February 26, 2003
Proactive Steps Towards A Better World
February 25, 2003
USA Patriot Act in Action in Sante Fe
Paranoia Blamed for St. John's Incident
A former Santa Fe public defender who said he was handcuffed Thursday at the St. John's College library and interrogated by Secret Service agents for several hours said Saturday that he plans to sue the government for violating his rights.
According to Andrew J. O'Connor, 40, a former Santa Fe public defender, two city police officers removed him from the school's library about 9 p.m. Thursday while he was using a computer.
"They Mirandized me, handcuffed me and took me to the police station where two Secret Service agents from Albuquerque interrogated me for hours," O'Connor said. "This whole level-orange (terror alert) thing has them all paranoid, I guess."
Senators Table Patriot Act Measure
The man who last week was handcuffed by local police at St. John's College, detained for several hours and questioned by federal agents about his politics took his story to the state Legislature on Thursday.
Santa Fe Police Detain Library Patron over Chat-Room Visit
A St. John's College Library visit by a former public defender was abruptly interrupted February 13 when city police officers arrested him about 9 p.m. at the computer terminal he was using, handcuffed him, and brought him to the Santa Fe, New Mexico, police station for questioning by Secret Service agents from Albuquerque. Andrew J. O'Conner, 40, who was released about five hours later, said in the February 16 Santa Fe New Mexican, “I’m going to sue the Secret Service, Santa Fe Police, St. John’s, and everybody involved in this whole thing.”
According to O'Connor, the agents accused him of making threatening remarks about President George W. Bush in an Internet chat room. Admitting he talked politics face-to-face in the library with a woman who was wearing a "No war with Iraq" button, O'Connor recalled saying that Bush is "out of control," but that "I'm allowed to say all that. There is this thing called freedom of speech." He also speculated that the FBI might have been observing him because of his one-time involvement in a pro-Palestinian group in Boulder, Colorado.
Earlier on the same day O'Connor was questioned, officials at St. John's—as well as at the College of Santa Fe and Santa Fe Community College—issued warnings to students and faculty that the FBI had been alerted to the presence of "suspicious" people on campus within the past four weeks.
Concern about threats to individual privacy under the USA Patriot Act has prompted New Mexico legislators in both houses to propose resolutions urging state police not to help federal agents infringe on civil rights. The resolutions also encourage libraries to post prominent signage warning patrons that their library records are subject to federal scrutiny without their permission or knowledge.
February 24, 2003
INS Out of Control
Here's an interesting story about Irish civil rights activist Bernadette Devlin McAliskey's run in with the INS this weekend.
She was also interviewed this morning on Democracy Now!.
To summarize, she was cleared in Dublin by Customs to enter the US for a vacation, but in Chicago she was taken into custody by INS officials and deported back to Ireland. She is a former Member of Parliament and an outspoken civil rights activist.
The INS needs a Congressional investigation and a few lessons in Constitutional behavior. Rogue elements in the INS are abusing their power and they must be brought to justice. Congress has the oversight authority and can do this given the political will (that is, the will of the people).
February 23, 2003
Of course the people don't want war.
"Of course the people don't want war. But after all, it's the leaders of
the country who determine the policy, and it's always a simple matter to
drag the people along whether it's a democracy, a fascist dictatorship,
or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. ... Voice or no voice, the
people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is
easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and
denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, and exposing the country
to greater danger."
-- Herman Goering
Read more at http://www.snopes.com/quotes/goering.htm
February 22, 2003
A Selected Howard Zinn Bibliography
I have written a brief select bibliography of Dr. Zinn's works here.
February 21, 2003
Howard Zinn Sells 1 Million
Yesterday historian and author Howard Zinn celebrated the sale of 1 million copies of "A People's History of the United States: 1492 to Present". This pivotal and readable history book begins with Columbus' arrival in the "West Indies". Using the "History of the Indies", a first hand account of the conquest of Cuba as a source, Zinn exposes the truth about the destruction of the Arawak civilization. The book continues by chronicling the struggles through the country's history, looking at significant events through the eyes of the worker, the slave, the civil rights activist, the prisoner, the dissident. The history he writes is our history, the history of the struggle against oppression, the history of social change in America.
Remarkably readable, it's no surprise that it's a popular best seller. It's written narratively in a friendly and engaging style, so unlike history books from school. This book is far more than the timeline of events and profiles of the rich and famous that constitute the typical text book. It's about people and movements and very personal. It's also well researched and draws heavily from first hand accounts.
