Complete Issues listing with topic, 1993 - present

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From The Great Dictator: Adenoid Hynkel Speaks.  Charlie Chaplin Addresses Bush, Cheney, et al. April 15, 2008 Volume 15 Nr. 9, Issue 240 Jozef Hand-Boniakowski I came across the classic film, "The Great Dictator" starring Charlie Chaplin.  In this movie, Chaplin plays Adenoid Hynkel, the great and autocratic dictator of Tomania. Chaplin also plays a second character, a Jewish barber, who is an Adenoid Hynkel look-alike.  The barber mistaken for the dictator, eventually is maneuvered into making a speech to the great world masses after the successful invasion and conquest of the fictitious country, Osterlich...People concerned about fascism in the U.S.A. would do well to watch "The Great Dictator" while they still can...Chaplin knew fascism when he saw it back in 1937.  If he were alive today, he would know it again...

Putting It Where The Sun Does Shine.  Ending Solar Impotence. March 15, 2008 Volume 15 Nr. 8, Issue 239 Jozef Hand-Boniakowski What is wrong with this picture?  The self-appointed greatest nation in history cannot put its ever-increasingly unemployed people to work mass-producing solar panels.  It is as if we are impotent in putting our people to work in industries with obvious long-term benefit.  The country that made it a national goal to put its citizens on the moon remains remarkable in its inability to produce the energy products necessary for its own future well-being.  Why is that?  Why is it that foreign competitors have taken the lead in cellular network infrastructure building with massive access to digital and Internet services, hybrid and alternative fuel automobiles, etc.?

From Garlic Powder To Heparin.  We Are At War With Ourselves. February 15, 2008 Volume 15 Nr. 7, Issue 238 Jozef Hand-Boniakowski A technician from interventional radiology told me that increasingly they are seeing injectible solutions that are "Made in China".  They expressed their discomfort with this trend, especially when it came to the important and common injectible anti-coagulant called Heparin.  And justifiably so.  Recently, the Heparin "manufacturer", Baxter, voluntarily recalled a batch of its product.  The drug Heparin that is labeled as being manufactured in the United States is made from an active ingredient that comes from a factory in China that has not been inspected by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration... printer friendly full version here

Patriotism: The Other Opiate of the Masses January 18, 2008 Volume 15 Nr. 6, Issue 237 Jozef Hand-Boniakowski We are as infants in our recognition of the deleterious effects of patriotism.  We are ignorant from whence in the face of grave loss we choke up when the colors are presented or the national anthem is played  Patriotism never tries to interfere with our inability to understand it.  It exists as an ever present aspect of our being, a fact of life successfully inculcated from an early age from the habits of our parents and our schooling through the dominant and domineering paradigms of our culture.  Patriotism's demanding proliferators build upon our internal proclivity toward something bigger than the self.  In that regard patriotism is a parasitic infection that often destroys the host and many more times those branded as its enemies and collateral damage.  Patriotism is an infection that cares not one whit whether the host survive only that the parasite continues... printer friendly full version here

Under the Guise of Freedom: Fascism's Ultimate Destination December 26, 2007 Volume 15 Nr. 5, Issue 236 Jozef Hand-Boniakowski The ultimate destination of fascism is the total domination over and control of everything that happens to people while operating under the guise that people are free.  The terminus operandi is a breed of wetware automatons that question not, while being convinced that they have chosen not to question.  The goal is a society that behaves as planned while its members believe they have chosen their behavior... printer friendly full version here

Mukasey, Buchanan, Feinstein, and Schumer.  Waterboarding And The Passion Of Christ November 7, 2007 Volume 15 Nr. 4, Issue 235 Jozef Hand-Boniakowski Fatherland is what fascists turn to when they cover up their personal internal conflicts in favor of domination over everything.  To fascists, waterboarding becomes not to be torture.  The United States becomes a country that does not torture.  Extreme rendition becomes not kidnapping.  People's disappearances become not un constitutional.   Assassination becomes not being murder.  " Preventive war" becomes not aggression.  And collateral damage is no longer contrary to "thou shall not kill".  Death becomes not being contrary to the "pursuit of life".  To hell with "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights."  I ask you, Pat Buchanan, would your Jesus Christ sanction waterboarding?   printer friendly full version here

Homeopathic Thuggery November 1, 2007 Volume 15 Nr. 3, Issue 234 JeanneE Hand-Boniakowski In the interest of democratic discourse and the cause of rational health care, Metaphoria is joining with dozens of sites across the web in reproducing the article which the Society of Homeopaths... managed to have removed from a web server via ridiculous legal threats.... they just bullied the ISP. The SoH has continued to support its members even when they practice dangerous versions of homeopathy... encouraging folks to skip the malaria meds... when visiting/working in places where malaria is endemic. How long do we coddle quackery in the name of twisted versions of "healthcare freedom" and "multiculturalism"? printer friendly full version here

