the guy by the door …

I have worked a weekend schedule for many years. It was convenient for both me and Harvard. The Pinkertons hired to outsource us, have become increasingly inflexible about scheduling us. When they first came in, they argued that using contract workers would allow scheduling flexibility. But as time has gone on, accomodating “the vendor” has increased in priority. More and more decisions are made without talking to the workers. There was some awkwardness about my vacation. I could not go to Crawford. I apologized to Cindy. They didn’t even ask about this Saturday, but I didn’t really expect that they would.

I’ll be here when you get back …

…waiting by the door.

From HIPJ mailing list:

Our group, the Harvard Initiative for Peace and Justice, brings together people of many political viewpoints who are opposed to the war in Iraq and to the future wars already being prepared by the Bush administration. We hold political discussions among group members, organize guest speakers, teach-ins, and rallies, and work with other local and national groups to bring the anti-war movement together. Please join us for a discussion over pizza and drinks about how we can tell Americans the truth about the war and work with other students to oppose it.

Pete Dolack reports in Indy Media.

The New York City Police Department forcibly broke up this afternoon’s rally for Cindy Sheehan, moving in as Cindy was speaking at about 3 p.m. in Union Square. The rally had been underway for about an hour, and was about to conclude as Cindy spoke following several other speakers, including a few who are traveling with her on her caravan. … Full article.

Thanks to the Harvard Initiative for Peace and Justice for pointing this out.

HIPJ also forwards this report from the Village Voice.

In case you missed it, the U.S. Army occupied the Cambridge Common on June14, 2005. Seven people were arrested – among them:

“>	“>
Matt photo jonny rebellous Boston Indy Media	Joe Gerson photo: gbd

Matt is active in – among other things – Boston Mobilization. Joe is executive director of the Peace and Economic Security Program for the New England Region of the American Friends Service Committee.

At the June 20 City Council meeting, Vice Mayor Marj Decker introduced an order asking the City Manager to investigate the circumstances leading to the arrests. At the Sept. 12 meeting Mr. Healy was noticably reticent about when this report would appear. Marj expressed considerable dismay observing that ‘the packets have already gone out’.

“>

“>

She was referring to execution of a section of the No Child Left Behind Law which requires the Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School to turn student records over to military recruiters. The good news is parents have the right to opt out of having their kids’ records turned over.They must be sent a packet informing them of that right. CRLS did send the packets. The bad news is that the time period for opting out has expired.

The gentleman to Bob Healy’s right is Don Drisdale, the City’s #2 in house lawyer i.e. the ranking one who shows up for work. He is offering an interim progress report on his ressearch into what constitutes a “free speach zone”. Curiously, “The United States of America” is not City Administration’s answer.

The question behind the questions, “Was there a quid pro quo.”

The trial of the Cambridge 7 continues Thursday September 15, 2005 at Middlesex County Courthouse. More details when available. Marj is going and urged the other Councillors to go. If you go, please tell her I have to guard the liberry.

Camp Casey, Crawford Texas – Cindy Sheehan has left Camp Casey to be with her mother who has had a stroke. She and her sister Dede Miller are making their way to their mother’s bedside according to Barry Crimins of Air America Radio. There is a sizable contingent of Gold Star Families who will remain at the camp while Cindy is on leave. Cindy is still encouraging people to go to Crawford and expects to return shortly to join them.

Update 8/19/05: Gene Ellis reporting for The Lonestar Iconoclast

“Coordinators at Camp Casey just received a phone call from Cindy Sheehan. Cindy says her mother is going to see some specialists this afternoon. Cindy said that her mother recognized her and squeezed her hand, but could not speak. Cindy is penciled in to return to Crawford on Sunday, if she can.”

Also from the Iconoclast, Gold Star Mother delivers letters to George and Laura:

“>

Prairie Chapel Road, Crawford Texas 8:14 AM.- Gold Star Mother Cindy Sheehan replied to yesterday’s Presidential press from Camp Casey outside the Bush compound. In a phone interview with Air America Radio’s Marc Maron, Cindy said, “I want to know why my son died.”

“>
Crosses provided by Veterans for Peace L.A.
Photo courtesy of the Lone Star Iconoclast

William Rivers Pitt was down there for two days posting copiously. He posted this caution:

Now there are a bunch of new folks here, and they all mean well, but
a number of them appear to be interested in dragging the whole thing
towards whatever other cause inspires them. There is Pamphleteer Guy with his anti-theocracy newspaper buttonholing
everyone he can find to buy his paper. There are the young radicals who
are arguing with themselves about what actions they can take, whether or
not those actions have anything to do with Cindy.

