In pressing for a full-scale war with Iraq, the Bush Administration is trying its hardest to keep discussion of the issues at a ludicrously superficial level. Most of the major networks and print journalism outlets are happy to reproduce the cartoonish language of the President, Donald Rumsfeld, and the rest.
Tell everyone you know that they need to know more.
Below are a few useful websites for doing so, followed by a list of events geared toward both resisting the move toward war and providing more detailed information about the Mideast, Islam, U. S. foreign policy, terrorism, etc.
Paul Krugman, NY Times Op-Ed, 10/18 on "The new tone in Washington"
"The strategy used to sell the Bush tax cut was simply to deny the facts and to lash out at anybody who tried to point them out. And it's a strategy that, having worked there, is now being applied across the board.
Michael Kinsley recently wrote that 'The Bush campaign for war against Iraq has been insulting to American citizens, not just because it has been dishonest, but because it has been unserious. A lie is insulting; an obvious lie is doubly insulting.' All I can say is, now he notices? It's been like that all along on economic policy.
Yes, some folks are under the impression that as long as something is repeated often enough, it will become true. That was how George W. Bush got to the top."
GOOD LINKS:
NEW 10/9: The British newspaper *The Guardian* reports that even the CIA finds Bush's rhetoric irresponsible and unsubstantiated--click here. Also, another fine article from the Guardian about activism in the context of the war's apparent inevitability. That link is here.
The magazine The Nation's website has lots of content on the move toward war. Click here: Nation. Of particular interest is this nine-point refutation of the Administration's justifications for the attack: The Case Against War.
www.mediawhoresonline.com is not a great name for a site, but the analysis of media coverage of the Bush administration is cogent and detailed, and is updated substantially on a daily basis.
www.fair.org is the website of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, a long-standing group tracking political and corporate influences on the way the major media report the news.
A more irreverent, but also very smart site examining the developments on a daily basis is www.buzzflash.com
Mediachannel is a non-profit watchdog group I recently discovered; their daily analysis of coverage of the war is here
Common Dreams calls itself a "national non-profit organization bringing progressive citizens together." They are specifically interested in using the Internet as an organizing tool.
Here is the website of the Education for Peace in Iraq Center
A very useful site for activists is www.internationalanswer.org, which is coordinating an Oct. 26th March on Washington, DC.
Another site stressing practical activities (petitions, letters to politicians, etc.) but also featuring information is moveon.org
Events
Nov. 9th: Teach-in at Haverford College. For further info: www.haverford.edu
Textual Content:
"Crossfire" Highlights:
10/2 opening comments:
BEGALA: Today, the man who got more votes than George W. Bush, Al Gore,
cataloged the economic devastation of the Bush years. He compared the
Bushies to a lost driver who won't stop to ask for directions, but insists on
racing farther and farther into the wilderness. Of course the economic
recovery plan President Bush promised us after the Waco Summit has never
materialized.
The president would like you to know that Saddam Hussein is an evil, evil
man. And he's going to continue to be an evil, evil man even as your 401(k)
is
reduced to a 201(k).
10/3 opening comments:
BEGALA: On the economic front, the "New York Times" reports today
that
consumer confidence is declining. Today's "Wall Street Journal" reports
that a
survey of CEOs suggest weak economic performance in 2004 and that home
prices are rising so much faster than incomes that Americans are being priced
out of the American dream of home ownership.
President Bush, of course, promised an economic recovery package for us at
his Waco economic summit this summer. He hasn't delivered one, but he
would like you to know again today that Saddam Hussein is an evil, evil man.
10/4 opening comments:
BEGALA: John H. Biggs is a strong supporter of reform, whose appointment
has been urged by experts, including Paul Volcker and Arthur Levitt. The "New
York Times" reports today that Mr. Pitt has pulled his support from Mr.
Biggs
after the accounting agency, for which Pitt worked for many years, complained
that Biggs is too tough.
President Bush today had no comment on the issue. But he would like you to
know Saddam Hussein is an evil, evil man.
-from mediawhores.com