Friday, February 21, 2003

Nuclear Hypocrisy QUOTE OF THE DAY "Military justice is to justice what military music is to music." - - Groucho Marx RHINO HERE: In response to my enthusiasm Thursday about Dennis Kucinich running for President, I received several emails from Rhinos Blog readers concerned about the Ohio Congressman's stance on Abortion. I looked into it and found that when he made his announcement last Sunday, he included a statement that he was firmly pro-choice. As reported in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, he said, "as president, I would protect that right [to abortion], and I would also make sure that appointees to the Supreme Court protected that right.' Kucinich opens campaign with change on abortion Before featuring anti-war related stories & resources, I want to call your attention to an unusual news bite for Rhino's Blog, but I think an important story & one worthy of your help if you're moved. It's the plight of a Shuar medicine man & his son who are being held under house arrest in Canada. The Shuar people live among Ecuadorian rivers, headwaters of the Amazon, in the foothills of the Andes, & up to the Altiplano Highlands of Peru. Juan Uyunkar is a father, traditional wisdom holder, healer, botanist, teacher & filmmaker. He's charged with the murder of an elderly Indian woman who passed away during a ceremony. For more of the story & how you can help, see "THE BOTTOM LINE". International Labor Declaration Against War Backed by 130 Million Workers For the first time in history the world's labor movements have spoken with a single voice on an urgent international issue. Over 200 unions & 550 union leaders from 53 countries representing 130 million workers have signed the "International Labor Declaration" circulated by USLAW essentially saying, "Give peace a chance!" http://uslaboragainstwar.org/#111 But The Shrub Gang Ain't Listening The U.S. is already bombing Iraqi air defenses, they're helicoptering teams of commandos in to begin operations & they're dropping thousands of leaflets to the Iraqi citizenry. Meanwhile world leaders are expressing their opposition to the war but the shrub gang rarely leaves their offices, instead conducting their "diplomacy by phone", so the opposition voices just aren't being heard. ABC News - "Has War Begun?" 2/17/03 "U.S. warplanes are bombing Iraqi air defenses almost every day. Other aircraft are dropping millions of leaflets all over Iraq warning people things are about to change. Small numbers of CIA and U.S. military operatives are secretly working inside Iraq..." http://abcnews.go.com/sections/wnt/World/iraq030217_warbegun.html NY Times - "Neither Side Yielding in Debate Over War With Iraq" 2/19/03 "As thousands of additional British and American troops headed toward the Persian Gulf today, leaders on both sides of the Iraq war debate dug in their heels with more uncompromising statements of policy..." http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/19/international/middleeast/19CND-IRAQ.html NY Times Commentary by THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN - "Tell The Truth" 2/19/03 "...Going to someone else's country is a sign you respect his opinion. This Bush team has done no such hands-on spade work. Its members think diplomacy is a phone call..." http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/19/opinion/19FRIE.html Nuclear Hypocrisy In Congress & The White House So let me get this right & please someone let me know if I'm missing something here. Weapons Of Mass Destruction (WOMD's) are not okay for some world nations to have because....ughhhh, they MIGHT use them or MIGHT give them....sell them..... to someone who might use them...... but it's okay for the U.S. & certain nations to have them....UGHHHH, use them....sell them...???? (Israel, India, Pakistan, North Korea....etc) because ........why? And it's okay to spend a trillion dollars on a war that will devastate the world economy and likely send the most volatile region in the world into greater turmoil & likely cause retaliation attacks within the U.S...... all to keep one guy from using WOMAD's while the U.S. government has every intention of building new WOMAD's & indeed using them?? Somebody help me. I'm fucking confused here!!!! The Los Alamos Study Group has aquired a leaked Pentagon document announcing a secret meeting in August to discuss construction of a new generation of nuclear weapons, including 'mini-nukes', 'bunker-busters' & neutron bombs designed to destroy chemical or biological agents. The meeting of senior military officials & nuke scientists at the Omaha headquarters of the US Strategic Command would also decide whether to restart nuclear testing & how to convince the American public the new weapons are necessary. STORY IN THE UK GUARDIAN AT: http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,898550,00.html LOS ALAMOS STUDY GROUP AT http://www.lasg.org THE LEAKED DOCUMENT AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD AT: http://www.lasg.org/hmpgfrm_b.html Meanwhile a collection of House GOP'ers are proposing a fundamental shift in America's nuke weapons strategy saying they will push for the manufacture of a new generation of warheads, a more aggressive policy on their use & steps to make nuke bomb testing easier. STORY AT SF CHRONICLE "GOP plan would revive use of nuclear arms" GOP plan 12 Reasons to Oppose a War with Iraq Lest all the warmongering & right wing put downs of the millions of protestors last weekend confuse any of us (Did shrub really compare the largest anti war protest in the history of the planet to "a focus group"?), the following link takes you to a clear & concise list of obvious reasons that this war is a dumb idea. http://lists.essential.org/pipermail/corp-focus/2003/000145.html 8:17:35 AM    comment

