Letters to the Editor, September 6, 2005

Unnatural disaster

I see President Bush has pledged to do everything possible to return New Orleans to its original state. This must be extremely worrying for residents since it means most people will be forced back into the ghettos, kept permanently below the poverty line, remain unemployed and be subject to all sorts of gun and drugs related violence. (No doubt they were happy to see monies for urgent dyke maintenance being diverted to the Iraq adventure). Yet Bush's reaction (if you can call it that) was entirely predictable given his acknowledged 'base' amongst the 'haves and have-mores'. Now if something went wrong in Florida........

Oh, happy land!

Phil Hong

Happy Labor Day,

Labor needs all the support it can get in this age of corporate greed and tyranny!

Please make a donation to the Hurricane Katrina Relief Effort. I researched and found several reputable charities. The links are at:

http://civillibertarian.blogspot.com/2005/09/ways-to-donate-to-help-victims-of.html

I wanted to clear up some misconceptions I have read in several email responses to my articles:

1. The United States is not at war with 100% of the Islamic, Muslim, and Middle Eastern world. A small minority of radical Muslims (much like Pat Robertson, Fred Phelps, Timothy McVeigh, Eric Rudolph) represent the people the Bush administration has labeled as "terrorists". Remember, the US government has been practicing state terrorism by proxy by installing and supporting ruthless dictators ( who are friendly to US interests) around the world for years, has caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians through "collateral damage", and has engaged in other crimes against humanity like the Iraq Invasion and Occupation.

2. Al Jazeerah.info is an alternative news site based in the US. It is maintained and edited by a US citizen from Georgia.

3. The Qatari Al Jazeera news network is not a "terrorist entity". It is a legitimate source of news which happens to be Islamic. If you have more questions about this, refer back to number 1.

(By the way, Qatar has pledged $500 million for the Hurricane Katrina victims, the biggest relief amount from any nation. It is also the host of the US CENTCOM and the US Al-Udaid Air Base - Editor).

4. I am not "anti-American", nor am I traitor. I am pro-social justice, pro-human rights, pro-civil rights, and pro-peace. I am a human being, father, and husband first, and then I am an American. Based on my deep spiritual belief that human beings are more valuable than money and power, I dissent against the US government by default. If one chooses to define that as "anti-American", or treasonous, perhaps one needs to redefine what it is that "America" represents. Were I to support the malevolent acts of the Bush administration, I would be committing treason against the human race.

5. It is possible to support the right of a Palestinian state without calling for the dissolution of Israel, and vice versa. Both the Palestinians and the Israelis have a right to sovereign nations in the Middle East. Stability in that region hinges upon those two groups ending their enmity, but that will not be achieved if either side is left homeless.

For "the news you won't find on CNN", please visit http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/ and make a donation http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/support.htm. This busy and heavily trafficked news site is the work of one person, and he relies on his own finances and donations to offset the high costs of operating this site.

AND

Please visit my blog at http://civillibertarian.blogspot.com/. I do not advertise or accept donations, as my efforts for social justice are in addition to the work I do for income, and my blog is on a small scale relative to sites like Info Clearing House.

Here are some suggested reads:

Analysis of the administration's response to Katrina:

http://katrinabush.com/

Analysis of a growing movement for peace and social justice:

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10099.htm

A blueprint for the spiritual healing of a nation :

http://www.politicalaffairs.net/article/articleview/1742/1/116/

Analysis of the "Reign of Bush" from Kansas:

http://www.aljazeerah.info/Opinion%20editorials/2005%20Opinion%20Editorials/August

/22%20o/Contemplations%20About%20Kansan's%20Progressive%20Writings%20B

y%20Jason%20Miller.htm

Analysis of the deterioration of the American economy in terms of employment:

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_paul_cra_050905_the_vicious_downward.htm

Strong argument for the impeachment of Bush:

http://www.counterpunch.org/roberts09032005.html

Essay exposing the parallels between unrestrained Capitalism and Feudalism:

http://www.metaphoria.org/ac4t0508e.html

Have a good week!

Best regards,

Jason Miller

Background articles on the New Orleans crisis

Tthese background articles on the New Orleans crisis have been permanently reposted at the URLs below.

Troops begin combat operations in New Orleans (Army Times, 2 Sept 2005)

http://rempost.blogspot.com/2005/09/troops-begin-combat-operations-in-new.html

Fearing riots, Guard rejects food airdrops; Officials exploring other options for delivering supplies (Stars and Stripes, 3 Sept 2005) http://rempost.blogspot.com/2005/09/fearing-riots-guard-rejects-food.html

Homeland Security won't let Red Cross deliver food (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 3 Sept 2005) http://rempost.blogspot.com/2005/09/homeland-security-wont-let-red-cross.html

Sincerely,

Carl Conetta,

Project on Defense Alternatives pda@comw.org

http://www.islamonline.net/English/Islamic_Audio/index.shtml

Seb 02, 2005 - Rajab 28, 1426

Katrina's Lessons..Dr. Maher Hathout

	Being Effective in Life..Dr. Tariq Suwaidan
	Islam's Solution to Crimes..Dr. Munir El-Kassem

	Being Effective in Life..Dr. Tariq Suwaidan
	Islam's Solution to Crimes..Dr. Munir El-Kassem
	Gambling in Islam’s Eyes..Dr. Munir El-Kassem
	Things that Remain Constant..Abdel Basset Khan
	Justice Is the Cure of All Ills..Sheikh Hamid Slimi
	Muslims ِAgainst Terrorism..Sheikh Hamid Slimi
	Islam: a religion of mercy..Sheikh Ahmad Kutty
	Purpose of Creation.. *Abdur-Raheem Green*
	The Path to Unity (8 Points Necessary for Achieving Unity).. *Ali Al-Tamimi*