Tom Dispatch recently mentioned former federal prosecutor Elizabeth de la Vega’s new book United States v. George W. Bush et al., which is a fictitious, though not unrealistic, look at how the President and members of his administration might be indicted for defrauding the US public with regards to Iraq. If you’d like to read the actual ‘indictment’ from the book, click here. While only fiction, it’s not as if her case isn’t well researched and presented.

Beyond that, Iraq isn’t in a state of civil war, the members of NATO might have differing opinions about their roles in Afghanistan but everything there’s pretty much peachy, Darfur still seems to be extremely difficult to locate in most people’s atlases, depending on who you talk to in Quebec things are either going very well for separatists or very well for federalists, and a few more puppets have released albums that will no doubt, in thirty years, become anchors for numerous biographies and best of collections that will stand as testaments to their everlasting impact on music.

I’ve always been able to uncomfortably live with the fact that after killing the radio star, video was never convicted of a crime; but this shopping-mall-musical-contestant-turned-super-star horseshit is too much. Can you imagine what would happen were a young Robert Allen Zimmerman to appear, acoustic in hand, before the likes of Jake Gold, Zack Werner, and Sass Jordan? He’d most likely be ridiculed to placate an audience of sycophantic morons and then shown the door. Ironically, not one person involved with that show is fit to lick one of Dylan’s boot heels. And while the development of grass roots talent is thrust aside for quick dollars, the future of this country’s artistic landscape slides further into the abyss.

No matter, I’m sure someone will come up with something before it’s too late. After all, being that CTV paid comparative pennies for the rights to broadcast Live8, and most likely made millions off of advertising during the broadcast, I’m sure Canadians can look to them, and like minded media giants, to help save the integrity of the very thing that they’ve helped destroy.

Right?

There’s that word again – honor. Richard Nixon used it in the 70’s when referencing leaving Vietnam. At the time, Henry Kissinger’s gravelly whispers were also within earshot.

Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska recently penned an op-ed that was run in yesterday’s Washington Post. You don’t really need to read it, the title of the piece is enough to alert you to its ignorance - Leaving Iraq, Honorably.

I would first like to point out the obvious to the Senator from Nebraska. No nation leaves another nation that it has invaded and occupied dishonorably, honorably. Only those arrogant enough to presume themselves above international law can so comfortably make such statements. Only those who torture and then pass laws excusing the practice may speak of honor and Iraq in the same sentence. Only those that consider the invasion and occupation worth the price paid by the innocent in an attempt to render Iraq a pro-American, secular, show democracy, would dare suggest that the United States of America is capable of leaving Iraq ‘honorably’.

The second that US air craft began implementing the finer points of Ullman and Wade’s academic handy work, any moral superiority that the United States believed it possessed, vanished. And with it, its honor.

Honor, Senator, is a quality that few in the Senate or House of Representatives have had in quite some time. Honor is not something that one has the ability to claim a quality when it suits their political purposes. Honor, Senator, is what those who have marched in the streets against the lies and deceits of this administration possess even though they have been vilified by many of their countrymen. Honor is something possessed by the soldiers in Iraq that completely disagree with their mission and have the courage to openly say so while still doing their job to the best of their ability. Honor is something possessed by men and women in war time when they refuse immoral orders or refuse to cover-up crimes committed by others.

Honor, Senator, is having the guts to be accountable no matter the cost.

That being the case, the fact that you had the audacity to even mention Henry Kissinger speaks volumes, a man who has helped orchestrate some of the worst foreign policy initiatives in American history, ones that have cost countless lives. Honor, Senator, would dictate to any learned individual that Doctor Kissinger should be on trial at The Hague, not whispering in the ears of a new generation of straw men.

You opened your piece by declaring…

“There will be no victory or defeat for the United States in Iraq. These terms do not reflect the reality of what is going to happen there. The future of Iraq was always going to be determined by the Iraqis — not the Americans.â€?

Were that the case, then why was Iraq invaded? It hadn’t had a weapons program since the early 90’s, the CIA confirmed that prior to the invasion, though no one really cared to listen to those findings. The propaganda linking the Hussein regime with the events of 9/11 was the height of the administration’s very impeachable spin doctoring, which many Americans actually still believe, but it was an absolute creation. Both of these deceits were not only dishonorable, but led to a military invasion and occupation of a country that has now had a specific political model thrust upon it rather than one that was the result of a grass roots, populist democratic movement. In doing so, rather than uniting Iraqis, it has divided them.

