In addition, immediately after September 11, many political prisoners all across the country, ranging from religious anti-war activists like Father Philip Berrigan to former Black Panther Sundiata Acoli to active Muslim inmates, were thrown into "administrative segregation" (i.e., locked down and isolated from the general prison population). Many of them were cut off from contact even with their attorneys for weeks.
The absence of public outcry against these mass roundups and lockdowns has been appalling. It is as if the government need only pronounce the magic word "terrorist," and all objections melt away. Yet the whole point of Martin Niemoeller's famous quotation is that the only way to stop a police state is to spring to the defense of its very first victims, no matter how unpopular they may be.
We are prone to think of these mass round-ups as something without precedent and an aberration within a free society provoked by extraordinary circumstances. Unfortunately they are not, and the precedents are infamous.
Two that come to mind are the Palmer Raids of 1919-1920 (named after then Attorney General Palmer), when federal agents staged simultaneous raids across the country to arrest thousands of aliens considered by the government to be dangerous anarchists and communists. Hundreds were summarily deported. Even more chilling was the throwing of 110,000 U.S. citizens of Japanese ancestry into concentration camps during World War 2. Not a single Japanese-American was ever charged with any act of disloyalty.
Both the Palmer Raids and the mass internment of Japanese-Americans were done by executive order and without legislative authority. What is unprecedented in the current situation is that the government now proposes to enact that authority.
...
Times of great danger are also moments when millions of people come into political life, begin to question what they are told, and are called upon to consider real choices. Getting voices of dissent and exposure out there into society is not so easy to do right now. To even have such a national discourse requires that we now fight for the space and the freedom to inform, debate, and protest. But we fail to do this at our own peril.
Most heartening have been the actions of thousands of people across the country who have spoken out in protest against the war and against the ugly climate of xenophobia and repression. Tens of thousands have marched against the bombing, ordinary people have gone to the defense of their Muslim neighbors, and organizations of lawyers and civil libertarians have exposed and denounced the new police-state measures.
The need now is to bring together all those who oppose these new policies, regardless of their views on many other issues. It is crucial to work together in support of the right to dissent and in defense of those who exercise that right in the coming period. People have to be mobilized to speak out, to take up this fight, and to build the resistance to all forms of repression.

Why Do They Hate Us?

Americans are asking, "Why do they hate us?" They hate what they see right here in this chamber....
--President George W. Bush, addressing a joint session of Congress
Americans are asking, why do they hate the United States? This is a very important question that people need to be discussing everywhere. But President Bush's answer is downright ridiculous. His claim is that people hate the U.S. because of its democratic form of government.
Now think about that for a minute. Can anyone really imagine that what makes people willing to kill themselves by flying planes into buildings is that we get to vote for George Bush or Al Gore (before the Supreme Court makes the actual decision)? Can we really imagine that there are people in Third World countries, gritting their teeth and hurling curses at America because sometimes the Senate is run by Trent Lott and sometimes by Tom Daschle? Not likely.
The answer seems to be more rooted in the enormous imbalance of wealth in the world, and the determination of the U.S. government to keep it that way by supporting every vicious local tyrant in the world willing to do the U.S.'s bidding--and then stabbing some of them in the back. Whoever was responsible for the attacks of September 11, it is clear that the current crisis is the inevitable and terrible outcome of these twisted alliances and the deep injustices resulting from U.S. domination in the Middle East.
Rather than seeking "justice," the government's aim seems more directed at recasting power relationships in South Asia and the Middle East and to maintain and increase U.S. domination of these vital oil-producing areas.
Yet what is offered to everyone is a devil's bargain: "If you will just give up all your civil liberties and join with us in a campaign to eradicate the anti-American infidels, we will protect you from the fallout from our actions in the world." This then becomes an avenue and justification for standing with the world's greatest power against untold millions of oppressed and exploited people of the world.
Personally, as a revolutionary internationalist I think the people of the world need to hear a different message from us. They need to hear that we know what this government is doing and why it is so hated by millions of people around the world. All those who seriously want justice need to reach out to the people of the world, to stand together against the crimes of this system, and to strengthen our resistance against every act of war and repression.
But regardless of how anyone analyses these questions, what has been brought home so tragically in the events of September 11 is that America can no longer find safety in some kind of "gated community" at the world level. Clearly there are people so angry with what the U.S. has done to their countries that they will stop at nothing to strike back. And what is needed now is great national debate, free of censorship and demagoguery by the administration, on who has caused this and how we should respond.

