Advertisement

FBI's upside-down patriotism

It started like any other routine day at the Reflexions on Front hair salon on December 17, 2002. The proprietor, Randy Hubbard, prepped his salon for his early customers. The phone rang -- it was one of his regulars wanting to schedule an appointment. While on the phone, Hubbard heard a loud knock on the door. He wondered why a young man with close-cropped hair, who looked like an FBI agent, was at his door. Hubbard's salon is located on the ground floor of Columbus' FBI office building at 500 S. Front St.

Still on the phone, Hubbard opened the door and was blasted with the following question: "Why is your flag upside down?" Hubbard paused and thought about telling him that he placed it upside down following the November re-election of Governor Bob Taft, whom he opposes, as a sign of the state's distress. Instead, he simply replied, "None of your business." Hubbard says the man, he later learned was a military liaison to the FBI, shouted back, "You're a jackass!"

Hubbard admits he swore back and told the military man, "The day you start paying the rent you can hang the flag any way you want."

Boycott for the anti-war cause!

Products from the United Kingdom, Spain and Bulgaria for supporting the United States in their insane attempt to attack Iraq.

Buy German and French products!

The Coors Lite crowd is busy frothing at the mouth and claiming they "ain't gonna drink no French wine or German beer no more!" Out of tremendous respect for the heroic efforts of the German and French governments to make the world a more secure, safer and more peaceful place, the Free Press is asking all of its readers to drink only German beer and drink only French wine for the next two months. Think of March as an early Oktoberfest. Make sure you buy as many imported German and French products as you can afford. Share them with your friends in the peace movement.

March 2003

In the March 2003 issue, The Free Press tackles the looming threat of war in Iraq, national and local environmental regulations, media democracy, and more!

Be sure to check out the Do It and Dispatches sections, too, as we've recently updated our content in both.

Selected articles:

Last stand for media democracy?

Rumsfeld, Bush  Sr. Refused To Back 1989 UN Resolution To Investigate Iraq For Human Rights Abuses

In 1989, the State Department released a report that described in gruesome detail Iraq’s violation of human rights, specifically how Iraq’s President Saddam Hussein tortured his own people for allegedly being disloyal.

But despite the atrocities outlined in the report, which President Bush now refers to when speaking about his desire to remove Hussein from power, the United States, under the first Bush Administration, refused to vote in favor of a United Nations resolution calling for an inquiry into Iraq’s treatment of its population and possibly indicting Hussein for war crimes and human rights abuses.

The two people most vocal about refusing to go along with the U.N. investigation are now lobbying for a U.N. resolution authorizing an invasion of Iraq and are highly critical of the countries that refuse to back a U.S. led coalition to use military force to remove Hussein from power. Those men are Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage.

Global Crisis: Grave Danger -- and Great Opportunity

Many scholars agree human history will soon come to an end - unless we end our addiction to war.  New diabolical weapons make it possible for a few individuals to inflict massive destruction.

The most powerful nations spend billions for war -- and pennies for peace.  America leads the way.  If the money spent for devilish weapons of war to kill people were spent for peacemaking education and actions, we could soon eliminate war as a way to settle differences.   

Earth is an amazing planet with a web of life that with understanding and care can provide a great future for the whole human family.  Earth is our inheritance and our responsibility.  

We must replace Earth Kill with Earth Care.  Everyone needs to find how they can best serve this common purpose.  But first we must end man's long addiction to war. Our greatest problem is the problem of power.  The corrupting influence of power increases the desire for power.  As a result, efforts to make the most money lead many to invest in the stock that brings the greates return -- instead of the stock that does the most good.  

The conventional media wisdom of obedience

As the possibility of a U.S. invasion turns into the reality of massive carnage, the war on Iraq cannot avoid confronting Americans with a tacit expectation that rarely gets media scrutiny. In a word: obedience.

When a country -- particularly "a democracy" -- goes to war, the passive consent of the governed lubricates the machinery of slaughter. Silence is a key form of cooperation, but the war-making system does not insist on quietude or agreement. Mere passivity or self-restraint will suffice to keep the missiles flying, the bombs exploding and the faraway people dying.

On the home front, beliefs are of scant importance. Antiwar sentiment is necessary but insufficient to halt a war. Much more is needed than expressions of dissent that stay within the customary bounds.

Daily media speculation about the starting date for all-out war on Iraq has contributed to widespread passivity -- a kind of spectator relationship to military actions being implemented in our names.

We can't just blame the media conglomerates and Washington spinners

Bribery, blackmail and Bush

AUSTIN, Texas -- OK, sign me up for the Bush program. I'm aboard. Who else can we insult, offend, bribe, blackmail, threaten, intimidate, wiretap or otherwise infuriate? Getting the Canadians, who are famous for their phlegm, seriously mad at us took real work. Our latest ploy in that direction was to contemptuously reject their compromise that had a few more days' delay in it than the British-U.S. version. Then, when our version didn't fly, we decided on a few more days' delay ourselves -- without, of course, the contempt.

Then, to add to the festivities of "Let's Tick Off the Next-Door Neighbors Week," we started leaning on Vicente Fox of Mexico. Our ambassador to Mexico, Tony Garza, said: "Will American attitudes be placated by half-steps or three-quarter steps? I kind of doubt it." An unnamed American "diplomat" was quoted as saying it could "stir up feelings" here if Mexico voted against us, and does Mexico "want to stir the fires of jingoism during a war?"

How Many Americans Said No to War?

[Editor's Note: due to the extreme length of this document, we have only included the beginning of it. Please email lessoilforlife@yahoo.com for the full article. ]

A detailed study of 284 demonstrations for peace in the United States on February 15, 2003

On February 15 more than 12 million people all over the world loudly and visibly said no to war in Iraq. A total of between 862,152 and 1,033,874 of these were Americans, accounting for six to nine percent of the demonstrators worldwide.

While the U.S. media focused on the two large protests that occurred in New York and San Francisco, between 222,152 and 333,874 Americans demonstrated for peace in at least 282 other communities of all sizes in all fifty states.

This study is the product of three weeks of research using national and local news sources and direct local organizer contacts. Following this introduction, you will find:

DATA -- a state-by-state breakdown of all anti-war events in the U.S. known to us, listing where each occurred, a low and high participation estimate, and

Investing in Ohio's Families, Ohio's Future

Ohio Call In Day to Senator Voinovich

On Wednesday, March 12th - Friday, March 14th, join a statewide call-in day to Senator Voinovich and demand that he invest in Ohio's Families, Ohio's Future.

The problem: Ohio is facing our worst fiscal crisis since World War II. Many of the social service programs that allow our families to make ends meet, keep our children healthy and put food on our tables are under attack. As the recession continues to take away jobs from families in Ohio, many are left with no where to turn. President's Bush's "answer" to this crisis is to continue to line the pockets of the wealthiest Americans.

The solution: For the most part, talk on the national level has been focused on tax breaks that will be unjustly skewed towards the richest Americans. Leaving the majority of families out in the cold. What families in Ohio need is a plan that restores and expands funding for programs that allow families to survive. We need a plan that puts resources to families that need it the most.

Call to action: My name is _______________ from __________________ I'm calling upon Senator

Pages

Subscribe to ColumbusFreePress.com RSS