Your second paragraph reads…

“Iraq is not a prize to be won or lost. It is part of the ongoing global struggle against instability, brutality, intolerance, extremism and terrorism. There will be no military victory or military solution for Iraq. Former secretary of state Henry Kissinger made this point last weekend.�

The revisionism that Kissinger gets away with never ceases to amaze me.

That aside, would the instability, brutality, intolerance, and extremism of which you speak be in reference to the regime that your very own government supported? Would it involve the same man with which outgoing Secretary Rumsfeld once met and made pleasantries with in the early 80’s? Would it be the same regime that the CIA provided satellite coverage to of Iranian troop movements and positions? Would it be the same regime, Senator, that a short time after committing one of its worst atrocities, your government sent aid to?

As for terrorism, thanks to the Anglo-American military presence, terrorism has been introduced to Iraq. Al-Qaeda in Iraq, as a group, constitutes a small percentage of the actual insurgency, but there is no questioning that Saudis and others have crossed into Iraq to fight. There is also no questioning that terror tactics have been employed by the insurgency, some of which are no different than those used by the Vietnamese.

American corporations and special interest groups have made a killing in Iraq, and there is still the question of the permanent military bases being built there. At what point is ‘leaving Iraq’ plainly stated for what it actually is - ‘creating the public perception of it’?

Honor, Senator, is not something one can at all equate with the leadership behind this fiasco, those who have supported it or said nothing, nor those who went to sleep because in the wake of September 11th it was easier to be angry than honorable. The invasion and occupation of Iraq was never about Iraqi emancipation or the future well being of the Iraqi people beyond them playing the same role that other pro-American democracies throughout the world do, primarily those whose governments were aided into power by the United States, such as in Ukraine. The purpose of the invasion was to take advantage of a tragic incident in an attempt to create a lasting and sustainable military footprint in a vital region of the world.

The end result? The attempt failed. And now the government of Iraq is talking with the Iranian government, something that seemed utterly impossible six months ago, something that makes men like Henry Kissinger cough up yet untested secret algorithms.

Freedom? Democracy? Stability? Just words. Not unlike ‘honor’ seems to be to you, Senator. As Gandhi once said to the British, Senator Hagel – “in the end you will just leave�. And, as feared by many since the invasion, the United States will most probably leave Iraq in the throes of an uncontrollable and bloody civil war.

From the CBC. This applies to the last of the effected areas - Vancouver, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, and Burnaby…

“Medical health officer Dr. Patricia Daly said turbidity levels in the Seymour watershed have dropped low enough to allow people to drink unboiled, unbottled water.

“With the continuing downward trends in turbidity, and with nearly 1,000 water tests for bacteriological results being negative, apart from one false positive, the medical health officers believe that the water is now safe for people to drink.

“So we’re advising all our hospitals, our long-term care facilities, our day cares in schools that they no longer need to serve bottled water, and the public can resume drinking water from their taps.”

Updated: I made tea around dinner time and it tasted terrible. I’d be suspect of the water for the time being.

Last night, while doing some reading I came across a great piece by Linda Milazzo entitled Americans Can’t Handle Another Impeachment,” is the Republican Propaganda. Don’t Be Deceived.. I think it important to provide a short excerpt from the article and hope that it will interest you enough to compel you to read the rest…

“Americans can’t handle another impeachment.” So say the supporters of George W. Bush in their anti-impeachment propaganda.

The truth is Americans CAN handle another impeachment. They CAN handle the truth. In fact, if Americans don’t bring Bush and Cheney to justice after the atrocities they’ve committed, this nation will never reclaim its moral authority. And the people of this nation will be despised for unleashing these dangerous men on the world.

“Americans can’t handle another impeachment” isn’t a truth. It’s a device. Like ‘weapons of mass destruction.’ ‘A mushroom cloud.’ ‘Gassed his own people.’ ‘Sought significant quantities of uranium from A-f-r-i-c-a.’ These are the sound bytes, the parroted propaganda, which brought us to war. Each is a proven lie, told time and again by well-rehearsed pundits. Verbatim delivery. Robotic form. Repeated ad nauseam by grown-up children of the damned. It sounded good for Nicholson in “A Few Good Men,” but rings pretty hollow here. Americans CAN handle and probe for the truth.

