[Peace] News notes, Mar. 24 (part 2 of 2)

[Carl Estabrook]

(CONTINUED FROM PART 1)

IT'S NOT AS IF WE HAVEN'T BEEN TOLD. Walter Rockler, a prosecutor at
Nuremberg, died on March 8th, aged 81. His obituary included a paragraph
from a letter he wrote to the Chicago Tribune in May 1999: "The attack on
Yugoslavia constitutes the most brazen international aggression since the
Nazis attacked Poland to prevent 'Polish atrocities' against Germans. The
United States has discarded pretensions to international legality and
decency, and embarked on a course of raw imperialism run amok...When we,
the self-anointed rulers of the planet, issue an ultimatum to another
country, it is 'surrender or die.' To maintain our 'credibility,' we must
crush any semblance of resistance to our dictates to that country." Bill
Clinton had violated the constitution by declaring war, he said, a power
entrusted to a "supine Congress, fascinated only by details of sexual
misconduct". [ECONOMIST]

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2002

WE DEFEATED THEM , BUT THEY'RE EVERYWHERE! Al-Qaida members may have
escaped to Indonesia (via Pakistan and then on fishing boats), and may be
regrouping in what is the world's most populous Muslim
country. Congressional sources say the Pentagon would like to send troops
there. [USA TODAY]

THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2002

WINDOW DRESSING, I THINK. The Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and New
York Times lead with the Senate's passage of a bill overhauling campaign
finance laws. The bill, a version of which was passed by the House of
Representatives earlier this year, bans the unregulated donations known as
"soft money." President Bush called the bill, which passed by a 60-40
margin, "flawed in some areas," but said he'll sign it. [SLATE]

THE BUSHIES ARE EMBARRASSED BY THEIR MASSIVE ILLEGALITY -- BUT NOT
MUCH. Everybody goes high with the Bush administration's decision to give
additional rights to defendants facing military tribunals, including the
right of appeal, and the option to hire a private lawyer. The NYT's Bill
Safire says the changes are a step in the right direction, but he adds
that there are still problems: 1) "No civilian review"; 2) "Indefinite
detention"; 3) "No participation by Congress in the making of what is
undoubtedly law." The WP's piece on the tribunals mentions that the "great
majority of the 300 prisoners being held at the U.S. naval base at
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, are low-ranking foot soldiers, sources said." 

**FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 2002

SEE WINDOW DRESSING, ABOVE. The LAT and NYT front news of a
record-breaking soft money gift to the Democratic Party, announced only a
day after a soft money ban passed in the Senate. The $7 million donation
from Haim Saban, who made his fortune from the Mighty Morphin Power
Rangers TV show, will help pay for the Democratic National Committee's new
D.C. headquarters. 

THEY HATE OUR FREEDOM. The former commander of Nato forces in Europe fears
that America, Britain and their allies could become embroiled in an
unwinnable guerrilla war in Afghanistan. Gen Wesley Clark said in an
interview with The Telegraph that there were "worrisome signs" that the
allies were drifting into a position similar to that which assailed Soviet
forces after their invasion in 1979. "They won big victories to start
with," he said. "It took a year or two for the opposition to build
up." [TELEGRAPH UK]

THEY'VE GOT A LITTLE LIST. The American Civil Liberties Union charged
Thursday that Denver police illegally searched a local activist group's
office and confiscated membership lists to include them in the
department's secret files. The suit, which was amended Thursday in federal
court here, is connected to recent disclosures that an intelligence unit
of the Denver police has maintained files for years on protest groups. The
so-called spy files have been kept on individuals and organizations since
1999 and include information gleaned from public rallies and meetings. The
Police Department admitted it has files on about 3,200 individuals and 208
organizations. It defends the practice, calling it a necessary aspect of
criminal intelligence ... The ACLU's complaint states that on Dec. 14,
2000, officers from the Denver and Golden police departments raided the
offices of the Denver Justice and Peace Committee, an organization that
works for social justice in Latin America. The purpose of the raid,
according to police, was to obtain evidence in a case involving vandalism
of a department store. Among the items taken from the offices were
membership phone and e-mail lists, phone-tree lists and other rosters that
included the names of 984 people. The ACLU complaint states that police
used the lists to call more than 100 people and question them about the
vandalism case. None of those called had any information about the case,
the complaint said. Silverstein said the police selected those they called
based on their political activities and associations ... Among the
organizations that Denver police labeled as "criminal extremists" is the
American Friends Service Committee, a nonviolent Quaker organization that
has won the Nobel Peace Prize. Additionally, police kept files on citizens
who attended events sponsored by Amnesty International, and a
demonstration organized by Native American and Latino groups protesting
the celebration of Columbus Day. One group the police has kept tabs on is
the Chiapas Coalition, which supports the rights of indigenous people in
southern Mexico. According to the police file, the group is "dedicated to
the overthrow of the Mexican government." [LAT]