Anti-War Cadence: A Tribute to VFP Brother David Cline, RIP October, 2007 Volume 15 Nr. 2, Issue 233 Jozef Hand-Boniakowski "They killed Dave forty years ago, the government of the United States killed Dave in Vietnam; but Dave had too much in him to die right away. Too much heart, too much soul, too much spirit, too much of a passion to fight for what is right and true and just; it took him 40 years to die." printer friendly full version here

Removing the Toxins - Cleansing the Nation September, 2007 Volume 15 Nr. 1, Issue 232 Jozef Hand-Boniakowski The cleansing session that removes toxins from the body are four hours long and take place three days each week.  If only the chief executive of the USA could be hooked up to remove what poisons the nation.  If only the flow rate could be set to maximum and performed seven days per week.  If only the Cheney - Bush regime could be cleansed of lies, deception, corruption and incompetence. printer friendly full version here

Reel Mowing As Protest.  Twisting Panties And Squeezing Gonads August, 2007 Volume 14 Nr. 12, Issue 231 Jozef Hand-Boniakowski If one protester pushing a lawn mower in opposition to the illegal and immoral Iraq war can elicit the wrath of fascists in the White House, then there is hope still that the Constitution and the Bill of Rights can be defended and protected.  Evidently, one protester with a push mower can twist the panties of the powerful.  Tens of millions, however, would put the gonads of corruption in a vice grip called ... printer friendly full version here

They're Off! Trunks And Asses On Their Way July, 2007 Volume 14 Nr. 11, Issue 230 Jozef Hand-Boniakowski We do not elect candidates to high office in the United States. We pay for and they buy their way in.  No Mr. Obama, what exists is the same old corrupting influence of large sums of money on the electoral process.  Democracy is not only ill-served, it is abrogated by campaign cash that determines candidate viability.  Little money means little electability and the U.S. ruling class determines and manufactures who the candidates will be. printer friendly full version here

Temporarily Unavailable

Relevant Ramblings With A Child By My Side May, 2007 Volume 14 Nr. 9, Issue 228 Jozef Hand-Boniakowski A poem about breast feeding and being male in the U.S.A. printer friendly full version here

Alternative Ethics April 29, 2007 Volume 14 Nr. 8, Issue 227 JeanneE Hand-Boniakowski Since the skeptical and scientific blogworld is in a deep discussion of strategic appeasement over whether science and religion can play nice together, I am going to look at some of the ethical muck of appeasement that has dirtied health care...The appeasers are those who trumpet “integrative medicine”.  Seeing themselves as moderates, a bridge between hostile camps of “allopathic” and “alternative”, the integrators are a muddy waffle that is dishonest at its core... printer friendly full version here

Cindy Sheehan in Vermont: Nothing Left For The Right Wing Except To Attack The Messenger.  How Pathetic! March 6, 2007 Volume 14 Nr. 7, Issue 226 Jozef Hand-Boniakowski What stands out most strikingly is that the pro-war side no longer has any credibility. No longer having any rational, nor legal, nor moral justification to continue supporting the war and G.W. Bush, the pro-war folk are left to their own nasty devices of attacking the anti-war messenger. Swift-boating, spreading lies, character assassination, are all they have left to comfort the cold cockles of their insidious hearts...The lies that led to Shock and Awe have now morphed into lies that attempt to mask their own complicity. These are the deceptions that continue to kill and maim hundreds of thousands of people. The attacks against Cindy Sheehan are in response to her powerful and truthful message and do not require any rebuttal whatsoever... printer friendly full version here

Democrats and Liberals: Lacking Conviction. The Door That Cannot Swing Both Ways.  February 19, 2007 Volume 14 Nr. 6, Issue 225 Jozef Hand-Boniakowski War is murder. We cannot be in support of murderers while opposing murder. I will not honor that which makes murder and war possible. Liberals and Democrats want to condemn war and then honor or commemorate those who make war. Those who kill are killers no matter what the cause or ideology, or what the flag, or what the religion, or what the reason. If, as Nancy Pelosi says, “There is one proposition on which we all agree: our troops have performed excellently in Iraq. They have done everything asked of them”, then she, and we, have honored the killing in our name and at our request. I will not honor that. printer friendly full version here