AntiWar.com? LP.org? ClaireWolfeRants.gov?

You need help.

L

You need help.

No. Help is needed for the deluded members of Refuse And Resist, AntiWar, and the L.P.

What are you talking about?? I am a great supporter of Claire Wolfe. Just try to take my bong away, statist!

What are you talking about?? I am a great supporter of Claire Wolfe. Just try to take my bong away, statist!

Don't you mean your Wild Turkey?

God's Own Drunk

Richard "Lord" Buckley, 1906-1960

I'd like to do a little creative wig bubble for you called "God's Own Drunk."
I want the boys to,... of course,... with their Prince Bernard, and Sir James,
and the Lady Doris and Prince Valentine.
You know, a creative orchestra, my lords, my ladies, is a rare and delightful thing.
Right? Look! Do you see any music?
I gotta do a thing for you called, "The Cop Out," one time. It's a beautiful thing.
And a thing called "The Bad-Rapping of the Marquis de Sade."
A very interesting affair.
But for the moment I'd like to do for you "God's Own Drunk."
Said, eh, just like I say before. I, I'm a non-drinkin' man.
Never drank for some reason or other. Didn't like it.
But like I said, too, I promised to take care of my brother-in-law's still
while he went in to vote.
Went up there and it was just where the map said it was.
And I'm a gonna tell you something - it was no little old five or ten cent still.
It was laid there just like a golden mountain opel,
with a kind of a honey dew cry comin' from it.
I ain't a drinkin' man, like I 'splained to you,
but that big old yellow moon was a hangin' up there,
and God's lanterns was a hangin' in the sky,
and that curiosity got the best of me, and I took a slash.
And I got a crazy, revolutionary feelin' in my body.
That yellow whiskey went down my throat like honey dew vine water.
Humph, it tasted mighty good!
I felt a revolution goin' through my body
like there was great neon signs a goin' up an' sayin',