**SATURDAY, MARCH 23, 2002

TWO-PARTY SYSTEM? In his op-ed column in the NYT, Bill Keller says a few
conservatives "swallowed their gum" when Bush made light of Tom Daschle's
presidential aspirations at a recent Gridiron dinner. "What are you going
to run on, Tom?" Bush rattled. "Patients' bill of rights? I'm for
it. Enron? I'm against it. Campaign reform? I'll sign it. Child care? Tom,
I'm gonna expand child care to those who don't even have children." Keller
says Bush "has no intention of dying the one-term political death of his
father, even if that means selling out principles from time to time."

NEW VERSE TO THE SAME SONG? In Mexico, George W. introduced "Millennium
Challenge Grants," foreign aid available to developing countries that "end
corruption, reform their economies and help their own people," in the WP's
words. Colin Powell and Paul O'Neill will be in charge of separating the
good from the bad and rewarding the former accordingly. 

**SUNDAY, MARCH 24, 2002

LEST WE FORGET. On March 24, 1980 at 6:25 p.m., as he said mass,
Archbishop Oscar Romero of San Salvador was murdered at the order of
School of the Americas graduate on the payroll of the CIA 

WHAT DOES THIS HEADLINE SUGGEST? "Secret Iran-Arafat Connection Is Seen
Fueling the Mideast Fire." American and Israeli intelligence officials
said Iran is sending heavy weapons and millions of dollars to Palestinians
waging guerrilla war against Israel. [NYT] But others are
skeptical: "U.S. Officials Cannot Confirm Report." [REUTERS]

BUT THEY ALL LOOK ALIKE! A second group of Afghan "detainees" who were
neither Taliban nor al-Qaeda have charged U.S. soldiers with abuse. [AFP]

SON OF BLOWBACK. Since the 1980s, the core curriculum of Afghanistan's
school system has been textbooks filled with violent images, militant
Islamic teachings and talk of jihad -- paid for by the U.S. as part of a
covert plan to spur resistance to the Soviet occupation. [WASH POST]

OF COURSE, IT'S SENATE FOXES WATCHING THE ELECTRIC KEN-HOUSE. As a
U.S. Senate committee subpoenas Enron board members to determine their
contacts with the Bush and Clinton administrations, another round may be
issued to force the company to disclose names of partnership
investors. [REUTERS]

WE NEED TIES THAT BIND. The local government here officially threw its lot
in with Portland, Ore. and a handful of other municipalities around the
country, passing a resolution discouraging police from enforcing new
anti-terror legislation if doing so would interfere with peoples' civil
rights. A non-binding resolution passed by the city council in response to
the federal USA Patriot Act discourages Denver police from investigating
groups or individuals based on their country of origin or immigration
status ... The move comes a week after revelations that Denver police
officials have been keeping secret files on protest groups like Amnesty
International, anti-globalization protesters and the American Friends
Service Committee, a Quaker group. The American Civil Liberties Union,
which revealed that the files were being kept, said the police department
had some 3,200 files on individuals and 208 files on organizations dating
to about 1999. [FOX NEWS]

WE KNOW YOU'RE OUT THERE. The Washington Post leads with a follow-up on
government raids last week of Muslim charities and businesses in Virginia
that the Feds suspected of giving money to terrorists. Many Muslims have
been outraged by the raids, which were focused on some of the nation's
most respected Muslim charities. Said one critic, "The message we are
getting is, this war, even though they claim it is against terrorism, is
against Muslims." [SLATE]