As soon as the midterm elections were settled and Democrats took back control, the Republican parrots flew onto the scene. The first to land was smooth talking Connecticut Congressman Christopher Shays, who perched on cspan the morning of November 9th. Within minutes Shays proclaimed the pitfalls of impeachment, responding to an oped by former Republican House Majority Leader, Dick Armey. In his article, Armey advised Republicans to “demonstrate an ability to be good stewards of the taxpayers’ hard-earned money. If Republicans do these things, they will also restore the public’s faith in our standards of personal conduct.”

Vilifying Latin America’s New Wave

I can’t stress enough the importance of Chris Carlson’s recent piece ‘Coup D’etat in Venezuela: Made in the USA’, in particular the following passages. It’s a rather long excerpt, but very important…

“The U.S. has already set up camp in Venezuela, and all the original cast members are here. We’ve got NED, USAID, and yes, once again, Penn, Schoen & Berland. Just like in Serbia, or Ukraine, the objective of the U.S. forces is to remove Chavez from power. Therefore they have teamed up with major opposition groups to map out and implement their strategy. The strategy in Venezuela takes from many of the important lessons that they first learned in Serbia, and have since been carried to many other nations. The goal is to create a situation like in Ukraine in 2004: huge protests against the elections and against the government in order to cause chaos and instability. Basically, it comes in three parts.

First, they need to build up popular support for the opposition candidate, Manuel Rosales, by designing an attractive campaign. This has already been accomplished, in part, but according to most polls Rosales only has about 20 to 30 percent voter intention, compared to Chavez who hovers between 50 and 60 percent.(6) However, it appears support for Rosales has grown a few percentage points in the latest polls as the candidate has crossed the country giving speeches and making promises over the last few months. The major media, of course, gives his campaign nightly coverage, and repeats all of his campaign messages.

The campaign is U.S.-designed and uses modern marketing techniques, and catchy slogans. As shown in the 2005 documentary movie “Our Brand Is Crisis”, about a U.S. team who designed the campaign of their favored candidate in Bolivia, these brilliant campaigns use sophisticated methods to create exactly the image they need for their candidate. They tend to target youth, and often include youth movements as they have with Primero Justica (Justice First) in Venezuela. The branding of the campaign with a color, and a one-word slogan is an important part of the U.S.-designed campaigns. In Serbia is the slogan was “Otpor”, meaning resistance. In Georgia is was “Kmara” (Enough!). In Ukraine, “Pora”, means “It’s Time!”, and now, in Venezuela, the brand is “Atrevete,” roughly translated as “Be bold!”

The second step has been to use the mass media to create the perception that the elections are fraudulent. They have done this in a variety of ways. The NED has funded an organization, Sumate (one-word slogan that means “join up”), with the expressed goal of “achieving a high level of citizen participation in Venezuelan elections. “(7) Founded in 2002, Sumate organized the campaign for the recall referendum to revoke Chavez’s presidential term. They lost the recall vote in August 2004 by a large margin, but went on to claim, with the help of Penn, Schoen, and Berland’s “exit polls,” that the election was fraudulent. Five other polls showed exactly the opposite and concurred with the official voting results in which Chavez won by a wide margin. PSB and Sumate, however, maintained that the opposition had won and that Chavez had committed “massive fraud” in spite of the fact that 5 of the 6 polls concurred with the official results, and that the voting process was certified by both the Carter Center and the Organization of American States.(8) Consequently, Chavez’s image as a democratically elected leader was damaged both nationally and internationally. The fraud claim resonated through the major media, and planted doubts about Chavez’s legitimacy.

Since the recall referendum, the campaign has been non-stop. Sumate and other opposition groups continue to attack the electoral process in Venezuela, claiming it is not transparent and unfairly controlled by the Chavez government. The major media in Venezuela have wholeheartedly supported this campaign giving coverage to Sumate, and their constant press releases denouncing problems with the electoral process. The idea is to decieve enough people into believing that the Chavez regime is not popularly supported, but is holding on to power through fraudulent elections. They have already been fairly successful in convincing a percentage of the population.

