Rhino's Blog : Political activism, commentary & satire from a 5th generation San Franciscan,
                                    filmmaker, father, paramedic, and Indigenous rights activist
Updated: 12/5/05; 12:36:56 PM.

 

















Home

Subscribe to "Rhino's Blog" in Radio UserLand.

Click here to send an email to the editor of this weblog.

Blogroll Me!

Political Site Of The Day Award

Blue Ribbon Campaign icon

Buy For Charity

 
 
 
 

Wednesday, August 27, 2003

QUOTE OF THE DAY
"The military don't start wars. Politicians start wars."
- - William Westmoreland


KNOW YOUR HISTORY - AUGUST 27th
1975
-- Haile Selassie, deposed king of Ethiopia, revered by Rastafarians the world over as the representative of Jah on Earth, dies at age 83.
1983 -- 300,000 march in Washington on the 20th anniversary of the "March on Washington for Jobs, Peace, & Freedom, " originally headed by Martin Luther King, Jr. This 2nd march had NY Times estimates of 200,000, Almanac says 250,000.
1990 -- Blues-rock guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan dies in a helicopter crash, Alpine Valley, Wisconsin.


RHINO HERE:
"This Is The Moment"
is a powerful video about Dennis Kucinich, his history, issues & campaign. It's hosted by actor Hector Elizondo & features Ed Asner, James Cromwell & Mimi Kennedy.
SEE THE VIDEO AT:
http://kucinich.us/thisisthemoment.htm

A Call To Action - On Saturday October 25th there will be an International March on Washington DC to say: Bring the troops home now! End the occupation of Iraq! Money for jobs, education & health care - Not war! FOR MORE INFO GO TO:
http://www.internationalanswer.org/campaigns/o25/index.html#call

Veterans For Peace (VFP) held their annual convention in San Francisco earlier this month. The keynote speaker was teacher, author, & editor of TruthOut, William Rivers-Pitt. His inspiring address is today's RHINO'S BOTTOM LINE. VFP was founded in 1985, in their words,
"by ex-service members committed to sharing the horrors they experienced. We know the consequences of American foreign policy because once, at a time in our lives, so many of us carried it out. We find it sad that war seems so delightful, so often, to those that have no knowledge of it. We will proudly, and patriotically, continue to denounce war despite whatever misguided sense of euphoria supports it."
MORE ON VETERANS FOR PEACE:
http://www.veteransforpeace.org

Rivers-Pitt also wrote an article for TruthOut commenting on his experience attending the convention.
Standing Against The Fear
By William Rivers Pitt, t r u t h o u t | Perspective, Monday 18 August 2003
...I was privileged to share several days with the men and women of this organization during their annual convention in San Francisco. It would take an entire book, an entire volume of books, to describe my experiences there. It would take an entire book to describe shaking the hand of Brian Willson. Willson is a Vietnam veteran who stands today on two prosthetic limbs attached to his knees. He did not lose his legs in the war. He lost his legs in 1987 while protesting in Concord, California. He and his comrades were attempting to stop a Naval train loaded with weapons that was headed for Central America. Willson laid himself across the tracks, determined not to move. He and the protesters had done this several times before, and each time the train had stopped. Not this time. The train took Willson's legs and smashed a hole in his skull. He somehow survived this, and stands today with the Veterans of Peace, unbowed and undaunted and unafraid. He is not the exception among the men and women of this group. He is the rule...
READ RIVERS-PITT'S DECRIPTION OF THE CONVENTION AT:
http://truthout.org/docs_03/081803A.shtml


A related, & as yet under-reported story tells of a lawsuit the shrubbies would rather not happen:
Lawsuit for Gulf War Veterans Targets WMD Businesses
heatherwokusch.com , August 21, 2003
A lawsuit on behalf of over 100,000 Gulf War veterans has the Bush administration on edge and businesses running for cover. The class action suit names 11 companies and 33 banks alleged to have helped Iraq with its chemical weapons program in the 1980's, despite knowledge Saddam Hussein was actively using WMD against both Iranians and his own people.
At the time, Reagan's Middle East envoy was one Donald Rumsfeld, hard at work opening doors for Hussein's regime to purchase millions in aircraft, hardware and other potential weaponry. But after the invasion of Kuwait bumped Hussein from Pentagon friend to the "Most Wanted" list, coalition forces got stuck with the nasty task of dealing with the same chemical weapons that businesses had profited by helping Iraq amass. Unfortunately, most Gulf War troops didn't realize that in destroying Hussein's WMD, they would also be endangering their own lives...
http://www.heatherwokusch.com/columns/column50.html

