Media Mouse has released a new map showing public video surveillance cameras in Grand Rapids. The map is part of a new report titled You Are Being Watched: Surveillance Cameras in Downtown Grand Rapids. The short report includes the methodology used, a table detailing the various types of cameras used in Grand Rapids, and resources for those interested in reading more on the subject of public video surveillance.
The project was inspired by The Surveillance Camera Players.
As Media Mouse reported yesterday, the FBI has “visited” a number of anarchists in the central United States. In two newspaper articles today, one in Denver and one in Lawrence, the government admitted that the visits are part of an investigation by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force. The Joint Terrorism Task Force has a lengthy history of investigating activists and is believed by many activists to be a modern-day counterpart to the FBI’s notorious COINTELPRO work disrupting various social movements in the 1960s and 1970s.
Meanwhile in Boston, repression continues to grow in advance of the Democratic National Convention (DNC). The “free speech zones” designed to “contain” protests are nearly completed, and as shown in a series of pictures posted on the Boston IMC, they resemble an internment camp. In addition, a group of activists was detained for 4-and-a-half hours today, while their bus was searched for “explosives.”
Media Mouse has posted this week’s Iraq Watch news update. This week’s update looks at the following topics:
Read More: Iraq Watch.
According to recent article in Al-Jazeera, unemployment in Iraq has reached 70 %. According to the article, the main source of new jobs in Iraq is the U.S. occupation authorities and the companies connected to them. Many Iraqis refuse to work with these companies believing it to be unpatriotic to work for the people occupying their country. Also, there is fear among Iraqis that working for the Americans will make them targets of the insurgency. Of course, the insurgency itself is made up of large numbers of unemployed young men. Many of these young men joined militias because of the lack of employment opportunities in Iraq.
Iraq’s economic problems are a predictable consequence of the U.S. occupational strategy that puts the reconstruction funds in the hands of large American corporations rather than to local Iraqi businesses. This policy has lead to enormous waste and corruption in the disbursement of reconstruction funds and has severely retarded the Iraqi economy’s recovery from over a decade of sanctions and war. A recent GAO (Government Accountability Office) report has concluded that the Department of Defense had inadequate oversight of contracts awarded to US corporations such as Halliburton. This lack of oversight led, according to the report, to waste and fraud on the part of the US corporations awarded Iraq contracts. For a good analysis of the unemployment crisis in Iraq, check out the EPIC report Iraq Jobs Crisis: Workers Seek Their Own Voice.
A new report from the New England Journal of Medicine states that 19.5 per cent of troops who served in Iraq had moderate or severe mental health problems. If milder symptoms such as anxiety are included, the number rises to 27.9 per cent. If these figures are correct, they would be significantly higher than the reported cases of post traumatic stress disorder for Vietnam and Gulf War 1 veterans. While the reasons for this increase are still being debated, quotes from U.S. soldiers being reported in the media would indicate a disturbing trend of de-sensitization to human suffering among the troops. An article from the LA Times this week includes a sampling of chilling quotes:
“I’m confused about how I should feel about killing,” “The first time I shot someone, it was the most exhilarating thing I’d ever felt.” “We talk about killing all the time,” “I never used to talk this way. I’m not proud of it, but it’s like I can’t stop. I’m worried what I will be like when I get home.” – Spc. Joshua Dubois
“I want to know if I killed that guy yesterday,” “I saw blood spurt from his leg, but I want to be sure I killed him.” “Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill,” “It’s like it pounds at my brain. I’ll figure out how to deal with it when I get home.” – Sgt. Joseph Hall
“I enjoy killing Iraqis, I just feel rage, hate when I’m out there. I feel like I carry it all the time. We talk about it. We all feel the same way.” – Staff Sgt. William Deaton
“The other day an Iraqi guy was hit real bad, he was gonna die within an hour, but he was still alive and he started saying, ‘Baby, baby,’ telling me he has a kid,” “I mentioned it to my guys after the mission. It doesn’t bother me. It can’t bother me. If it was the other way around, I’m sure it wouldn’t bother him.” – Sgt. Cleveland T. Rogers
While it is hard to say how common the above attitudes are among U.S. troops in Iraq, the above quotes do not bode well for the mental health of the soldiers or the physical health of the Iraqis that these men?s guns are pointed at. This is particularly troubling considering the U.S. military’s reluctance to acknowledge the seriousness of mental health injuries among combat troops.
