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Friday, June 27, 2003 |
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"What was not talked about publicly at the time of the Vietnam War was something said secretly in intra-governmental memoranda -- that the interest of the United States in Southeast Asia was not the establishment of democracy, but the protection of access to the oil, tin and rubber of that region. In the Iraqi case, the obvious crucial role of oil in U.S. policy has been whisked out of sight, lest it reveal less than noble motives in the drive to war."
- - Howard Zinn
JUNE 27th IN HISTORY:
1954 -- CIA-sponsored rebels complete overthrow of democratically elected government of Guatemala.
1986 -- World Court rules US-support for Nicaraguan "contras" violates international law.
RHINO HERE:
I heard historian Howard Zinn on the radio this week speaking on why it's so important for citizens in a democracy to know their history. That if most Americans knew the history of their government's war exploits, they would know that more times than not, the reason given to the people for going to war is a lie, and that more times than not, it hasn't been for creating democracy, but for power & resources. If the people knew their history, they couldn't be fooled so easily. In today's RHINO'S BOTTOM LINE, Zinn, the author of " A People's History of the United States", compares the U.S. wars in Viet Nam & Iraq. But first...
Cheney/CIA Probe Voted Down
The Kucinich Amendment seeking an audit of pre-war communications between Cheney & the CIA went up for a vote Thursday morning. No big surprise I guess that the Intelligence Committee continued to shield the shrub gang from a full investigation, the bill was defeated. Kucinich introduced the amendment after the Washington Post CIA analysts saying they had been pressured by Cheney to spin the intelligence on Iraq to help mobilize the war. Good on Dennis for making a racket about it.
Ben's For Dennis - But Who's Jerry For?
Meanwhile, an excerpt from Thursday's Capitol Hill daily, Roll Call ("Heard on the Hill" column):
"HOH was trying hard to keep up with Ben Cohen's rapid-fire musings about how he's no big fan of presidential candidate Howard Dean, the former governor of his own home state, or potential future candidate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.). But then the conversation got more interesting when Cohen was asked who his fellow co-founder in the Vermont ice cream business, Jerry Greenfield, will endorse in the presidential race. "Hang on a second," Cohen said. He put down his cellphone and could be heard shouting across the room, "Hey Jerry, it's Roll Call! They want to know who you're supporting in the presidential race!"
After a moment, Cohen returned to the phone. "Kucinich," he said gleefully, revealing his longtime pal's choice... Cohen said Kucinich has the best handle on budget priorities by putting education and health care above Pentagon spending.
League Of Conservation Voters
Releases Presidential Report Card & Sponsors Presidential Candidate Forum
Also on Thursday, The League Of Conservation Voters (LCV) sponsored a Presidential Candidate
Environmental Forum in Los Angeles with Sens. Bob Graham, John Kerry, Joe Lieberman, former Gov. Howard Dean, Rev. Al Sharpton & former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun. This 2 days after LCV released their 2003 Presidential Report Card, a detailed assessment of the Bush Administration's performance on environmental issues. See the shrub gang's grades on Clean Air, Clean Water, Public Lands & more at:
http://www.care2.com/go/z/6562
Conspicuously missing from the LCV event was Dennis Kucinich who decided to remain near Capitol Hill, because of the possibility of key Congressional votes possible privatization of medicare which he is fighting against. Unfortunate he missed the League's candidate forum since he has the top LCV ranking of all presidential candidates in the last Congressional session.
You can sign up for the LCV Weekly Insider to receive action alerts on environmental politics at:
LCV Insider
MORE FROM LCV: http://www.care2.com/go/z/6566
** Campaigns - LCV's Programs to Elect A Pro- Environment Congress!
http://www.care2.com/go/z/6567
** LCV ScoreCard - How Do Your Representatives Score on the Environment? http://www.care2.com/go/z/6568
** Newsroom - Stay Current on LCV's Campaigns Across the Country
http://www.care2.com/go/z/6569
** Take Action - Let Your Representatives Know You're Watching!
http://www.care2.com/go/z/6570
** Join LCV - Become Part of America's Pro-Environment Majority!
http://www.care2.com/go/z/6571
7:00:30 AM 
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RHINO'S BOTTOM LINE
The Specter Of Vietnam
The war in Iraq is different in so many ways from the war waged by the United States in Vietnam that we wonder why, like the telltale heart beating behind the murderer's wall in Edgar Allan Poe's story, the drumbeat of Vietnam can still be heard.
The Vietnam war lasted eight years, the Iraq war three weeks. In Vietnam there were 58,000 U.S. combat casualties, in Iraq a few hundred. Our enemy in Vietnam was a popular national figure -- Ho Chin Minh. Our enemy in Iraq, Saddam Hussein, was hated by most of his people. One war was fought in jungles and mountains with a largely draftee army, the other in a sandy desert with volunteer soldiers. The United States was defeated in Vietnam. It was victorious in Iraq.
The elder President Bush in 1991, after the first war against Iraq, announced proudly: "The specter of Vietnam has been buried forever in the desert sands of the Arabian peninsula."
But is the "Vietnam syndrome" really gone from the national consciousness? Is there not a fundamental similarity -- that in both instances we see the most powerful country in the world sending its armies, ships and planes halfway around the world to invade and bomb a small country for reasons which become harder and harder to justify?
The justifications were created, in both situations, by lying to the American public. Congress gave Lyndon Johnson the power to make war in Vietnam after his administration announced that U.S. ships, on "routine patrol" had been attacked in the Gulf of Tonkin. Every element of this claim was later shown to be false...
READ IT ALL AT:
http://www.tompaine.com/feature2.cfm/ID/8206 | | |