Perhaps the most significant impact the book has had on me is how much hope for the future I have found from the past. Today, we seem to be up against insurmountable forces of corruption, intolerance, belligerence and greed. It is vitally important to remember that once you could be imprisoned for speaking about birth control or speaking against the policies of our government. Once, women could not vote, and minorities were treated as second class citizens, that people died fighting for the 8 hour work day and it was finally won after 100,000 workers in NY went on strike for 4 months. Yes, we are fighting a great centralized power with a self-serving agenda, a huge military and police force and all the money. And yes, history shows that we possess the authority and power to enact change in our government, our country, our community and our lives through electoral activism and direct action.
I encourage you to read"A People's History of the United States: 1492 to Present" and find the hope and encouragement that I have.
I have created a short bibliography at http://www.johnfricker.com/zinn.shtml.
February 18, 2003
Wyden and Smith: An Odd Couple
Yesterday's Town Hall meeting with Senators Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith had quite the flavor of a campaign event. The capacity crowd in the Medford City Council chambers (probably over 200 people), was predominantly middle aged and older.
Smith and Wyden are proud of their bi-partisan cooperation, their friendship (Smith said that Wyden "slept in my daughter's bed last night"), and their cooperating in the interest of Oregon. Track records were flaunted and priorities expressed. They have developed a political strategy designed to ensure long tenures in the Senate for both. By focusing on issues they agree upon they hope to appear moderate and pander to a bipartisan group of so-called moderates. Wyden repeatedly spoke on Universal Health Care to the delight of the retired audience. They emphasized natural resource issues and salvage logging, expressing a desire to avoid clear cuts and road building but a desire to log fire areas and a strong desire to thin near residential zones. Transportation funding was emphasized as a solution to unemployment and education was offered as a priority as well.
Over all the meeting was cordial, chatty, and personal. Wyden is a very effective speaker and very comfortable. Smith is a bit pompous and more authoritarian.
The questions ranged from self-serving congratulations from Commissioners Walker and Kupallis, to asking everyone opposing the war to stand (about 2/3rds of the crowd), to PERS, and quite a bit about national security.
Senator Smith did take it upon himself to mention John Poindexter and the Total Information Awareness program. Wyden introduced an amendment to the Omnibus Spending Bill that would require Congressional approval before the system is brought on line. After the end of the official meeting, I spoke with Senator Smith about TIA. Smith believes that the bill made the project irrelevant, "if they can't use it, then what's the point". The point is that Poindexter is a convicted felon and can not be trusted. He destroyed evidence and lied to Congress. His contempt for the Constitution is clear and he has no place in Federal service. Smith laughed it off.
Wyden spoke about his sponsorship of tax relief for early hydrogen fuel adopters. While this idea is curious it can only shorten the lengthy deployment time for the hydrogen infrastructure. After speaking with Smith I stood in line for a moment with Wyden. My intent was to ask him support legislation to provide significant incentives for the development of a biodiesel infrastructure. Since biodiesel is a replacement for petroleum diesel, no conversion process at the pump or vehicle is required. With significant federal incentives, biodiesel could replace a portion of our petroleum imports. When it came to be my turn to speak with Wyden he ignored me and turned. He had sized me up earlier while I was in line, and I suppose the cut of my shirt wasn't expensive enough for him. Or perhaps the length of my pony tail offended him. I'll have to work on my "Money Look" a bit before my next opportunity to speak with Senator Wyden.
My overall impression of the Senators boils down to one idea : "Bipartisanship Equals Status Quo".
February 12, 2003
Mainstream Attention for Alternative Fuels
U.S. News: As war looms, the search for new energy alternatives is all the more urgent(2/17/03)
Excellent overview of energy issues.
Greg Palast Interview
Today, BuzzFlash.com interviews investigative journalist Greg Palast.
BuzzFlash asks Greg Palast: "What the Heck is Going on With Tony Blair?" - A BuzzFlash Interview
Greg Palast writes for the BBC and the Guardian newspaper in Britain. His past work broke the election fraud in Florida 2000 and in this interview he talks about Tony Blair and his subservience to American hegemony.
February 07, 2003
Views from the other side
As American sabers rattle loudly in Washington, it's is interesting to read how we are viewed by our so called "enemies". The official North Korea news service is available at http://www.kcna.co.jp/index-e.htm.
The fundamentalist Islamic view can be found here http://www.khilafah.com/home/index.php.
I present these resources for reference purposes. They are not balanced journalism sources at all, but they do provide insight into what's going on in these other countries around the world. A voice we hear so little on our modern mass "balanced" media sources.