The corporate media in the United States has failed to pick up a story that Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi personally executed six suspected insurgents in a Baghdad police station. The story, first reported in the Sydney Morning Herald, was based on a reporter’s interviews with eye witnesses who saw Allawi shoot each of the men in a Baghdad jail as a way to “send a clear message to the police” on how to deal with insurgents. In a recent interview, the reporter who broke the story discussed how he obtained the information and why the story has not been picked up in the United States. British Prime Minister Tony Blair has defended Allawi, stating that “Anyone who actually talks to him will realise that he is a deeply humane person who had to flee his country along with millions of others because of Saddam,” claiming that the allegations have no basis.
Robert Fisk, a British journalist has done some of the best reporting on the invasion of Iraq and the ongoing occupation, has recently reported that the Iraqi government, and increasingly, the US forces occupying the country, have little control over what is going on in Iraq outside of Baghdad. A serious consequence of this lack of control has been what Fisk has labeled “a crisis of information,” with western journalists scared to leave their Baghdad hotels and travel to cities such as Fallujah, Ramadi, and Samara, all of which are outside government control. Fisk is one of the only western journalists to travel outside of Baghdad, with a recent report detailing his travels and the lack of control possessed by the Iraqi and US forces. ith a recent report There are a number of reasons for this situation, among them the Iraqi resistance movement and a “handover” that a US administrator in Iraq recently described as “chaos.”
According to Betsy Devos, the cause of Iraqi suffering during the years of the U.N. sanctions was?..France! Betsy, chair of the State GOP, comes to this conclusion in her “Betsy’s Blog” weblog on the State GOP website. In it she writes:
Interesting. The more we learn about the UN Oil for Food scandal, the more we see French fingerprints. It seems French companies were complicit in the bribery and extortion that were inflating Iraqi gas prices, keeping food from starving Iraqis and lining the pockets of Saddam Hussein. In fact, weapons inspectors in Iraq have turned up numerous stockpiles of French weapon systems which were sold to Iraq during the embargo. It seems the French, who have opposed every step President Bush has made towards bringing democracy and freedom to the people of Iraq, have had far more extensive and successful relations with that country than we have in the past.
Of course Betsy Devos provides no sources for any of these claims. Her claim that numerous stockpiles of French weapons have been found is particularly suspect. An internet search done by the Media Mouse staff found very little information about this topic, locating only two articles. An AP story states that Polish troops found four French-made anti-aircraft missiles in Iraq, missiles that France has not produced since 1993. According to a Pakistani paper, a French company sold helicopter and fighter airplane parts to Iraq. Of course, the actions of an individual company do not necessarily represent the policies of a government. A good example of this would be the fact that during the nineties when the U.S. government was enforcing the UN sanctions against Iraq, Halliburton (while Dick Cheney was CEO) held stakes in two firms that signed contracts to sell more than $73 million in oil production equipment and spare parts to Iraq. As to her claim that France has had ?far more extensive and successful relations? with Iraq than the U.S. has had in the past, it is interesting to note that according to the Sunday Herald, the U.S. had 24 companies that had sold weapons to Iraq, Britain had 17, and France had 8.
As to her claims that France was responsible for starving Iraqis, one simply needs to ask the former heads of the U.N. sanction regimes in Iraq to find the real cause of suffering in Iraq. UN humanitarian coordinator in Baghdad Denis Halliday and his successor, Hans Von Sponeck, both quit their posts in disgust and described the U.S. and U.K. enforced sanctions against Iraq as “war crimes” and close to “genocide.” Devos is intentionally misconstruing the reality of both the Iraq sanctions and the oil for food program for her own partisan political reasons. Of course her political feelings about France don’t seem to apply to the business dealing of her family. The Amway Corporation, which was co-founded by Betsy’s husband’s father and has made her family fabulously wealthy, has a successful French division.
While Iran was mentioned as part of President Bush’s “axis of evil,” it has received relatively little attention over the past two years as the administration focused its efforts on Iraq. However, it was recently reported that one of Bush’s reelection plans is regime change in Iran. At the present time, the administration has not talked about military action against Iran, rather suggesting that there would be “more intervention in the internal affairs” of the country, perhaps working to foment revolts and internal dissent. This talk, while always in the background of Bush administration policy, takes on a new level of seriousness with the release of the 9/11 commission?s final report, which implicates Iran in the 9/11 plot claiming that some of the hijackers passed through Iran and may have been given safe passage by the Iranian government. Democracy Now interviewed Professor Ervand Abrahamian, an expert on Iran and the Middle East at City University, on the possibility of an Iran/Al-Qaeda link, a link which Abrahamian finds to be quite improbable.
