From smrose@exis.net Sun Aug 2 19:06:38 1998 From: "Steve Rosenthal" To: PSN@CSF.COLORADO.EDU Date: Sun, 2 Aug 1998 21:07:35 +0000 Subject: A patriotic epiphany? The official mourning and mass media attention given the two security police killed at the Capitol building inWashington came exactly one year after the death of Princess Diana set off both a media frenzy and lengthy discussion on PSN. I wasn't quite sure what to make of the immense effort made to memorialize the two officers until I read a New York Times op-ed column by Maureen Dowd titled "Proud words: My dad was a cop." Dowd put it all together for me. Dowd first described the 1960s: "In the Vietnam era, with the National Guard killing kids at Kent State, with the Chicago police billyclubbing yippies, with the stench of tear gas and class hatred everywhere...Cops were pigs. The military was fascist." But Dowd thinks that the reaction to the death of John Gibson and Jacob Chestnut shows that times have really changed: "As I watched their memorial service, it struck me that my generation had come a long way from the days when anyone in uniform was a fit target..." Cops have been rehabilitated: "Old Mayor Daley is dead. Long live Sipowitz..." But the ruling class "narrative" is not only about their effort to rebuild support for domestic law and order. It is also about the other "bodies of armed men and women," the military. Dowd continues: "Steven Spielberg has been giving interviews, talking about having made "Saving Private Ryan" to honor the men who fought in World War II and risked so much for freedom...Seeing the long queues for the patriotic "Saving Private Ryan,' it seems a long time from the days of the military as fascist." Historian Stephen Ambrose, whose books about World War II soldiers Steven Spielberg used in producing "Saving Private Ryan," said on National Public Radio last week that this movie shows soldiers what they need to know about combat in order for them to be ready to fight the next war. Tom Hanks, star of the movie, has said on many occasion that he wants to act in movies that rebuild patriotic unity in American society. Dowd, Spielberg, Ambrose, Hanks, and the ruling class for whom they are such loyal, devoted, and highly paid mouthpieces, are giving us a pretty good glimpse of the future. It is a future of fascism and war, in which police and soldiers will be doing a lot of killing and dying. The sharpening of the contradiction between the competitive requirements of the bosses and the needs of the workers was reflected in the recent GM strike. The spreading global crisis of overproduction is reflected in the new outbreaks of war in Kosovo and Kashmir. Whatever the stain on Monica Lewinsky's dress may turn out to be, the person who becomes President after Bill Clinton will continue and accelerate growth of fascism in the U.S. and preparations for imperialist war. Maureen Dowd may claim that almost everybody has jumped on this patriotic bandwagon, but that is far from true. All of us have a responsibility to make sure that it never comes true. Steve Rosenthal From smrose@exis.net Mon Aug 3 07:53:39 1998 From: "Steve Rosenthal" To: PSN@CSF.COLORADO.EDU Date: Mon, 3 Aug 1998 09:54:36 +0000 Subject: SMSX Book Award To Members of the Section on Marxist Sociology and to PSN'ers: The Distinguished Scholarship Award Committee of the Section on Marxist Sociology of the American Sociological Association has selected two books to receive the 1998 Distinguished Scholarship Award, and the recipients have been notified. Award recipients will be officially recognized at the Reception of the Section on Marxist Sociology to be held during the ASA Meeting in San Francisco on Sunday, August 23, at 6:30pm. The Reception is being held jointly this year with the Section on Racial and Ethnic Minorities and other ASA sections. It promises to be a very large and spirited Reception. If you are attending the ASA Meeting, please plan to attend the Reception to join us in congratulating the recipients of this award. I want to commend Levon Chorbajian and Manuel Moreno, my two fellow members of this committee, for their hard work and for the highly conscientious way in which they pursued this task. I also want to thank all those PSN subscribers who nominated books and authors for consideration. All eight of the books we reviewed were very good, and it was difficult for us to select the award winning books. Steven Rosenthal, Chairperson Distinguished Scholarship Award Committee Section on Marxist Sociology American Sociological Association From dlong@fpm.eushc.org