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22 December 2004
Volume 1, Issue 18
Free Voices
eZine of the People
Telling the Truth....
The War's End: The West's Acquisition of Iraq's Assets
By Ryan Coughlin
Boston, MA
It was with much international praise and fanfare that the Paris Club's group of large creditor nations agreed to reduce the debt burden of Iraq's struggling infant regime. As world's newspapers proclaimed the headlines of ìMajor Creditors Agree to Cancel 80% of Iraq's Debtî , and ìParis Club Slashes Iraqi Debtî , the wealthy nations were able to give themselves a congratulatory slap on the back. The story was almost romantic: the poor embryonic democracy of Iraq crushed by massive outstanding bonds, and the heroes of the West rushing out to save it. Continue Reading
Sustainable Cooperation
By Stephen Polk
Denver, CO
In light of recent events, the overarching movement on the left has faced a seemingly disastrous string of events. The ascendancy of the Bush Administration and the Republican/Neoconservative party into power has yet again proved that the leftís defeat. And understandably so, a second Bush term not only carries disastrous implications for citizens in the U.S., but also across the globe. The privatization of public goods like social security, the further detioration of welfare, permanent tax cuts for the wealthiest one percent, cutbacks in federal aid for college students and other institutional changes will be the harsh realities that the left is going to have to fight in the domestic sphere, even if in vain. Concerning the international sphere, the world will have to face an unprecedented yet extremely aggressive and dangerous foreign policy of preemption. Furthermore, trade agreements like NAFTA, the WTO, FTAA, the newly forming CAFTA, and other organizations that inherently over-ride democratic processes and sovereignty of individual countries while simultaneously subverting labor, environmental, and safety laws in the ever-increasing competitive global market, will surely continue unabated. These are but a few of the harsh realities that we are likely to face in the next four years and beyond. Continue Reading
On Pink and Practice
By Wendy Scher
New York, NY
It seems that every time I see a queer-themed action, it involves wearing pink. Whether it's a mass-march, or kiss-in, or whatever the hell it is, they always say "Wear Pink!" and you're supposed to exclaim for joy that you're reclaiming something that would otherwise be looked down upon. Well, you know what? I can't stand pink. Pink is the color that, as a child, I was expected to adopt for every "proper" occasion. It's the color of flowers and skirts and blouses and pants (god, I hated those pants) and gloves and hats and boots and dolls and lace underwear and all sorts of flowy things. It's also the color of disposable maxi pads and other "personal" products. As a girl, pink is forced on you the moment you are born - the pink balloons that say "It's a Girl!" and then the subsequent parental preoccupation with dressing their baby in pink - lest any onlooker mistake her for a boy. The more the color pink was stressed upon me, the more I resisted it. So what makes it so "radical" to be reclaiming it? Continue Reading
Manufacturing Democracy
The Politics of Media Coverage: Haiti, Ukraine, Georgia
By Dru Oja Jay
In the last two years, the Bush Administration spent more than $65 million helping political organizations in the Ukraine. Additional funds have come from George Soros, Great Britain, Canada, Norway and the Netherlands, according to the Associated Press (AP). The money was key to funding the exit polls that cast doubt on the legitimacy of the election results, which showed Yanukovych as the winner. That the story came from the AP is significant; while the CBC saw fit to run four AP stories on the details of Ukrainian politics in one night, it omitted the story regarding the funding arrangements for the exit polls. Other Canadian media have also ignored US and Canadian funding of Yuschenko and affiliated political organizations. As the Canadian and American press would have it, Russia is meddling in Ukrainian affairs, but our own countries have only a high-minded concern for democracy. If Stephen Harper and the Fraser Institute received $65 million from the Ukrainian government, would we hear about it? Continue Reading
Marriage Lessons
Greg Reisher
Los Angeles, CA
The gay rights movement is at a crossroads. In the 35 years since the Stonewall riotsóthe birth of the modern-day gay rights struggleóthe movement has covered a lot of ground. Lately, however, the movement seems to have run aground. Marriage dominated the gay political landscape to the point where it is holding back progress on all other gay and lesbian equality issues. Poor political planning on the part of the major gay and lesbian organizations and misdirected priorities on the part of gay people as a whole has led to a need to re-evaluate our failures and figure out how to achieve some real successes. So how did we get here, and how do we move forward?Continue Reading
Last Word....
This is the last issue of 2004. What awaits us in 2005? Are you making preparations for a large campaign? Are you implementing new programs or evaluating existing ones? Let us know!
peace love victory.
Brandon Batzloff
Director, Free Voices
freevoices@lycos.com
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