However, improbability and unlikelihood of connections has not stopped the Bush administration in the past, and this time they may get some help in building a case for regime change in Iran from a newly revived NeoConservative think-tank, the Committee on the Present Danger (CPD) which previously was founded to confront “communism” but is now fighting “global terrorism.” Members of the new group have advocated expanding the “war on terrorism” to not only Iran, but also Syria and Saudi Arabia. The 41 members of the group are associated with the Project for a New American Century, the Foundation for the Defense of Democracy, the American Enterprise Institute and other right-wing and neoconservative organizat
While the Republican National Convention (RNC) and the Democratic National Convention (DNC), along with the recent G8 Summit in Sea Island, Georgia were declared “National Special Security Events” back in May as a result of the possibility of terrorist attacks, a new government alert cites “unconfirmed information” that “terrorists” have specific plans to target the media using “explosive or incendiary devices” as a way of disrupting the DNC. While the story is being covered outside of Boston as a possible “terrorist” threat, in Boston it is being reported that the attacks may come from “a radical domestic group” that wants to disrupt the convention.
Despite an unprecedented level of security at the DNC—a large network of surveillance cameras, a huge security operation coordinated with federal agencies, and a plan to restrict protests to certain areas of Boston, the new alert is possibily part of a pre-emptive campaign targeting activists planning protests outside at the DNC. This week in Boston FBI agents have visited the home of an anti-DNC organizer, the second such visit in recent weeks. Meanwhile, in the central United States, the FBI has been visiting various anarchists and asking questions about upcoming demonstrations at the DNC and RNC. So far, one arrest has been made in Denver (for outstanding tickets) after the FBI raided two the homes, while visits have occurred in Lawrence, KS, Colombia, MO, and Kirksville, MO.
For more information on this story as it develops, consult the Infoshop Newswire and the Boston IMC.
According to Betsy Devos, the cause of Iraqi suffering during the years of the U.N. sanctions was…France! Betsy, chair of the State GOP, comes to this conclusion in her “Betsy’s Blog” weblog on the State GOP website. In it she writes:
Interesting. The more we learn about the UN Oil for Food scandal, the more we see French fingerprints. It seems French companies were complicit in the bribery and extortion that were inflating Iraqi gas prices, keeping food from starving Iraqis and lining the pockets of Saddam Hussein. In fact, weapons inspectors in Iraq have turned up numerous stockpiles of French weapon systems which were sold to Iraq during the embargo. It seems the French, who have opposed every step President Bush has made towards bringing democracy and freedom to the people of Iraq, have had far more extensive and successful relations with that country than we have in the past.
Of course Betsy Devos provides no sources for any of these claims. Her claim that numerous stockpiles of French weapons have been found is particularly suspect. An internet search done by the Media Mouse staff found very little information about this topic, locating only two articles. An AP story states that Polish troops found four French-made anti-aircraft missiles in Iraq, missiles that France has not produced since 1993. According to a Pakistani paper, a French company sold helicopter and fighter airplane parts to Iraq. Of course, the actions of an individual company do not necessarily represent the policies of a government. A good example of this would be the fact that during the nineties when the U.S. government was enforcing the UN sanctions against Iraq, Halliburton (while Dick Cheney was CEO) held stakes in two firms that signed contracts to sell more than $73 million in oil production equipment and spare parts to Iraq. As to her claim that France has had “far more extensive and successful relations” with Iraq than the U.S. has had in the past, it is interesting to note that according to the Sunday Herald, the U.S. had 24 companies that had sold weapons to Iraq, Britain had 17, and France had 8.
As to her claims that France was responsible for starving Iraqis, one simply needs to ask the former heads of the U.N. sanction regimes in Iraq to find the real cause of suffering in Iraq. UN humanitarian coordinator in Baghdad Denis Halliday and his successor, Hans Von Sponeck, both quit their posts in disgust and described the U.S. and U.K. enforced sanctions against Iraq as “war crimes” and close to “genocide.” Devos is intentionally misconstruing the reality of both the Iraq sanctions and the oil for food program for her own partisan political reasons. Of course her political feelings about France don’t seem to apply to the business dealing of her family. The Amway Corporation, which was co-founded by Betsy’s husband’s father and has made her family fabulously wealthy, has a successful French division.
Activists around the country are getting ready to converge on Boston and New York for the Democrat and Republican Party conventions. Nothing really noteworthy happens inside these conventions–they tend to be three nights full of speeches making empty promises and days spent cozying up to donors and representatives of large corporations while real democracy takes place in the context of protests outside the conventions.
The Democratic National Convention will start next week Monday, with activists planning a variety of actions including a “democratic bazaar” highlighting a possible vision of a better world as well as a decentralized day of action on the day John Kerry receives the nomination. In addition to street protests, this weekend there will the Boston Social Forum hosting a number of workshops and discussions under the banner “another world is possible.” For independent media coverage of the DNC protests, consult boston.indymedia.org and blackteasociety.org.
