Telling the Truth....

US State Intervention Will Not Solve Sudan’s Problems
(Solidarity with People in Sudan – part 1 of 3)
by Grace End
with assistance from Jess
As you read this article, the mortality rate in refugee camps across Darfur and into neighboring Chad is as high as 3.8 deaths per 10,000 people a day, according to the World Health Organization. This paper is the first of three parts. The second part, called “Oil is the Devil’s Excrement,” compares reports on several dimensions of the crisis in Darfur, Sudan with reports on crises in Putumayo, Colombia; Nigeria; and Iraq. In the third part, “Hearing the Voices of People Living and Dead in Sudan,” I propose a strategy for ordinary people to take action to limit the harms of government-sponsored violence in Darfur. In this first part, I want to show how the international battle of stories surrounding violence in the desert of Darfur has risen up to obscure the interests of key members of the conflict. Continue Reading

Police Are Not Working Class
By Brandon Batzloff
Editor, Free Voices
As anyone who has regular interaction with the police knows, there are some basic guidelines to follow when encountering these men. You should always keep your hands in view. Never make any sudden moves. Remain calm and refrain from raising your voice. Anyone who has been in the wilderness will see the connection between the way one should behave when encountering a wild animal and the way one should behave when encountering a cop. Continue Reading

Maimed in Iraq, then mistreated, neglected, and hidden in America.
By Frederick Sweet
St. Louis, MO
Combat veterans wounded in Iraq were left waiting weeks and even months for proper medical attention at military bases. According to an officer, their living conditions were so unacceptable for injured soldiers he said they "were being treated like dogs." Then the Pentagon underreported the number wounded. The Bush administration, referring to veterans of the war in Iraq, told a House panel that they would avoid last year's "mistakes" of leaving sick and injured troops at U.S. bases to wait for months to be properly treated by doctors. Adding insult to injury, Army Surgeon General Lt. Gen. James B. Peake told the House panel that he "was not aware" that last fall soldiers were waiting for medical care at U.S. bases and under substandard living conditions. Continue Reading

Election Readiness: It is never Too Late for Transparency
Pre-Election Observation Report October 2004
By Fair Election International and Global Exchange
In recent years, international support for electoral fairness has increasingly been expressed through election observation reciprocity and the sharing of democratic innovation. This spirit of solidarity inspires the Fair Election International observation of the 2004 General Election in the United States. This report is the result of an independent, non-governmental pre-election observation of the U.S. electoral process, conducted in September 2004 by a 20-person delegation of civic leaders, parliamentarians, diplomats, lawyers, electoral officials, academic specialists, journalists and veteran election monitors from 15 countries on all five continents. Continue Reading

Storytelling....

The Living Nightmare at New Jersey's Haverly Assisted Living Complex!
by Vincent Fischer
Jersey City, NJ
“On most days the keen observer can overhear the constant whirr of the sump pump emptying the basement of the Haverly complex.” Continue Reading

The Blunders of the Good Intentioned
By Brian Polk
Denver, CO
As the small get-together rapidly matured into the status of a party, Bill McCook stood collected and poised to impress. Although he came to the gathering to make friends, he also made an appearance for the sake of his agenda. Tonight Bill was here to build the edifice of acceptance brick by brick. A self-proclaimed "lover of humanity," Mr. McCook graciously assumed his warrior status in the fight against intolerance. And every waking moment of his life, he took it upon himself to spread the gospel whenever the opportunity presented itself. Continue Reading

Talking About....

Two Jewels
Brother To Brother
Broadway: The Golden Age
Review by Darryl K. Clark
Rochester, NY
On October 10, 2004, I was killed. Yes, reader. It was like the classic song sung my Roberta Flack. I was killed by Rodney Evans’ eloquent Brother To Brother, which screened at the Dryden Theater at George Eastman House during the ImageOut Film Festival in Rochester, New York. The film, shot in color and black and white, relates the story of Leroy Williams, a young prolifically talented African-American artist who is at a crossroad in his life. Continue Reading

Last Word....

Thank you all for responding to my requests in the last issue. The subscription rate is rapidly rising and the quality of writing coming in is amazing! Keep on writing and we will keep on publishing.

peace love victory.
Brandon Batzloff
Director, Free Voices
freevoices@lycos.com

Submission Guidelines:

Send submission to freevoices@lycos.com
In the subject line write only "submission" and the date
The piece should be headed with
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