The Ultimate Human Activity: The Exchange of Capital.  The Ultimate Crime: Not Participating. January 22, 2007 Volume 14 Nr. 5, Issue 224 Jozef Hand-Boniakowski Neoliberalism, however, has it backwards. The ultimate crime is not rejecting the moment-to-moment urge to buy something. The ultimate crime is, instead, neo-liberalism placing profits before people. The higher human activity is not going shopping. It is, not shopping. Shopping is not a prerequisite for a good life. Free market capital circulation is not necessary for well being and living a good and content life. Quite the contrary... printer friendly full version here

The Relative Value of Human Life.  No Iraqi Civilians on Mount Hood. December 22, 2006 Volume 14 Nr. 4, Issue 223 Jozef Hand-Boniakowski The human will to survive is strong and ever-present. The money to pay for survival, however, is another matter. Callous neoliberal economics renders human capital inconsequential. To neoliberalism, the use value of a human being does not matter. Only their surplus value matters to the capitalist, thus making the value of rich human life greater than that of the poor... printer friendly full version here

Industrial Warfare.  Industrial matrimony.  Neo-liberalism's Big Products. November 15, 2006 Volume 14 Nr. 3, Issue 222 Jozef Hand-Boniakowski Just as we are indoctrinated into the mindset that the war will never be done away with, we think we cannot have a wedding outside the corporate model.  The cultural operative dictates a public ceremony, typically including a minister, a reception with an obligatory meal, a bubbly toast, booze, a band, a DJ, a wedding cake and some kind of favor for the guests.  A corporate recipe for yet another commodity.  Like other commodities, the typical mass produced wedding is riddled with...  printer friendly full version here

The Doctrine of Americanism and the United States Midterm Elections of November 7, 2006. October 30, 2006 Volume 14 Nr. 2, Issue 221 Jozef Hand-Boniakowski In this the last week before the 2006 mid-term elections (November 7, 2006) in the United States, it may behoove us as United States citizens to ponder upon the following historic words: "Many of the practical expressions of Americanism such as party organization, system of education, and discipline can only be understood when considered in relation to its general attitude toward life. A spiritual attitude. Americanism sees in the world...  printer friendly full version here

War as Human Defect.  Faith as Disease September 19, 2006 Volume 14 Nr. 1, Issue 220 Jozef Hand-Boniakowski Just before the cease fire in the Israel-Hezbollah war went into effect at 0500 hours GMT, 14 August, there was a final push for maximizing destruction and death.  Last licks, before time runs out.  The maximization of casualties is not the characteristic of a sophisticated and highly developed species.  Quite the contrary...  printer friendly full version here

All Natural August 7, 2006 Volume 13 Nr. 51, Issue 219 JeanneE Hand-Boniakowski Ah, the seduction of that meme: “natural”.  We are enchanted by a notion of the natural world that reads like a personals ad: “loves long moonlit walks on the beach.”  Just as one should be realistic about Mr. Box # 4723, so should one examine assumptions about nature.  Parasites and polio, tsunamis and tsetse flies, volcanoes and vipers are all natural.  When we get that wistful idea of Nature, we are thinking of...  printer friendly full version here

Banning Body Jewelry.   Stretching Ear Lobes While Shrinking Free Speech. July 26, 2006 Volume 13 Nr. 50, Issue 218 Jozef Hand-Boniakowski Having mouth jewelry in today's off-shoring job marketplace appears to be a positive asset.  Just wait, Ms. Pena.  Your job and your teachers positions are about to be eliminated.  You are going to be replaced by Indian educators and teachers with mouth and ear jewelry!  These other fad- endowed educators and teachers even have the audacity to speak the Queen's English.  They are anglophiles who, unlike "Texan", G.W. Bush, can pronounce the word "nuclear" properly and not mangle verb tenses...  printer friendly full version here

Exceptional Americans Manifest Their Destiny:  And to Hell with the Consequences June 16, 2006 Volume 13 Nr. 49, Issue 217 Jason Miller Contrary to the “catapulted propaganda”, Enron, Haditha, and Abu Ghraib were not isolated incidents or the work of a “few bad apples”. American savagery and oppressive behavior pervades our society and predates our nation’s birth. Building its patriarchal wealth on the backs of Black slaves and cheap labor while acquiring its territory through Native American genocide, predatory exploitation of non-Anglos, the poor, women, and the working class emerged as a pillar of America’s socioeconomic “success” before we even declared our independence.  printer friendly full version here

Capitalism Requires a Great Depression. Getting Ready for World War III.  June 17, 2006, Volume 13 Nr. 48, Issue 216 Jozef Hand-Boniakowski The Boomers grew up in a period within the United States when the expectation was that every year the personal and family economic situation would improve along with the improved fiscal condition of the nation.  Every year better than the previous year.  The Boomers who worked hard all their lives are now beginning to retire and the fiscal house of the United States is not in order to provide for them in their senior years as was promised... printer friendly full version here

