I know our government appears corrupt. If it's any comfort, it appears to be worse in Italy (SF Gate World Views). Read through to the bottom about commentary on the terrible fate that has befallen the American press: "The lesson from America is that, if news and public affairs are left purely to the market, it will most likely give the government what it wants."
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It was the 100th anniversary of author George Orwell's birth this week. Democracy Now decided to host a theme show in Orwell's honor. It's called The Two Georges, Orwell and Bush: A Dramatic Reading of George Orwell’s Classic Work 1984 Interspersed With Recent News Clips From President Bush and Others.
Before you think both 'oh no, it's too true' and 'how contrived,' I suppose the big difference to me is that the press here is already reporting lies, so the idea of going back to revise them ('he who controls the past controls the future') is rather pointless. Just the same, Rumsfeld is immediately caught denying things Bush had said publicly. Ooops.
The Text of 1984 is available here (Mondo politico).
Tuesday, June 24, 2003
Things which do not merit mention in the American mainstream news press:
-people living sustainably and peacefully
-success gained without violence
-the existence of peaceful opposition to powerful institutions
-individuals who succeeded after being assisted by social welfare programs
-higher quality of life in other countries (in any and all areas: longer life expectancies especially, but also any superior social services, better air quality, lower crime rates, etc.)
-the social benefits provided by organized labor
-the activities of well-adjusted, ordinary people
-values which are more complex than fundamentalism, good vs. evil, or pure economics
-sufficient historical perspective to understand cause and effect relationships in international activities.
I think the glaring absence of these things in the media, where "reality" is defined for so many people, has given us a very unhealthy view of the world.
-people living sustainably and peacefully
-success gained without violence
-the existence of peaceful opposition to powerful institutions
-individuals who succeeded after being assisted by social welfare programs
-higher quality of life in other countries (in any and all areas: longer life expectancies especially, but also any superior social services, better air quality, lower crime rates, etc.)
-the social benefits provided by organized labor
-the activities of well-adjusted, ordinary people
-values which are more complex than fundamentalism, good vs. evil, or pure economics
-sufficient historical perspective to understand cause and effect relationships in international activities.
I think the glaring absence of these things in the media, where "reality" is defined for so many people, has given us a very unhealthy view of the world.
For those of you who remember the last list of U.S. promises to liberate people with bombs, promises which are largely unfulfilled, here are some links to keep abreast of the situation, and opportunities to donate some cash:
-The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Afghanistan, providing news on their projects as they switch from direct food aid to sustainable projects, such as providing seeds and fertilizer to jump start a revival of agriculture. They also check in on the folks at Guantanamo Bay, and bring complaints to the U.S. authorities to make their treatment in conformance with international law.
-The Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA). Pull down the menu at the top under 'projects' to see their good works ranging from building and running hospitals and orphanages to reviving long abandoned irrigation projects, providing disaster relief, and generally being great. RAWA provided many of the videos, shot stealthily from beneath burqas, which provided evidence of the Taliban's atrocities to the foreign press.
-BBC's Country Profile: Afghanistan, a very short history with some good trivia.
-Adopt-A-Minefield, a group working to clear minefields from Afghanistan, where about 300 people are maimed or killed each month. Inexplicably, this site doesn't work properly under my browser. The author of the profane and brilliant Get Your War On supports the work of Mine Detection & Dog Center Team #5 through this organization.
-International Campaign to Ban Landmines. I believe this is a longer, older campaign than A-A-M, comprised of more than 1100 smaller groups that share the goal of eliminating landmines and aiding the victims of such mines. Their site is substantive: for example, you can read the list of countries that has not agreed to ban the manufacture, stockpiling, and use of landmines, which just happens to include the U.S.A.
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Speaking of the profane and brilliant strip, Get Your War On page 25 is up. And the author is right: truly enough, I had to look up Karimov's short profile at Human Rights Watch to get one of the jokes. (From my reading elsewhere, I know that Uzbekistan's increasingly repressive government is currently a close friend of the U.S. It has something to do with oil pipelines. Violent repression of peaceful people and all opposition are giving rise to fundamentalist extremists who are organized enough to resist him. Sound familiar?)
-The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Afghanistan, providing news on their projects as they switch from direct food aid to sustainable projects, such as providing seeds and fertilizer to jump start a revival of agriculture. They also check in on the folks at Guantanamo Bay, and bring complaints to the U.S. authorities to make their treatment in conformance with international law.
-The Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA). Pull down the menu at the top under 'projects' to see their good works ranging from building and running hospitals and orphanages to reviving long abandoned irrigation projects, providing disaster relief, and generally being great. RAWA provided many of the videos, shot stealthily from beneath burqas, which provided evidence of the Taliban's atrocities to the foreign press.
-BBC's Country Profile: Afghanistan, a very short history with some good trivia.
-Adopt-A-Minefield, a group working to clear minefields from Afghanistan, where about 300 people are maimed or killed each month. Inexplicably, this site doesn't work properly under my browser. The author of the profane and brilliant Get Your War On supports the work of Mine Detection & Dog Center Team #5 through this organization.
-International Campaign to Ban Landmines. I believe this is a longer, older campaign than A-A-M, comprised of more than 1100 smaller groups that share the goal of eliminating landmines and aiding the victims of such mines. Their site is substantive: for example, you can read the list of countries that has not agreed to ban the manufacture, stockpiling, and use of landmines, which just happens to include the U.S.A.
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Speaking of the profane and brilliant strip, Get Your War On page 25 is up. And the author is right: truly enough, I had to look up Karimov's short profile at Human Rights Watch to get one of the jokes. (From my reading elsewhere, I know that Uzbekistan's increasingly repressive government is currently a close friend of the U.S. It has something to do with oil pipelines. Violent repression of peaceful people and all opposition are giving rise to fundamentalist extremists who are organized enough to resist him. Sound familiar?)