The Republican National Convention will take place from August 29 to September 2 and will feature a variety of actions from permitted rallies and marches to decentralized direct action. Media Mouse encourages people to go to NYC to participate in the “Mouse Bloc” on August 29 (mice must stick together), perhaps the most likely chance to be seen by delegates and possibly disrupt the normal business of the convention. The weekend before the convention will also host a “Life After Capitalism” conference consisting of vision-making and long-term strategizing beyond the “Anybody but Bush” sentiment.
As would be expected in the post-Miami FTAA world, the media and police smear campaign is in full swing against activists targeting both conventions. The New York Daily News has “reported” that “anarchy is a threat to [the] city” and that protestors are coming with plans to tear apart New York City. RNC Watch is tracking the fear campaign and posting relevant updates on RNC coverage, while in Boston even Comedy Central’s Daily Show is getting in on the campaign, calling Boston anarchists “pussies.”
With both parties claiming that they are aiding the “democratic process” by trying to either get independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader on the ballot in the case of the Republican Party or the Democrats attempt to keep Nader off the ballot, the debate over Nader is growing more absurd by the day. Today the Republican Party is accusing the Democratic Party of hiring a Democratic contractor who is outsourcing petition verification work to India in order to meet a Thursday deadline to challenge Nader’s petitions. With actions like these is it any wonder that people either chose not to vote or would prefer to cast their vote for a candidate outside of the two major parties?
Michigan news outlets are reporting that Ralph Nader did not withdraw his bid to get on the ballot as an independent candidate. The corporate media is framing the story in terms of Nader accepting Republican help, “reporting” that 90 percent of the signatures were collected by Republicans (no verification of this claim was reported) and writing in a way that conveys the sense that a vote for Nader is a vote for Bush. Michigan Democratic Executive Chairperson, Mark Brewer, like his national counterparts, has shown his willingness to attack Nader in the past and is still calling for Nader to withdraw his name from the race in Michigan. Additionally, the Michigan Democratic Party is planning to challenge the ballot access petitions and is likely going file a federal election complaint against Nader and the Republicans charging that the Republican Party exceeded a state political campaign limit of $5,000 when collecting signatures for Nader. Nader’s campaign has responded by accusing Brewer of whining, arguing that the Democrats “should have Kerry say he’d withdraw from Iraq. Then he wouldn’t have to worry about Nader taking his voters away.”
The Democrats vs. Nader debate is ridiculous–both nationally and here in Michigan, as the real goal of the Democrats campaign should be going after President Bush, not Ralph Nader. Even the Green Party of Michigan, who has their own candidate running for president, is pledging to support Nader’s effort, arguing that more candidates on the ballot ensures a more vibrant democracy. The Greens argue that Nader offers a genuine alternative to the Bush/Kerry war ticket, and as a true alternative, his opinions deserve to be heard–not simply made the subject of Democratic infighting and Republican manipulations.
Also worth reading is Jeff Cohen’s look at Nader’s GOP support, and while his own efforts at encouraging Nader not to run are in many ways anti-democratic, he raises a number of serious issues with Nader’s campaign.
It sounds like an Onion article, but it’s actually on the official White House web page. The “Ask the White House” section, which usually features administration officials, hosts an online discussion with racecar driver Buddy Rice. Could this be an attempt by the Bush White House to curry favor with racing fans? While it is true that professional athletes seldom take political stands, particularly liberal ones, two athletes recently have. Blue Jays slugger Carlos Delgado had this to say about the Iraq war:
“It’s a very terrible thing that happened on September 11,” he said. “It’s (also) a terrible thing that happened in Afghanistan and Iraq. I just feel so sad for the families that lost relatives and loved ones in the war. But I think it’s the stupidest war ever. Who are you fighting against? You’re just getting ambushed now. We have more people dead now, after the war, than during the war. You’ve been looking for weapons of mass destruction. Where are they at? You’ve been looking for over a year. Can’t find them. I don’t support that. I don’t support what they do. I think it’s just stupid.”
Adonal Foyle, starting center for the NBA’s Golden State Warriors has set up a non-partisan student organization dedicated to campaign finance reform called Democracy Matters. Foyle summed up his feelings about the American electoral system in a recent interview:
My view is that democracy is harmed anywhere–including in the United States–when a small minority of people make the decisions for everyone else. In the United States it is money that speaks loudest in political campaigns. In most cases, the person who spends the most money wins, and people who have average incomes and ordinary lives–that’s most of us — are shut out of running for office. Because candidates must raise huge sums of money, they pay more attention to their big donors than to ordinary voters. And that means that important decisions about war and peace, the economy, the environment, civil rights are made by elected officials too often beholden to their funders rather than the people.
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