American Capitalism and The Moral Poverty of Nations.  Of Faustian Bargains and Disposable Human Being May 30, 2006, Volume 13 Nr. 46, Issue 214 Jason Miller A few days ago, a long time friend and I had the good fortune to spend a few days with the wonderful people of the anarchist environmental community, Woodfolk, in Charlottesville, Virginia.  It is to them I wish to rededicate the first two versions of my Peacemakers songs below, especially Peacemakers II, for it is within the Woodfolk community that I see the best chances for this planet realizing what I have written about in this song.  The planet needs more people like Woodfolk if it is to survive.  Thank you Woodfolk.  Thank you very very much...  printer friendly full version here

Memorial Day.  A Dedication to the People of Woodfolk in Charlottesville, Virginia May 30, 2006, Volume 13 Nr. 46, Issue 214 Jozef Hand-Boniakowski A few days ago, a long time friend and I had the good fortune to spend a few days with the wonderful people of the anarchist environmental community, Woodfolk, in Charlottesville, Virginia.  It is to them I wish to rededicate the first two versions of my Peacemakers songs below, especially Peacemakers II, for it is within the Woodfolk community that I see the best chances for this planet realizing what I have written about in this song.  The planet needs more people like Woodfolk if it is to survive.  Thank you Woodfolk.  Thank you very very much...  printer friendly full version here

Slaves to the "Free Market" Unite.  Can Humanity Make a Stand Against the Ruthless Onslaught of Capitalist Imperialism? May 25, 2006, Volume 13 Nr. 45, Issue 213 Jason Miller Despite the widening wealth gap, the Wal-Martization of the economy, Katrina, Iraq, stolen elections, an $8 trillion national debt, tax cuts for the wealthy, and increasingly rapacious acts by corporations, many Americans are still oblivious to our descent into fascism. Sucking on the pacifier of conspicuous consumption, they "shop till they drop", lining Corporate America's pockets and freeing the ruling elite to pursue world domination, as outlined in the Project for the New American Century and the Bush Doctrine... printer friendly full version here

The Arrogance of "Enlightenment".   "Spirituality" as Unconscious Prejudice May 17, 2006, Volume 13 Nr. 44, Issue 212 Jozef Hand-Boniakowski Liberals can hardly consider themselves "enlightened" when they assume that people around them are going to gladly join in holding hands, praying, chanting, humming a mantra, or otherwise, teleporting themselves to a different plane or state of consciousness.  It is arrogance to assume that saying a prayer, even a non-denominational prayer, is acceptable to everyone gathered in a public venue?  Such arrogance is a violation of personal space, a subterfuge of friendship, and a mockery of camaraderie.  It is maneuvering " spirituality" onto others whether they want it or not... printer friendly full version here

White and Might Make Right: Morality is in the Eye of the Oppressor May 16, 2006, Volume 13 Nr. 43, Issue 211 Jason Miller Encountering a shortage of labor and an over-abundance of economic opportunities in the "New World", the "intrepid" imperialists were undaunted. They simply started capturing indigenous people from various tribes in Africa, selling them into slavery, and shipping them to the Americas. Valuable new commodity emerges. Labor shortage problem solved. One can't help but admire their ingenuity; that is if one suffers from anti-social personality disorder... printer friendly full version here

Success Is Not An Option: To The Rogue Tyrants Belong the Spoils May 3, 2006, Volume 13 Nr. 42, Issue 210 Jason Miller With the arsenal of weapons of mass destruction at its disposal and the economic influence it wields, the US government subjugates mankind through intimidation, extortion, and military domination. Despite myriad signs of its empire declining, America's ruling class easily qualifies as the "masters of mankind"....America began to decline seriously under Reagan, continued its precipitous drop under Bush I and Clinton, and has reached disturbing lows under Bush II. Whether Republican or Democrat, successive United States governments degenerated into an entity which is betraying a majority of its people and is a significant threat to the continued existence of the human species: a failed state... printer friendly full version here

Your Huddled Masses are now my Wretched Refuse: Locking the Golden Door Apr 6, 2006, Volume 13 Nr. 41, Issue 209 Jason Miller Inculcated with the belief that they are morally superior and endowed with an inalienable right to world domination, the members of America's ruling White Patriarchy and their ardent supporters have an immigration problem. Too many "little Brown people" are streaming across their southern border. As America's de facto ruling class wrangles with numerous potential solutions, they are overlooking the obvious: ask the Native Americans what to do. After all, those who forged the American Empire nearly drove the indigenous people of North America to extinction. At the very least... printer friendly full version here