THE BOTTOM LINE Juan Uyunkar, a Shuar medicine man from Ecuador, is presently under house arrest in Canada for use of traditional medicine and practice. Juan is a father, traditional wisdom holder, healer,botanist, teacher and filmmaker as well. The knowledge of traditional medicine including the use of sacred medicinal plants in rituals and ceremonial ways to give authentic healings is of great importance to all peoples at this time. However, traditional medicine is also in danger of being degraded by the state with its cultural misperceptions, its forcing to label plant medicine as noxious substances, therefore illegal,and by pharmaceutical companies, who because of greed are attempting to control all plants and herbs with legislation in order to sell them for profit. Juan has been under house arrest since the fall of 2001, and is forbidden to work or leave the country. In May of 2001, he and his son Edgar were invited by the Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve of Manitoulin Island, Ontario, Canada, to hold traditional healing ceremonies for band member. A series of these ceremonies were held where close to 300 band members attended. Unfortunately, a Wikwemikong elder woman died at one of the ceremonies. The autopsy held that there was no known cause of death, initially the Uyunkars were told they were free to go. However, they chose to stay until all analyses were completed because they were confident that their actions in no way caused the death. Three weeks later the police choose to treat the death as a crime and they were charged with criminal negligence and administering a noxious substance. As well, one of the sacred plants they used, ayahuasca, natem, is considered an controlled substance in Canada; consequently, the Uyunkars have been charged with possession and trafficking. The use of sacred plants is very circumscribed among the Shuar, it is used only to communicate with the spirit world and in the case of Uwishin to obtain healing. The Uyunkars face potentially long prison terms here. They have no funds or even legal means of obtaining funds since,as visitors to Canada they cannot legally work or accept money. The Uyunkars have a team of lawyers, one for each of them as well as their interpreter(also charged). The defense of this case requires international experts in addition to many hours of preparation and research. It is unacceptable that this case could be lost for lack of funds. Funds must be found. Juan and Edgar Uyunkar urgently need yoursupport, both financial and social, including offical letters of support from the Aboriginal, Candaian, Latin American and International communities and organizations. Strategic activism and expertise is needed. All donations will be accepted by Judith Jones, R.R. #1, Sheguiandah, Ontario, POP 1WO, Canada (email:j2@j2.nu). There is an tax deductible organization established for those who would like to contribute in that way also. No amount is too small or large: Pray, ask for guidance, give from your heart. In addition, there is a video, Cosmovision of the Shuar, available for use as a fundraiser. Contact Barbara Ruth Hebert (yellowrosestar@hotmail.com) for further information. For more on the Shuar people & their practices, go to: http://www.ratical.org/LifeWeb/Articles/shuar.html "RHINO'S BLOG" is the responsibility of Gary Rhine. (rhino@kifaru.com) Feedback, and requests to be added or deleted from the list are encouraged. SEARCH BLOG ARCHIVES / SURF RHINO'S LINKS, AT: http://www.rhinosblog.info RHINO'S OTHER WEB SITES: http://www.dreamcatchers.org (INDIGENOUS ASSISTANCE & INTERCULTURAL DIALOG) http://www.kifaru.com (NATIVE AMERICAN RELATIONS VIDEO DOCUMENTARIES) Articles are reprinted under Fair Use Doctrine of international copyright law. http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html All copyrights belong to original publisher. 7:36:17 AM    comment

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