afraid.

Then they came for anyone who objected to government policy because it only aided the terrorists and gave ammunition to America's enemies, and I didn't speak up because I didn't speak up.

Then they came for me, and by that time, no one was left to speak up.

- Stephen Rohde

Updates

Afghanistan struggles to rebuild A year after the fall of the Taliban; Afghanistan is getting too little of the right kind of aid.
ACLU: Big Brother a fact, not fiction: The report, Bigger Monster, Weaker Chains: The Growth of an American Surveillance Society, claims the U.S. has now reached the point where a total surveillance society is possible and likely. Not so fast! The Senate voted to ban funding for the Total Information Awareness program.
Anti-war call from Cairo to Tokyo Last weekend's (January 18^th) demonstrations in the United States against George W. Bush's war plans were mirrored in other protests, from Tokyo to Damascus, that made the intensity of worldwide opposition to Washington's policies unmistakably clear.
500,000 Anti-War Protesters Demonstrate in Washington, 200,000 March in San Francisco, Hundreds of Thousands More Demonstrate Around the World Oppose U.S. War With Iraq
Belgium Diamonds Support Conflict A report suggests the Central African Republic is a centre for trade in diamonds used to finance conflicts.
Iraq Links Cancers to Uranium Weapons U.S. Likely to Use Arms Again in War Find Out More About Depleted Uranium
The Biggest Threat To Peace Which country really poses the greatest danger to world peace in 2003? TIME asks for readers' views
Shell Oil and the Politics of Hype
As of January 29, 2003 -- 54 cities have passed peace resolutions against war on Iraq. See the list!
US military insists on right of “hot pursuit” inside Pakistan But… Pakistan Denies US Military Claim of Right to Enter
Washington escalates military buildup in Latin America
'Freedom,' With Blood and Sweat Toweled Off Check ‘Freedom: A History For Us’ Out For Yourself
Halliburton Iraq Ties More Than Cheney Said
On A More Positive Note…
Truck drivers help pregnant women Truck drivers in Western Africa are playing a key role in helping to cut infant and mother deaths.
Not All White House Reporters Are Pushovers "At the earlier briefing, Ari, you said that the president deplored the taking of innocent lives," Helen Thomas began. "Does that apply to all innocent lives in the world?"
What Would Democracy Look Like? How would you like to distribute 200 million dollars to your fellow citizens? Participatory Democracy
Oh my Darling Clemency "I am sorry," said Frodo. "But I am frightened, and I do not feel any pity for Gollum ... He deserves death." "Deserves it! I daresay he does. Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. For even the very wise cannot see all ends." -- The Shadow of the Past, The Fellowship of the Ring -- J.R.R. Tolkien	(As an avid supporter of human rights and opposer of the US’s antiquated death penalty, I applaud Governor George Ryan’s move to empty Illinois’ death row. – Jodie Hemerda)
Protesting May Be Good for Your Health Taking part in protests and demonstrations can be good for your physical and mental health, a new British study suggests.
GM's Hybrid Strategy General Motors Corp. offered detailed plans today to boost the fuel economy of its most popular cars and trucks by as much as 50 percent, beginning with two pickup trucks in the 2003-model year.

InterAct Makes a Difference

Use InterAct’s 5 minute project to Speak Out about…

· War in Iraq

· Participate in a grassroots campaign underway to protest war in Iraq.

· Read about CBS’s latest idea for a reality show…Down and Out In Beverly Hills; then speak out about Social Class Prostitution

Truth vs Truth

Nestle wants to help the world’s poor people…by rejecting $1.5m while holding out for $6m from one of the poorest countries in the world.

Our founding fathers coined it Freedom of Speech…today it’s more commonly known as anti-Americanism.

Venezuela appears to be in the midst of an internal struggle…or is the US rousing up trouble because President Chavez has ties to Castro and refuses to cooperate with Bush’s War on Terror.

Bush on down the administrative line all maintain that this war is not about oil…British foreign secretary Jack Straw says otherwise.

Bush’s State of the Union revealed the president’s agenda for improving the economy, securing the US from terrorism, and disarming the world of terrorism…it’s what he didn’t say that shows enormous flaws in his plans.

Bush also proposed billions to Africa to help that country in their fight against AIDS…he claimed that the inexpensiveness of necessary medicines offers such an opportunity, when in reality it has been the US blocking such a drop in prices.

Bush and his supporters often cite humanitarian reasons for invading Iraq to overthrow the tyrant Hussein…but our Uzbekistan alliance highlights U.S.' human rights hypocrisy.

Editorials

So, Now Bigger Is Better? By David S. Broder

When George W. Bush was running for president, he did not campaign as an enemy of the federal government. But he claimed that he would limit its growth and power. And he derided his opponent, Al Gore, as an advocate of "big government."

It’s Not About Oil By John Chuckman
I do get tired of reading claims that oil is the reason why Mr. Bush wants to attack Iraq. Perhaps commentators pick oil because it seems to give clarity where there is so little, evoking the slightly romantic image of 19th century troops in pith helmets, scrambling for colonial resources.

Don’t Call It Conservative By John Moyers

Real conservatives promote fiscal prudence, public accountability and limited government. But the agenda promoted by Mr. Bush and his party, as outlined in the State of the Union speech, is a sad parody of those values.

A Wink And A Nudge To Extremists by Congressman John Conyers, Jr.

I am shocked and disheartened by President Bush's recent decision to declare his opposition to the University of Michigan's affirmative action.

Listen to the Veterans By Charles Sheehan-Miles

Imagine if Ronald Reagan had announced in 1985 that we were going back to Vietnam, and this time we were going to take out those commies. That's how surreal the whole discussion of invading Iraq is, because we have just about as much justification today.

Who Are the Real Patriots? By Signe Waller

In one of the most significant movements in the United States today, people from cities and towns across the country are resisting the current administration’s attack on the Bill of Rights.

Bush Is Losing It By Marty Jezer

In France, 75 percent oppose Bush's policy; in Germany the number is 76, in Italy it's 61. In Turkey, a country crucial to the Administration's military effort, opposition to the war, according to the Wall Street Journal, registers at between 80 and 90 percent.

Palestine Ironies By Justin Podur

A common belief propounded by opponents of Palestinian rights is that Arabs want to 'drive Israel into the sea'. In 1992, Israel's Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin said: "I wish Gaza would sink into the sea."

Peace Is Made With Enemies By Sean Gonsalves

[W]e ought to keep in mind the thoughts of two esteemed statesmen. "Peace is not made with friends. Peace is made with enemies," according to the late Yitzhak Rabin. Nelson Mandela adds: "If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner."

A Crime, Not a War By Marc Ash

War is borne of irreconcilable differences between nations. Brazen military aggression is a crime against humanity.

Why support terrorism? By Nima Kasraie

It has been a little over a month since one hundred and fifty congressmen came out in support of the Iranian Mujahideen Khalq (MKO), an opposition group both the Bush and Clinton administrations have called a terrorist organization.

Bush's Smallpox Boondoggle By Maria Tomchick

The national smallpox vaccination plan rolled out with a whimper last week

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