"There's a Great Life a Comin'!"
Feelin' it talkin' to me, and I took another slash,
and I got another jolt, and I took another slash,
and I started to sing.
I started to sing.
And that big old yellow moon a hangin' out there
and God's sweet lanterns a hangin' in the sky,
and I's a singin'.
Never could sing a note before in my life,
but I's a singin' as fine and as pretty as you'd ever want to hear.
And I took another slash.
And then I took a big full....
That big old yellow moon a hangin' out there.
God's lanterns a hangin' in the sky,
and suddenly I got a tremendous revolution of emotion in my body
like I was fallin' in love with everything in God's sweet world
that moved, lived, didn't live, animate, inanimate, black,
blue, green, pink, mountains, fountains.
I was in love with life, 'cause I was drunk!!
I wasn't fallin' down, slippin', slidin' drunk.
I was GOD'S OWN DRUNK!
A fearless man!
And that's when I first saw the bear.
Big old Kodiak-lookin' fella, about sixteen foot tall.
I walked right on up to that bear, 'cause I was God's Own Drunk
and I loved everything in this world.
Walked right up tight to him about four-and-a-half feet
and I looked right up in his eyes
and I want to tell you somethin' brothers and sisters -
my eyes was redder than his was! Hung him up.
And he's a sniffin', he's a sniffin'. He's tryin' to smell some fear.
He can't do it, 'cause I'm God's Own Drunk and I'm a fearless man.
He expects me to do two things, flip or fly.
I don't do either. Hangs him up.
I told him, I said, "Mr. Bear, I'm God's Own Drunk
and I love every hair on your twenty-seven acre body.
I'm a fearless man!"
Said, "I want you to go... I know you got bear friends over the hill there.
Harry Bear, and Tim Bear, and Jelly Bear, and Tony Bear, and Teddy Bear,
and Field Bear, Hazel Bear, John Bear, Pete Bear, and Rare Bear!
Go over and tell all of them that I'm God's Own Drunk tonight
and I love everything in God's green creation.
I love them like brothers but if they give me any trouble
I'm gonna run every God-damn one of 'em off the hill!"
I moved up. Don't you know he moved back two feet.
I reached up and took the bear by the hand.
I said, "Mr. Bear, we're both beasts when it comes right down to it."
He's a lookin' down at me.
I said, "I want you to come with me. You're gonna be my buddy. Buddy Bear."
Took him right by his big, old, shaggy man-island sized hand,
led him on over, sat him down by the still.
Well, he's a sniffin'. He's a sniffin'.
He knows there's honey dew around there,
some kind of honey bear honey dew of some kind.
He's a sniffin'
I know what he's a sniffin' at.
I took a slash or two myself to taste 'er out and I filled him a bottle.
Did you ever see them bears, the sillouette of them bears at the circus,
suckin' up that sasparilla? Ahhh, it's a fine lookin' sight!
And he downed another bottle. And he downed another bottle.
And I put two more in him and pretty soon he started to sniff and snort.
Tapped his foot.
And he got up and started to do The Bear Dance.
Two sniffs, three snorts, a half a turn and one grunt.
And I'm trying' to do it, but I couldn't do it
'cause it was just like a jitterbug dance,
it was so simple it evaded me.
But we was a dancin' and yellin'!
And God's sweet moon a hangin' in the sky,
and God's sweet lanterns out there
and there's jubilation and love on that hill.
And finally my love, it up and got so strong it overwhelmed my soul,
and I laid back in the sweet green hill
with that big, old Buddy Bear's paw right in mine
and I went to sleep.
And I slept for four hours and dreamt me some tremulous dreams.
And when I woke up that old, yellow, moon was a hangin' in the sky,
and God's sweet lanterns is out there
and my buddy the bear was a missin'.
And you know something else, brothers and sisters?

So was the still!

Do you understand the difference between allegience to America and to the mutation of the government?

Some of us are loyal to the ideal and the promise of America. Sometimes the government tries to stop what the Foudners started.

It seems, however, that like clinton, you cannot separate the controlling government from the ideals.

Yes'm. Until Miz Susan bumped this posting of the article back up, the ninnies who usually attack it missed doing so. I see that it attracted the attention of one of FR's super goobers this time. The boy took a fit and posted five replies to me over it. ahaha ;-)

Cute, Mr. Jihad. Apparently, you looked at my profile. Yes, I make alcohol, but so what? Only a moron would equate the making and/or drinking of alcohol with chemical abuse. Alcohol, when consumed in moderation, has been proven to be very beneficial to the heart and nervous system. It also makes a pretty good fuel in a pinch, an excellent antiseptic, and good solvent. It removes stains, cleans the gums, removes oil, lights my backpacking stove, kills bacteria in the stomach, and if made properly, tastes great. FYI, the person who wrote that poem was ignorant. Alcohol is white when it comes off the still. If it's yellow, you had better not drink it.

"I ain't a drinkin' man, like I 'splained to you, but that big old yellow moon was a hangin' up there, and God's lanterns was a hangin' in the sky, and that curiosity got the best of me, and I took a slash.

And I got a crazy, revolutionary feelin' in my body. That yellow whiskey went down my throat like honey dew vine water. Humph, it tasted mighty good!

Like I said, it ain't yeller when it comes off the still. It's gotta age in wood a spell 'fore it turns yeller, ya knot-head. That thar poem was scrawled by a city slicker or a self-righteous prohibitionist, like yerself, who ain't never had a day of fun in his cotton-pickin' life. Or wasn't able to handle fun responsibly or intelligently. Or was mentally or physically abused by such a rascal and now has to project his own fears and insecurities onto others. Is that you, Mr. Jihad? Is it?

The Ghost of Mark Twain.

LOL! Good catch. You'll have to bring it up with Lord Buckley who spoke the words.