8:01:33 AM    comment

We Stand Our Ground
Keynote Speech by William Rivers Pitt, at The Veterans For Peace Convention, 8/10/03

...The first of August saw a very interesting article published in the Washington Post. The title was, "US Shifts Rhetoric On its Goals in Iraq." The story quotes an unnamed administration source - I will bet you all the money in my wallet that this "source" was a man named Richard Perle - who outlined the newest reasons for our war over there. "That goal is to see the spread of our values," said this aide, "and to understand that our values and our security are inextricably linked."

Our values. That's an interesting concept coming from a member of this administration. We make much of the greatness and high moral standing of the United States of America, and there is much to be proud of. The advertising, however, has lately failed completely to match up with the product.

Is it part of our value system to remain on a permanent war footing since World War II, shunting money desperately needed for human services and education into a military machine whose very size and expense demands the fighting of wars to justify its existence?

Is it part of our value system to lie to the American people, to lie deeply and broadly and with no shame at all, about why we fight in Iraq? Is it part of our value system to sacrifice nearly three hundred American soldiers on the altar of those lies, to sacrifice thousands and thousands and thousands of innocent civilians in Iraq on the altar of those lies?

Is it part of our value system to use the horror of September 11 to terrify the American people into an unnecessary war, into the ruination of their civil rights, into the annihilation of the Constitution?  Is it part of our value system to use that terrible day against those American people who felt most personally the awful blow of that attack?

Is striking first part of our value system?  Is living in fear part of our value system? It is not part of my value system. It never will be...
THE ENTIRE SPEECH IS POSTED AT:
http://truthout.org/docs_03/081003A.shtml



"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.

7:00:30 AM    comment

© Copyright 2005 Gary Rhine.



Click here to visit the Radio UserLand website.
 


  Help
  Powered by Picosearch

Blogwise


August 2003
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
          1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31            
Jul   Sep