There is nothing wrong right now. I just hope the people who have just come,
and the people on the way, remember to be down for the main cause that
started this. It would be a real tragedy if this turned into an ANSWER rally,
with everyone rocking their own rallying cry. Right now this is laser-focused.
It needs to stay that way.

Will is now on his way back to Boston. He does plan to get back there. His posts as well as a video interview with Cindy on TruthOut.Org

It is thought that …

JILL LAWLESS, Associated Press Writer says “The police operation was carried out in at least two locations in Notting Hill about a quarter-mile apart.“ [filed 10:07 AM EST.]

The Guardian posted a report on Friday, “Huge security in London as police race against time to catch bombers “.

This is honoring the fallen:

“>

This is finding young ones to fall:
“>

What were you thinking?

On my way in to the City Clerk’s office at 12:50 P.M. today, I saw a Cambridge Police Officer leaning on the handrail of the great stairs. He was playing with a switchblade knife. This seemed inappropriate to me.

“>

THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED
June 22
250 Jefferson Lecture Hall
Harvard University, Physics Dept.
Cambridge, MA
7:00pm-9:30pm
17 Oxford St. (near Science Center)
Suggested donation $5

HUGO CHAVEZ ELECTED PRESIDENT OF VENEZUELA IN 1998, IS A COLORFUL, UNPREDICTABLE FOLK HERO, beloved by his nation’s working class and a tough-as-nails, quixotic opponent to the power structure that would see him deposed. Two independent filmmakers were inside the presidential palace on April 11, 2002, when he was forcibly removed from office. They were also present 48 hours later when, remarkably, he returned to power amid cheering aides. Their film records what was probably history’s shortest-lived coup d’�tat. It’s a unique document about political muscle and an extraordinary portrait of the man The Wall Street Journal credits with making Venezuela “Washington‚s biggest Latin American headache after the old standby, Cuba.”

guy by the door commentary: The Bush administration, in the person of Colin Powell, took the trouble to denounce this guy in the press. He must be doing something right.

Prologue: 9:45 AM Hey! Leave those kids alone!!

“>	“>
Photos: jonny rebellious	Boston Independent Media Center

Climax 11:00 AM Boston Independent Media shows some [more] of the seven arrests and the relative turnout of protester vs. supporters. [Lots of pics, scroll.] The Smedley Butler Brigade was there.

“>	“>
Mayor, band – command performance.	All volunteer audience.

Anti-climax 12: 30 PM My Law and Lunch shows the strength of support for the war.

For epilogue, I appeal to the blogosphere and to English Lit to enlighten me on the quote “Whereof what’s past is prologue, what to come
In yours and my discharge.”
Does this mean what the folks at the National Archives seem to think it means?

We don’t need no thought control.

“>

“>

“>

All in all it’s just another brick in the wall. -Pink Floyd

I missed the BlackHawk helicopter. A deputy Rumy came.

[Update: Jehane came to the screening. Her documentarian’s sense of ethics and accuracy was inspiring. My subtitle {below} is a bit unfair and my memory of the scene mentioned a bit flawed. In the interest, of open discussion. I will leave this post otherwise alone for the record. I will create a new post with full correction. But Jehane liked the idea of me being proud of her and I am.]

http://www.controlroommovie.com/site/01.html

With all due respect to artists who covered this song, the original by Edwin Starr has an intensity unmatched. And yes the orginal was about “War” generally not specifically “World War Four”. I apologize for being unable to resist the additional alliteration.

What happend to World War III?

Is it a good thing to talk about WW IV [link to appear]

What is it good for? A lot folks think absolutely nothing. Scott Ritter thinks bombing of Iran will commence this summer. He was right about Iraq’s nuclear program. Can the DoD wage a war with Iran without a draft? I don’t think so. Where will they go first? Not Harvard. Roxbury. And people know it. Some folks gathered there to talk about what to do.

Roxbury Community College – a center for learning in a not so affluent neighborhood.	The best pedagogy possible. It can happen anywhere. It takes time. A living wage helps. Three jobs doesn’t.
Academics in bloom.	Activists empaneled.

Veterans returning from the Iraq War are touring eastern Massachusetts. It is sponsored by Iraq Veterans against the War and Military Families Speak Out. The kickoff was Sunday Jan 30 at Faneuil Hall.There was a vigil outside and testimony in the Great Hall.
More pictures. Click on the thumbs to get full pages.