Finally, they must get enough people out into the streets in order to create a situation in which a transition of power could take place. Here is where Penn, Schoen & Berland comes in. In the recent months in the lead up to the December 2006 elections, Penn, Schoen & Berland has been instrumental in shaping public perception. In a series of election polls widely covered in the private media, the polling firm has consistently shown that Chavez’s lead is shrinking, and the opposition is gaining momentum, while all of the other surveys done over the last few months show that Chavez maintains a wide lead of between 20 and 30 percent.(9)

Last week, Mr. Schoen, of Penn, Schoen & Berland, released the findings of his latest survey on the Venezuelan evening news. As expected, Penn’s survey showed that Chavez’s opposition, Manuel Rosales, was nearly tied in the polls with Chavez. Chavez, it showed, had only 48% support, and his opponent Manuel Rosales had gained significantly up to 42%. This poll is now being reported across all the major Venezuelan media, to a huge audience, showing that Rosales was gaining more and more everyday, and could possibly win. Mr. Schoen added his personal opinion, “The momentum is clearly with Rosales.”(10)

With the help of the mainstream media, almost all of which is vehemently opposed to the popular president, these fake polls have reached a wide audience. All the newspapers, the major television channels, and internet news sites report the poll results as if they were true, valid, findings. They don’t mention the fact that these findings are not supported by any other polling agency. Again, although the reality is that Rosales has almost no chance of winning in the December elections, much of the population now believes he will. The reality doesn’t seem to matter, all that really matters is what the population believes. When their candidate loses by a large margin, it will be a difficult reality to deal with. If the opposition strategy works, it might be possible to produce large protests and even riots.

Two weeks ago, on Globovision, one of the major private channels in Venezuela, opposition leader Rafael Poleo called on Venezuelans to do the “Ukrainian” on the day after the elections.(11) Claiming the elections will be fraudulent, Poleo, who was involved in the 2002 coup attempt, described in detail a “plan” to remove Chavez from power after the elections. Comparing it to the “Orange Revolution”, the plan calls for Venezuelans to come out en masse to protest against the Chavez government and what they call “fraudulent elections.” Poleo then made a call to the high military command to back this “movement”, in what basically amounts to a call to overthrow the government.”

As some of you might be aware, Rafael Correa has won Ecuador’s recent Presidential election, a win gained by addressing the inequalities in his country, such as the ramifications of a new free trade deal with the United States. He also plans to close America’s only military instillation in the country.

Correa’s opponent, the billionaire banana tycoon Alvaro Noboa, is parroting the usual rhetoric that has been spewed by other US backed candidates that have lost recently in Latin America, and will, no doubt, demand a recount and attempt to confuse the process as much as he is able to.

A little background information on Mr. Noboa…

“In April 2002 Human Rights Watch released a report that “found that Ecuadorian children as young as eight work on banana plantations in hazardous conditions, while adult workers fear firing if they try to exercise their right to organize.� Chiquita, Del Monte, Dole, Favorita and Noboa’s company were all accused of being supplied by plantations on which children worked.

Noboa’s exporting company, Exportadora Bananera Noboa, had sales of $220 million in 2004 and $219 million in 2005/�

[…]

“A 2005 investigation uncovered 99 companies in Ecuador registered to fictitious addresses. All were associated with Noboa’s business.�

[…]

“…the government determined that another Noboa company, Frutería Jambelí Frujasa, owed almost $20 million in back taxes, including about $7 million due to interest accrued. The amount was calculated as part of an audit of Noboa’s 114 firms. A newspaper contacted the firm and was told by employees that it no longer existed. The number was that of Corporacion Noboa.�

Sounds like the prefect choice for a national leader, doesn’t he.

Casey loves the snow. Kick it and he’ll chase it and try and catch it his mouth. In general, the dog is snow crazy. In fact, he might just be nuts full stop.

There’s a precarious line between writing and demoing, at least for me anyway. Once I start to flush out songs I find that I stop writing new ones, which in this particular case isn’t a bad thing being that I’m staring up at a list of 17 songs, all of which I intend to put on the record. Will it require two discs? At this point I think it should all fit on a single disc, so a small crisis there may have been averted. That’s not to say that I might not write something between now and then, but I have 5 of 17 songs demoed right now, and yesterday spent 8 hours on a single verse of one song trying to trouble shoot nuances, so God knows.