Democrats, liberals, and "progressives": There they go again Apr 2, 2006, Volume 13 Nr. 40, Issue 208 Jozef Hand-Boniakowski There you have it.  Liberal, "progressive" Democrats hate Ralph Nader as much as they hate George W. Bush.  Perhaps, some therapy is in order, as hate is a self-destructive emotion if left unchecked.  It also does not win elections.   I'm not, however, surprised at this outpouring of Democratic venom, as liberals and so-called progressives prefer to blame the loss of elections on everybody and everything, except that is, on the lackluster, uninspiring, boring, bumbling, stumbling, and problematic campaigns of their own candidates.  Democrats prefer... printer friendly full version here

Satan is Resting Easy: The Power of Christ "Propels" Them Mar 9, 2006, Volume 13 Nr. 39, Issue 207 Jason Miller Quoting the eloquent and infamous words of the incredibly articulate Mr. Cheney, I say, "Fuck you!" to their malignant cabal. While this nefarious faction and its loyalists may consider me a traitor, I refuse to pledge allegiance to a pack of criminals who have hijacked the government of the people of the United States. If it is treason to dissent against corrupt thieves and murderers who have shredded our sacred Constitution, I stand guilty as charged... printer friendly full version here

Miscreants, Murderers, and Malefactors: Imperial Conquest, Torture, and a Little Matter of Genocide Mar 1, 2006, Volume 13 Nr. 38, Issue 206 Jason Miller Acting with impunity and wielding the moral authority of pedophiles, Bush and his fellow Neocons have decimated what was left of America's good name while severely crippling our nation’s capacity for advancing and protecting human rights. Setting a sanguineous course in their reckless pursuit of wealth and power, they have afflicted humankind with their perverse agenda. With alarming consistency, these sociopaths have demonstrated their utter disregard for humanity and the well-being of our planet. printer friendly full version here

Rover Goes to School: Sniffing  Our Kids' Civil Liberties Away Feb 27, 2006, Volume 13 Nr. 37, Issue 205 Jozef Hand-Boniakowski, and, JeanneE Hand-Boniakowski In the surveillance culture that the United States has become, notions of patriotism have become dangerously skewed.  Somehow we have come to accept the creepy meme that when we give up our rights — like privacy — we are being patriotic.  That voluntary waiving of our civil liberties is a great proof of our patriotism.  This misguided patriotism is acceptance of despotism.  It is fascism... printer friendly full version here

Check Your Conscience at the Door: We're Building an Empire Feb 21, 2006, Volume 13 Nr. 36, Issue 204 Jason Miller Blaring its typical jarringly cacophonous morning radio jabber, the suddenly welcome sound of my alarm rescued me from the maelstrom of a nightmarish Neocon world spawned within my unconscious mind. As consciousness flooded my being, I had an epiphany. My breed of human being is a pariah in the American Empire. In the minds of the Regime's loyal foot soldiers (the Neo-Tories of the Twenty First Century) American society is waging a domestic war between those they define as liberals and those they qualify as conservatives... printer friendly full version here

The New Dark Age - the 21st Century Feb 13, 2006, Volume 13 Nr. 35, Issue 203 Jozef Hand-Boniakowski Using the phrase "creating human-animal hybrids" pushes the required buttons.  It produces an intended frenzy among the religious Right.  It deliberately sensationalizes and trivializes the complex issues at hand.  Complexity and explanation of it, however, are not what the ignorant seek.  Those manipulating the ignorant prefer to provide neither.  The ignorant are comfortable with simple solutions offered them.  They are content to living their lives with minimal personal involvement in the quest for knowledge.  They are happy to accept what they are told - and to blame those who do not accept it - for the world's ills... printer friendly full version here

Shed Your Addiction: Beyond Mere Survival in  the American Dystopia Feb 4, 2006, Volume 13 Nr. 35, Issue 202 Jason Miller 1984 has come to pass, both chronologically and in the Orwellian sense. Americans are "liberators" inIraq. Opponents of this "peace initiative" are "doubleplusungood". Unchecked by the judiciary, the NSA electronically trolls for perpetrators of "crimethink". Pundits and the "liberal media" (owned by a handful of monolithic corporations despised by people with the values which many define as liberal) have become the Ministry of Truth for the Party... printer friendly full version here