-r

Only twenty some bombings reported. A quiet day? Are the media telling us the whole story? Were the reporters able to get to the story? Afterall the whole country was locked down. What has happened to us that we think that only twenty bombings is a good day?

Ok. The election was a success. So bring the troops home already!

This is way overdue. Dowbrigade woke me from my lethargy. Right after Jon Edwards’ speach it looked like the Dems were going to be a little more anti-Iraq war. Very quickly it became apparent that the Dems are strongly in pursuit of the few voters in the undecided middle. They have been trying to fashion a platform that does not alienate the large number of anti-war voters, but at the same time does not give ground to the right wing claim that opposing the war is being soft on terrorism.

I saw Richard Clarke on TV – don’t remember where. He argued that the intelligence apparatus should be fixed so that we can have a preemptive war on North Korea if we need to. One of the great spokespeople that preemptive war on Iraq was not justified and did not help the “war on terror”, nonetheless views preemptive war as an essential tool for nuclear non-proliferation. Is that “sensitive imperialism?” Where are the Dems really?

DowBrigade has incisively shown that recent US MiddleEast Policy has been about oil. It has been about oil from the beginning of our large scale use of Arabian oil in the 50’s. We had not one but two wakeup calls in the 70’s. I say support the troops: use less oil and bring them home.

I suspect that Anonymous [who I think has now been revealed] is right that getting out of Iraq, while necessary, will still require several years of war. Even if President Kerry moves us in the direction of getting out, there is sure to be disappointment in him. I won’t be happy either, but I’m concerned about the possibility that history might regard the current epoch as the beginnings of World War III. [DowBrigade is a sunny optimist pangloss type compared to me :).] During the Cold War we all thought WWWIII would be a binary superpower conflict about an hour and a half long. WWW III may ramp up more like WWWII. The huge difference though is that the Arab world doesn’t have the same cohesive nation-states. They cannot be counted on to line up to fire their muskets. WWWIII will look like much much more of what we have now.

I am descended from a goyishe guilt-based religion with bad experience in Germany. I am Pennsylvania Dutch. That fact notwithstanding, Happy New Year DowBrigade and all the Children of Israel.

-r

Last night, Jonathan Edwards gave the most complete elaboration of the Dems platform so far. For this item, I’ll just talk about the plank on war. Despite the decision to avoid explicit Bush bashing, there was substantial criticism of the prosecution of the ‘war on terror’ so far and a promise to do things differently. The current Bush position does not – on the face of it – sound that different. I don’t remember whether it was during the speach or elsewhere* that one of the J’s said that Bush had adopted their position. The real difference, of course, is that it’s hard to believe that the Bush administration has a genuine desire or the ability to carry out this position. WMD’s? Flowers and sweets? Reconstruction will pay for itself? [Where is the $20 Billion of Iraqi oil money anyway? ] Iraqi sovereignty? Well the several flavors of insurgents aren’t buying it.

Edwards talked about a build up of the military. Clearly this is largely in response to Rumsfeld’s insistence on his ‘invasion lite’ scheme despite a lot of contrary advice from the professional military. ‘Invasion lite’ has suffered substantial ‘blowback,’ the brunt of which has fallen on the people wearing the ‘boots on the ground.’ Certainly they deserve to come home. The Dems hope to come up with new young people to replace them. [Elsewhere, I will argue that all possible Iraqi futures involve tens of thousands of Iraqi deaths above and beyond the 16,000 already dead. Let’s choose a future that doesn’t involve our young people.]

There is also a clear concern about electability in this plank. Party strategists don’t want to risk being too antiwar. If the polls are right and the electorate is split, a balancing act is called for. But if a man straddles a fence, it’s best he have long legs or he might get his nuts crushed. [Maybe this is an argument for a woman president.] Dems may be willing to go a little to the left with Edwards’ “Two Americas”, but on war they are going to continue to cling to the center. [But is there a there there?]

Meanwhile, looming on the horizon is also the spectre of an armed UN intervention in Sudan. How will the American left respond to US participation? Could the US conceivably say no and still hope for UN support to ‘Internationalize’ the war in Iraq. I suspect that the Kerry people started to think about this a while ago. “Preemptive war is sometimes necessary, but Iraq was not.” Is part of the proposed military build up in anticipation of a “police action” in Sudan? Will it turn out better than Somalia or will it be “Battleship Down?”

*Watching TV, while streaming Air America Radio and reading blogs on the Internet, may not be the best way to get a coherent view of what’s going on 🙂