It’s snowing here. Snow in Vancouver, if it accumulates, means that the entire city shuts down, which is a bit of a treat for those of us that live in the downtown core. The city becomes somewhat like a ghost town, its inhabitants cautiously emerging from their usual hiding places astounded that the streets are empty and the usual noise that constantly fills the air has been replaced by just the sound of the wind. When I used to live uptown, which is to say just off Robson at Bute, I was always amazed at how silent and abandoned Robson street became after it snowed. The same goes for the neighborhood West of Denman, in which I lived for some 8 years.

So far it hasn’t really stuck, though I’m sure out in the valley it’s accumulating quite nicely. Thankfully we have the warmth of the ocean here to help prevent serious accumulation (for the time being anyway).

As most are aware, Vancouverites can’t drive in the snow, so watch out for sliding buses, cars, prams, and a whole host of other things on wheels.

Iraq

You know that democracy is alive an well in Iraq when Iraqis are stoning the motorcade of the Prime Minister. Maliki was traveling into the slums of Southern Baghdad, better known as Sadr City (once Saddam City), to pay respects to the 202 people killed there in a recent bomb attack. Sadr City is a Shiite stronghold largely loyal to the cleric Moktada al-Sadr, whose political allies in government have threatened to boycott Parliament if Prime Minister Maliki meets with George Bush in Jordan this Wednesday.

US: Covert + Arms Trade

First, a must read article by Chris Carlson entitled Coup D’etat in Venezuela: Made in the USA. The article takes a decent look at modern influencing initiatives with regards to political destabilization techniques utilized by the United States through proxies such as the NED and USAID.

Second, an equally interesting article that looks at the history of the incoming Secretary of Defense, Robert M. Gates. The National Security Archive’s Robert Gates File offers further insight.

Lastly, Frida Berrigan’s piece at Foreign Policy In Focus entitled ‘United States Rides Weapons Bonanza Wave’ is also a must read.

Vancouver-Mont

Supposedly Merle was involved in an incident with ICM Security last night at The Stones show. According to him, a few ICM security guys came into his row and tried to tell him and a few others to get out of their seats. When Rod produced his ticket and proved that he was in the correct place the ICM guys became perturbed and he was physically escorted out briefly without any justification. Finally, after missing three songs, he was allowed to return to his seat.

I have personally worked with ICM for years, and have even gone through them to contract personal tour security. Sometimes there’s just no getting past the fact that people in those positions like to abuse their power, and that they apply for such positions precisely because it affords them the opportunity to make up for their own feelings of inadequacy.

The so called ‘concierge’ at my new building falls into the same category. He thinks he’s Jesus Christ reincarnate, except that he spends most of his time slumped over like Gollum smoking outside the front door. His favorite pastime I’m told is gossiping about the people who live here to the developer and property management company – both of whom are welcome to come to my front door at any time. I’ll be more than happy to, in no uncertain terms, divulge what’s on my mind.

Merle’s going to The Stones tonight. He paid some ridiculous amount of money, much like he did the last time he saw them, which also involved a flight to Calgary. Call me crazy, and this is coming from a musician, but there comes a point when you lose respect for a band, even as omnipotent as The Stones, when they’ve just turned into little more than a global corporation. I remain a very large Keith Richards and Charlie Watts fan, but something about $400 floor tickets, well, just stuns me. And that goes for any band that has outrageous ticket prices, blames it on inflated touring costs, and yet at the end of the day still somehow ends up making millions of dollars on tours, if not a night (U2, for example).

I went and got a coffee this morning and the shop owner, who’s from Baghdad, and I talked about what’s been happening of late. It’s come to the point where we just stand at the counter and shake our heads and don’t really say much – because what is there to say?

I would have also commented on President Bush’s recent visit to Vietnam, and the horseshit that came out his mouth while there regarding America’s involvement in Iraq, but Keith Olbermann’s comments on the matter pretty much say it all.

Design: Just a quick overhaul, nothing too serious. All done.

I’ve decided that it’s random acts of kindness weekend. This morning I got coffee for the boys outside the methadone clinic. Tomorrow? Who can say. My sister in law and her friend are going to be passing out winter jackets down here this weekend I believe, and another friend who owns a well known boutique on South Granville is contemplating providing some shoes.