What an idiot!  Bush Jumpstarts the Alternative Energy Movement With His Own Hot Air Demonstration Feb 4, 2006, Volume 13 Nr. 34, Issue 201 Jason Miller Thank you all. Mr. Speaker, Uncle Dick, my Congressional collaborators, my five guaranteed votes on the Supreme Court, distinguished plutocrats, and the rest of you wretched plebs we begrudgingly tolerate (because you grease the wheels of our money-making machine): Today our nation lost a beloved, graceful, courageous woman who called America to its founding ideals and carried on a noble dream. Tonight we are comforted by the fact that my regime is working vigorously to cause that noble dream to unravel at the seams. printer friendly full version here

What an idiot!  Bush Jumpstarts the Alternative Energy Movement With His Own Hot Air Demonstration Feb 2006, Volume 13 Nr. 32, Issue 200 Daniel Patrick Welch Brave souls were treated to the usual lies, exaggerations, distortions and demagoguery, as ol' Ronnie would say. But a few brazen nuggets stand out: it was refreshing, in a perverse sort of way, to hear the biggest recipient of political oil money on the face of the earth rail against special interests. We're addicted to oil! Says the oilmonger. We must guard against the tendency to centralize power in Washington, says the Unitary Executive...When he started in on affordable health care, I had to leave the room to throw up; there is a limit to the pain I can take even for the sake of a column.  printer friendly full version here

Giving George W. Bush a Third Term Jan 2006, Volume 13 Nr. 31, Issue 199 Jozef Hand-Boniakowski I do not expect my encounter with my neighbors in the country store, nor this article to make any difference to them as they believe that being a "good American" in the 21st century United States is very much like the German people being good Germans in the 1930s.  Apparently, no amount of evidence or reasoning can change their minds that their maximum leader is above board, that he is intelligent and that he knows what he is doing.  When asked for explanations for his deceit, George W. Bush, in a moment of divine and intelligent inspiration says, "I ain't gotta tell you nuthin.'"  printer friendly full version here

Why I Now Genuflect to Charles Krauthammer Jan 2006, Volume 13 Nr. 30, Issue 198 Jason Miller Tears streamed down my face as I realized how many filthy distortions I had written about our great nation. How could I ever redeem myself? True American heroes like Michael Savage, Rush Limbaugh, and Michelle Malkin courageously risk their lives each day as they deliver the truth about our noble, courageous, and benevolent Homeland. The poor, uneducated masses thirst deeply for enlightenment as they wander in the desert of ignorance in search of the oasis of knowledge tended by these pillars of American society. Savage and his fellow purveyors of truth risk... printer friendly full version here

Three symbolic harbingers of financial collapse Jan 2006, Volume 13 Nr. 29, Issue 197 Jerry Kroth The symbolic anomalies mount up. Less than a month before we go off to on a pre-emptive war to stop Iraq from developing nuclear weapons, we note that inside the belly of Columbia is an Israeli who engaged in the same pre-emptive attack twenty years earlier. On an ominous Chinese holiday a simulacrum of America falls out of the sky sounding an alarm and carrying messages in her hold that concern preemptive war, Iraq, nuclear weapons, even the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. . . an eerie symbolic cargo indeed! printer friendly full version here

Responses to a War Memorial Jan 2006, Volume 13 Nr. 28, Issue 196 Thomas J. Scheff There is little or no response from the great majority driving and walking on the pier every Sunday. Most of them seem to avoid looking, or give only a sidelong glance. Others briefly read some of  the signs, then continue on their way. Here they are, walking past what surely must be a big surprise, a vast cemetery on the beach directly beneath their gaze. Very few would have known that it was there. How could they not stop? This question is further discussed... printer friendly full version here

On Father's Day, Send Your Cards to Tom Instead of George Jan 2006, Volume 13 Nr. 27, Issue 195 Jason Miller Harvey Kaye's Thomas Paine and the Promise of America rekindled my fading belief in the United States as a potential home to true freedom and justice. Thomas Paine's spirit burns as an intense beacon lighting the way toward his envisioned "asylum for mankind". Paine, in contrast to Washington, is the intellectual father of an America which does not yet exist, but is still very... printer friendly full version here

Rejection in the Free Marketplace of Ideas. Nuestras Américas hablan. Jan 2006, Volume 13 Nr. 26, Issue 194 Jozef Hand-Boniakowski As the United States becomes all that it hated within the former Soviet Union, and worse, it will more and more become rejected in the market place of ideas.  In turn, the United States will further stifle the free market place of ideas for in it freedom shows itself to be the option of rejecting neo-liberalism itself.  For neo-liberalism, democracy means never having to say it lost an election, a war, nor power.  And so, the people of America, that is those of Marti's, Our America, are banding together and showing that another world is possible... printer friendly full version here