NEWS SOURCES:
AlterNet
Black Commentator
Citizens for Legitimate Government
Common Dreams
CounterPunch
Democrats.com
Independent Media Center
Indian Country
indianz.com
MediaChannel
Misleader
MotherJones.com
Natalie Davis
All Facts & Opinions
NOW, With Bill Moyers
All Facts & Opinions
Online Journal
Online Journal Links
Smirking Chimp
Take Back The Media
The Nation
WorldLink TV
ALTERNATIVE TECHNOLOGIES:
Green Vehicle Guide
Space Power Generator
BLOGS:
*DancingStar* Tao of a *OneWomanWreckingCrew*.....
A-Changin' Times (ACT)
Green Dog Democrat
mousemusings
Seeing the Forest
Under Eternity Blue
BLOGGING:
Are You Blogging Yet?
BlogRolling.com webservice
Blogstickers
Daypop
Creating an IP Weblog
Weblogs By Profession
Weblogs Compendium
DEATH PENALTY:
Stop Capital Punishment Now!
The Moratorium Campaign
ENVIRONMENT:
Audubon Society
BioGems
Bioneers
BushGreenWatch
EnviroLink
Friends of the Earth
Forest Conservation Portal
Gaia Forest Archives
Greenpeace
LightHawk
Los Alamos Study Group
Natural Resources Defense Council
Rainforest Action Network
Real Goods
Sierra Club
Solar Living Institute
Student Environmental Action Coalition
Whalesong
HEALTH CARE:
Air Care Alliance
Foundation for Taxpayer & Consumer Rights (FTCR)
Mundo Lifework
NI-COR - Health Wellness & Sobriety Resources
Scripps Drug Rehabilitation
MIDDLE EAST:
Electronic Infitada
Free Vanunu
Haaretz
International Solidarity Movement
Israeli Government's Official Website, by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
ME Report
Rabbis for Human Rights
The Geneva Accord Draft Permanent Status Agreement
The Jewish Week
Uri Avnery's News Pages
NATIVE AMERICA:
Aboriginal Links
Aboriginal Super Information Highway
Aboriginal Youth Network
Abya Yala Net
American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES)
Americans For Indian Opportunity
Books For Indian Teachers and Young People
Center For World Indigenous Studies
DreamCatchers Incorporated
First Peoples TV
Indian Country Today
Indian Health Service
Indian Net
Kifaru Productions
Library of Congress Native Gopher
Native America Calling
Native American Journalist Association
Native American Rights Fund
Native American Traders
NativeWeb
National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA)
Sacred Land Film Project
Turtle Island Native Network
WindSpeaker Canada's National Aboriginal News Publication
NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT:
Arms Control Association
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
Global Security Institute
Zero-Nukes
PEACE ANTI-WAR:
America Coming Together
BrianWillson.com
Center on Conscience & War
Citizens Awareness Network
Conceptual Guerilla's Strategy and Tactics
GI Rights Hotline
Mothers' Alert
NETWORK
Nonviolence.Org
Pax Christi USA
PeaceRoots
People For The American Way
Praxis Peace Institute
Proposition One Committee
School of the Americas Watch
The Farm's Peace Index
"Shock and Awe" - Vladimir Slipchenko interview
Stop The Bombs
Tikkun
Weasel Tracks
POLITICAL HUMOR:
Capitol Steps
Comedyzine
Madeleine Begun Kane
Political Humor Directory
PolitInfo - Political Humor Books
RHINOS:
African Wildlife Federation
International Rhino Foundation
National Geographic Creature Feature - Black Rhinos
Rhino Protection Programme
Save the Rhino International
SOS Rhino
South African Development Community Regional Programme for Rhino Conservation
Wildlife Conservation Network
SOCIAL JUSTICE:
AIKIDS
Amnesty International
Amnesty International USA
Arianna Online
Bowling For Columbine
Citizens For Legitimate Government (CLG)
Citizens For Tax Justice
Civil Society Institute
Co-op America
Congressman Kuchinich's Action Center
Democracy Now!
Democrats.com
Education for Peace in Iraq
Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR)
Father Resource Network
Freedom Forum
FTCR Consumer Watchdog
Global Exchange
Hippie Lawyer (Alan Graf)
Institute for Global Communications
Iraq Peace Team
Labor Against The War
Living Wage Resource Center
MoveOn.org
MoveOn.org PAC
Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement (NALE)
Not In Our Name
Notes From Peter
People For The American Way
Plenty USA
Public Campaign
Public Citizen
RAWA
Rock The Vote
School Of The Americas Watch
Take Back The Media
The Jung Page
The Farm, Summertown, TN
Tikkun.org
truthout
Unequal Protection by Thom Hartmann
United for Peace
Universal Living Wage
VoiceForChange.org
Voices in the Wilderness
SPIRITUALITY:
Alternative Health and Spiritual Directory
Allspirit
Cesar E. Chavez Foundation
comparitive-religion.com
Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions
Council on Spiritual Practices
Crooked Cucumber
dharma door
Dharma Walk
Hinduism Today Magazine
Institute for Cooperation in Space
Internet Sacred Text Archive
Mahatma Gandhi eArchive
Mahatma Gandhi eArchive
Murshid Samuel L. Lewis
Prophecy Keepers
Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach Foundation
SPIRIT AND STARDUST; Speech by Dennis J. Kucinich
Sufi Order Internationalh
The Reluctant Messenger
The Tramsmisson of Mind
The Way Things Are
THE DRAFT:
Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors (CCCO)
WAR & ANTI-WAR BLOGS:
Back To Iraq 2.0
Kevin Sites blog
Stand Down (a.k.a. the No War Blog)
The Agonist
Where Is Raed? - Salam Pax blogging from Baghdad
WOMENS ANTI-WAR GROUPS:
CODE PINK for Peace
Global Exchange
More Than Warmth
National Organization For Women
Peace Action
Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan
United for Peace & Justice
Unreasonable Women
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom

Enter your email address below to receive email notifications of updates to Rhino's Blog!


powered by Bloglet