As I’ve said numerous times on this website, I’ve lived downtown for some 15 years, but at no point in all those years have I felt such a desire to participate in a community as I do down here. Bob Dylan once wrote: “when you ain’t got nothin’, you’ve got nothin’ to lose, you’re invisible now�. Those lyrics perfectly describe these alleys and streets and the people who sleep on them.

In the House of Commons they’re arguing over semantics, wasting time while taxpayers float their salaries when they could be addressing far more important issues. Quebec certainly is a distinct society, and within it there are people who need a helping hand, just as there are on Vancouver’s Lower Eastside.

If we, as a people, can’t put aside our differences long enough to address issues that plague every society within our country, then what is the point of arguing over definitions of distinction?

Updated: See, had I known it was buy nothing day I wouldn’t have bought those guys coffee. I would have instead bought the lastest copy of Adbusters and drooled over it’s overpriced pomp.

Updated: A nice little quote…

“Gilles Duceppe said Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s motion was a victory for separatist aspirations in Quebec.”

This morning I was pleased to see large flats of water being unloaded off of a truck on East Cordova obviously meant to be handed out to those down here that are less fortunate and don’t have access to clean water. Of course, that hasn’t stopped some from suggesting that…

“While many people in Greater Vancouver consider the boil-water advisory to be a hassle, some residents of the Downtown Eastside are welcoming it.�

Imagine that. The balls on the disenfranchised hey? I’ve seen a grown woman throw a temper tantrum because America’s Next Top Model was preempted, and yet when people who are used to drinking out of filthy public taps are amazed that they’re being given free clean water they’re still humiliated for it.

Not to worry. The closer the Olympics get, the cleaner the streets around here will become. And complete jackasses such as myself will sit in our fancy fucking lofts and say things like “that’s bullshit!� before pouring glasses of pinot noir and reading the latest issue of Dwell.

Welcome to Vancouver.

Today saw perhaps the deadliest attack since the 2003 US invasion, adding to what has become, according to most, the war’s deadliest month. Novembers seem to be particularly eventful when one looks at the history of this conflict, but there is one November in particular that should be focused on above all others.

While last November saw the massacre at Haditha occur, a war crime that was immediately covered up by the Marine Corps only to be revealed to the world months later, the November 2004 assault on Fallujah remains the war’s most suspect action.

Operation Phantom Fury, also know as the second battle of Fallujah, commenced after intensified aerial attacks hammered the city for weeks. The mystery of what actually happened during the second assault on Fallujah remains one of the greatest unanswered questions of the war, and most likely one of the most resounding propaganda successes of the United States and its military during the entire occupation. While military spokesmen claimed that Marines were mopping up pockets of insurgent resistance, independent sources were claiming that fierce fighting was taking place, some of which was between US forces and those simply attempting to protect their homes (it is estimated that one fifth of the homes in Fallujah were destroyed). Males deemed to be of fighting age were turned back when they attempted to join their families fleeing the city prior to the assault. In all, over 300,000 people fled the city and of those it is believed that over 100,000 are still displaced. There were also independent reports, discounted because they were from Arab sources, that the hospital was purposely targeted, and that White Phosphorus was used by the US military, an accusation that the US government initially claimed false only to later change its story, admitting that WP munitions had been used, but only for illumination purposes and not offensive purposes, a claim that has been widely disputed, even by Marines that took part in the action itself.

During the assault and occupation of the city, it is believed that American snipers were responsible for the deaths of numerous civilians, some children, as reported by The Independent in November of that year.

Completely off topic, I wanted to quote something from an Amy Goodman article that appeared in today’s Seattle Post-Intelligencer…

“Frederick Douglass, the renowned abolitionist, began life as a slave on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. When his owner had trouble with the young, unruly slave, Douglass was sent to Edward Covey, a notorious “slave breaker.” Covey’s plantation, where physical and psychological torture were standard, was called Mount Misery. Douglass eventually fought back, escaped to the North and went on to change the world. Today Mount Misery is owned by Donald Rumsfeld, the outgoing secretary of defense.

It is ironic that this notorious plantation run by a practiced torturer would now be owned by Rumsfeld, himself accused as the man principally responsible for the U.S. military’s program of torture and detention.â€?