"Closed Captioned for Those Whose Hearing (and Thinking) Has Been Impaired by the Drumbeats for War" Dec 2005, Volume 13 Nr. 25, Issue 193 Jason Miller President Discusses Iraq in Address to the Nation The Oval Office.  [Commentary and translation]  Three days ago, in large numbers, Iraqis went to the polls to choose their own leaders... Three days ago, in large numbers, Iraqis went to the polls to choose their own leaders from a carefully vetted group of candidates... This election will not mean the end of violence. But it is the beginning of something new: constitutional democracy... This election will not mean the end of violence. The US military industrial complex needs perpetual war to grease its wheels, increase shareholder value and line the pockets of executives... printer friendly full version here

Wearing the Hash Marks of Peace Activism Dec 2005, Volume 13 Nr. 24, Issue 192 Jozef Hand-Boniakowski Peace activists should be well aware that change comes over the long term.  Let us be honest.  The peace work that we do, hopefully, will lead to a less violent world in our children's and grandchildren's lifetime.  Chastising other activists for their lack of involvement suggests an impertinent impatience with the long-term process, perhaps, an overindulgence in our own self-importance.  The goal of peace may be grandiose, but our day-to-day actions should not be.  Let us not delude ourselves into thinking they are... printer friendly full version here

Privatize Me...Corporatize Me...Blackwaterize Me... Dec 2005, Volume 13 Nr. 23, Issue 191 Jason Miller Torture, state-sponsored terrorism, illegal wars, flagrant disregard for international law, tax decreases for the wealthy, funding cuts for social safety net programs, government endorsed racism, and diasporas in the aftermath of natural disasters are but a few examples of the handiwork of the wealthy elite as they create a gross perversion of Paine's vision of the US. Not to worry though. printer friendly full version here

The Iron Fist of Jesus Dec 2005, Volume 13 Nr. 22, Issue 190 Jason Miller How much damage will men like George Bush, James Dobson, Pat Robertson, Sam Brownback, Ralph Reed, and Rick Santorum inflict before reason prevails and they are unmasked as the twisted, malevolent charlatans that they are? Fundamentalist Christians, adherents to a nauseating perversion of Christianity (conjured from their twisted imaginations and their distorted interpretations of the Bible) wield a significant amount of power in the... printer friendly full version here

Jesus Takes a Pass On Celebrating His Birthday.  Judas Makes a Case for Black Friday Nov 2005, Volume 13 Nr. 20, Issue 189 Jozef Hand-Boniakowski While Jesus' message conveys contentment with living a simple life, neo-liberalism markets a constant dissatisfaction with life.  Our looks, our clothes, our music, toys, status, health, position, cars, food, possessions, family, friends, etc., are never good enough.  We never have enough of them either.  We are as church goers constantly sermonized to and falling for the rhetoric of spending.  We pray and shop our way back to personal satisfaction but it never quite gets us there.  Preachers know that their congregations are best controlled through the manipulated discontent...  printer friendly full version here

Ongoing Quest for the Many Manifestations of Bigfoot.  Review and Commentary on Mike Palecek's Latest Novel Nov 2005, Volume 13 Nr. 19, Issue 188 Jason Miller Mike Palecek knows a bit about dissent, and to his credit, is an "enemy of the (corrupt and tyrannical) state". He has been crusading to find and expose the truth for years as a journalist, editor and writer. At one point, the rulers of the "land of the free" held him as a prisoner of conscience at seven different federal prisons for his non-violent civil disobedience he carried out against their sacrosanct military industrial complex... printer friendly full version here

America's Corporatocracy says "no Mas" Nov 2005, Volume 13 Nr. 18, Issue 187 Jason Miller As they have with Chavez, the United States government and its lapdogs in the mainstream media have vilified Morales. Morales and Chavez are both portrayed as "threats" to the United States and have been characterized as "enemies". It is mind-boggling that the leaders of the wealthiest and most powerful nation in the history of humanity can view these men or their tiny nations (neither of which have the military might to overpower the state of Rhode Island) as legitimate threats... printer friendly full version here

Ubiquitous Culture of Death and Violence Nov 2005, Volume 13 Nr. 18, Issue 186 Jozef Hand-Boniakowski Our pResident, George W. Bush, tells us that he speaks to Jesus. I wonder if the dialogue ever includes Mathew 26:15 when it purports to quoting Jesus as having said, "Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword"?  I doubt it since the United States is so permeated with the culture of violence and death that its major religion has forgotten that its central figure, Jesus Christ, the "prince of peace" was killed by crucifixion... printer friendly full version here