REDEMPTION MAY BE POSSIBLE. The WP's Outlook section has an interesting
op-ed: "This year more than half a million babies in the developing world
will contract from their mothers the virus that causes AIDS, despite the
fact that drugs and therapies exist that could virtually eliminate
mother-to-child transmission of the killer disease." The writer proposes
that the U.S. hand out an additional $500 million this year to fight
AIDS. The author? Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C. Helms explains his newfound
charitable mentality: He's still for a "very limited government." "But not
all laws are of this earth. We also have a higher calling, and in the end
our conscience is answerable to God. Perhaps, in my 81st year, I am too
mindful of soon meeting Him." [WASH POST]

	*	*	*

What Voters Really Want 
It's plain, simple, and completely off the table. 
Robert Kuttner 

What do voters really want from government? Despite years of
government-bashing, several recent polls suggest that voters still count
heavily on government for social and economic security. And, while the
Bush administration wins broad support for its antiterrorism program,
liberal economic themes on other issues resonate with voters. 

Pollster Celinda Lake, in a new series of polls sponsored by the Ms
Foundation for Women, found that 76 percent of voters thought government
should do more to help working families, 84 percent want a higher minimum
wage, 87 percent want government help for health insurance to laid off
workers, 82 percent want extended unemployment benefits. 

At a time when the Bush administration is reprogramming welfare funds to
promote marriage as the solution to poverty, less than 3 percent think the
welfare system's job is to encourage marriage. More than 80 percent
believe government should increase benefits for women who have left
welfare and are working, including health insurance. Eighty-three percent
want government to create jobs for people who cannot find work. Other
polls continue to show that large majorities support universal health
insurance. 

Meanwhile, Harvard political scientist Robert Putnam, author of ''Bowling
Alone,'' finds a dramatic swing in public opinion since Sept. 11 both in
the trust people have in public institutions and the trust we have in each
other. This new trust extends well beyond support for police, fire, and
military branches of government, Putnam reports. Recent polls find that
two-thirds express basic trust in the federal governnent to do the right
thing most of the time, the highest level of public support since the
1960s. 

The administration, of course, is using this support for government to
increase military and security spending, not to deliver other social goods
voters want, such as expanded health insurance, job training, or child
care. Nor are the opposition Democrats offering more than token
initiatives in these directions. The conventional assumption is that big
and costly social outlays are off the table for an indefinite future, and
that a politician who supported them would be committing political
suicide. 

These poll findings raise a broader question. If voters really want such
things as universal health insurance and expanded social outlays, why are
these not being offered by the political system? 

The reason for the disconnect between government and the voting public is
a hoary question among political scientists, and students of politics
generally divide into two camps. One camp contends that voters have given
up on government because government has abandoned voters. In this account,
public opinion is generally middle-of-the-road, while party and
ideologically driven interest-group activists have migrated to the
extremes. 

The trouble with this view is that it misreads recent political
history. It's certainly true that Republicans and conservatives have
become more ideologically cohesive. But Democrats and liberals have become
more centrist and more divided. Much of recent history is a case of New
Democrats trying to ingratiate themselves with business and to moderate
their traditional support for social outlay in favor of fiscal discipline. 

Much of Newt Gingrich's 1994 ''Contract with America'' was enacted into
law despite public opinion, not because voters were demanding it. It was a
case of an ideologically determined minority armed with plenty of money
ramming through a program to benefit elites. 

The other view, which I find much more plausible, holds that powerful
economic forces in this country have mobilized to make sure that neither
party seriously offers voters what they say they want. The immense
difficulty Congress has had in enacting even a tepid form of campaign
finance reform to limit big money in politics underscores this reality. 

Indeed, judging by public opinion polls, if Congress really delivered what
voters say they want, Congress would enact universal health
insurance. Government would spend more money to make sure that work paid a
living wage. The federal government would make sure teachers were paid
adequately and that classroom spending were more equal. Funding for the
environment and clean energy would go up. The administration would give
more support to international institutions. The tax system would be
simpler and more progressive. 

Instead, the actual political agenda is well to the right of public
opinion. You need look no further than the Enron scandal to see why. 

Political agendas are set by those who invest in politics, and lately
money has simply crowded out ordinary voters. Voters will continue to be
alienated from politics until some political leader or movement defies the
conventional wisdom and offers real alternatives. 

	*	*	*