Our Mothers (and Thomas Paine) Warned Us about People like the Disciples of Strauss Nov 2005, Volume 13 Nr. 17, Issue 185 Jason Miller In support of the brave and intelligent citizens of Vermont who recently passed a resolution to secede from the union, I decided to update and modify our Declaration of Independence to fit the circumstances we are facing in 2005. Despite the numerous distinctions between then and now, in some significant ways, little has changed. Like our Founding Fathers, I enumerated grievances of the Oppressed in my version of the Declaration, and many... printer friendly full version here

El País de las Pesadillas: Sweet Dreams for America's Ruling Elite and their Sycophantic Loyalists Nov 2005, Volume 13 Nr. 16, Issue 184 Jason Miller Yet regardless of the root causes, the Ugly American is alive and well. I have learned that the United States is not a particularly friendly environment for proponents of social justice, peace, intellectual freedom, and human rights. The consensus amongst decent human beings (those in the United States and in other nations) is that universal human rights and peaceful co-existence are moral imperatives, but in Pax Americana, many worship the virtual antithesis... printer friendly full version here

Bush Regime Going Down in Plames Nov 2005, Volume 13 Nr. 15, Issue 183 Jozef Hand-Boniakowski These haters of the Constitution and destroyers of anyone that gets in their way deserve that special place in Hell where they can continue their Texas barbecues fired by the flames of the people's disgust of them... Having Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Karl Rove, Paul Wolfowitz, etc., i.e., the entire "cabal" behind bars in one of their prestigious palaces of neo-liberalism's incarceration would go a long way toward letting the world know that the situation in the United States is not completely hopeless... printer friendly full version here

Where is the Grand Inquisitor When You Need Him? Oct 2005, Volume 13 Nr. 14, Issue 182 Jason Miller Besides severely minimizing or eliminating social programs, the ruling elites have a more sinister agenda, which Dr. Chomsky unveils. Continued implementation of this agenda will enable the Social Darwinists to strip away social support systems while simultaneously enjoying the consent of many Americans. They are targeting both the programs and the impetus for their existence. Malevolent yet brilliant... printer friendly full version here

Surrender Is Not An Option Oct 2005, Volume 13 Nr. 13, Issue 181 Jason Miller The Bush regime knows that America's days as the world's superpower are numbered. The eclectic conglomeration (i.e. the obscenely rich, mammoth corporations, lobbyist groups, Israeli interests, the Religious Right), which holds the true power in our nation behind the facade of a federal republic, is painfully aware of its impending demise under the existing paradigm. Desperation has led them to commit criminal acts of the most heinous variety. Defying international law and shredding the US Constitution, our rogue government... printer friendly full version here

Try And Catch The Wind Oct 2005, Volume 13 Nr. 12, Issue 180 Daniel Patrick Welch I realize that things are not quite yet as bad as they were in the McCarthy years, no matter how the civil libertarians might shriek. But they also have the unprecedented capacity to get much worse in an instant. The police state stands at hair-trigger readiness, waiting for the flick of the first domino by Bush or some future zealous front man. We are seeing the perfect storm that libertarians and anarchists alike have warned us about for generations: the unholy merger of the ueberstate and corporate hegemony. printer friendly full version here

We Can't Let It Happen Here. Oct 2005, Volume 13 Nr. 11, Issue 179 Jason Miller America 's apologists can deny the reality to their dying breath, but the truth is that the United States of America as a democracy, a republic, or a free society is a fraud...even our founders fell far short of the standards they set for themselves. Many owned slaves...Some, like Alexander Hamilton, desired an overt aristocracy because they did not trust the "people" to govern themselves. Virtually all of our founders were wealthy, white land-owners. printer friendly full version here

What Noble Cause?  Vietnam Combat Veteran Not Welcome at Vietnam War Memorial Sep 2005, Volume 13 Nr. 10, Issue 178 Jozef Hand-Boniakowski No sooner had the tears flowed then he was ordered to put the flag down.  Not being easily intimidated this former G.I. questioned the D.C. authority on the rationale for having to remove his flag.  He was then told he had to leave or be arrested.  This Vietnam combat veteran who was sent to kill others in Vietnam under the pretense of protecting the American way of life was now being threatened with incarceration for practicing it!... printer friendly full version here

Peaceful Assualt on the Epicenter of Evil Sep 2005, Volume 13 Nr. 9, Issue 177 Jason Miller "The White House and the Pentagon look so innocuous, yet behind their innocent facades lurk sinister forces which have unleashed much misery and suffering upon the world," I thought as I scrutinized each of them armed with an insight gleaned from many hours of study... printer friendly full version here

Dr. Bush and Mr. Hyde: The Fundamentalist Shadow of George W. Bush Sep 2005, Volume 13 Nr. 8, Issue 176 John D. Goldhammer The invasion of American Democratic institutions by fundamentalist, historically militant (as in crusades,