Mon Aug 3 10:03:38 1998 Mon, 3 Aug 1998 12:03:24 -0400 (EDT) 3 Aug 98 12:04:14 est5edt From: "David Michael Long" To: MedSoc@csf.colorado.edu, psn@csf.colorado.edu, ISQOLS-LISTSERV@LISTSERV.VT.EDU Date: Mon, 3 Aug 1998 12:03:47 -0400 Subject: Maturation Scales Dear Colleagues, We are writing a research proposal to study adolescent risk factors for STDs in poor urban neighborhoods. We are specifically interested in "emancipated" adolescents who live on their own or with a partner (or children) as a result of a high personal income (e.g., through they or their partner engaging in illicit drug trade). With this supposed emancipation comes many responsibilities one would ascribe to adults, such as paying rent for oneself and others, buying clothing and other necessary and status-related commodities, et cetera. We have not, however, been able to identify a suitable scale to measure "maturation" as we perceive it. Would anyone have suggestions of reliable and valid instruments that they would recommend? Thanks in advance for any help you can provide, and I will forward a composite/summation of all replies to the list. Dave Long David M. Long, MPH Department of Family and Preventive Medicine Emory University School of Medicine 69 Butler Street, SE Atlanta, Georgia 30303-3219 404-616-2389 (voice) 404-616-6847 (fax) dlong@fpm.eushc.org "Man makes himself... Life is nothing until it is lived." - Jean-Paul Sartre "God can be shaped. God is Change." - Octavia Butler "The tradition of all the dead generations weighs like a nightmare on the brain of the living." - Karl Marx "Resist or serve." - D. Long From markr@taipan.nmsu.edu Mon Aug 3 12:31:30 1998 Date: Mon, 3 Aug 1998 12:33:26 -0600 (MDT) From: Mark Richer To: PROGRESSIVE SOCIOLOGISTS NETWORK Subject: Re: A patriotic epiphany? Hi PSNers, I enjoyed you comments Steve. Thanks for that. On Sun, 2 Aug 1998, Steve Rosenthal wrote: [ ... ] > Dowd continues: "Steven Spielberg has been giving interviews, > talking about having made "Saving Private Ryan" to honor the men who > fought in World War II and risked so much for freedom...Seeing the > long queues for the patriotic "Saving Private Ryan,' it seems a long > time from the days of the military as fascist." > > Historian Stephen Ambrose, whose books about World War II soldiers > Steven Spielberg used in producing "Saving Private Ryan," said on > National Public Radio last week that this movie shows soldiers what > they need to know about combat in order for them to be ready to fight > the next war. Tom Hanks, star of the movie, has said on many > occasion that he wants to act in movies that rebuild patriotic unity > in American society. [ ... ] This just reminded me, it's a project Maureen Dowd has been at for some time: getting over the "Vietnam syndrome" that's troubled warmongers since the 1960s. If you look back to the days when Dowd was praising George Bush, a man with "stark and vivid definition of principle," as shown by his slaughter of Iraqis and destruction of social programs in the US, she quotes Bush favorably: "By God, we've kicked the Vietnam syndrome once and for all" (NYT, March 2, 1991). For reference, the "Vietnam syndrome" was defined nicely by Norman Podhoretz as "the sickly inhibitions against the use of military force" (NYT, Oct. 30, 1985). However, I think Dowd is wrong. While not typically represented in prominent publications, there is tremendous popular opposition to the use of military force, and support for police accountability to the public. The events in Columbus, Ohio last February are a good example. note: thanks to N. Chomsky for the references Mark Richer New Mexico State University From jnaiman@acs.ryerson.ca Fri Aug 7 08:58:33 1998 Date: Fri, 7 Aug 1998 11:01:37 -0400 (EDT) From: Joanne Naiman To: psn@csf.colorado.edu Subject: The Price and Enormity of Folly (fwd) ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1998 22:44:48 -0400 From: Eric Fawcett To: s4p all lists , s4pont@physics.utoronto.ca, s4potht@physics.utoronto.ca, s4ptor@physics.utoronto.ca Subject: The Price and Enormity of Folly THE PRICE This is a brief excerpt from an article that appeared in the Guardian Weekly dated July 12, 1998. It summarizes the first three paragraphs, and the facts it imparts are staggering. US Defence bill comes to $19 trillion Martin Kettle in Washington In the decades since the United States began to develop the atomic bomb in 1940, the government has spent $5,5 trillion [$5,500,000,000,000, i.e., five and a half million million dollars!] on nuclear arms and almost $19 trillion on defence, a new study has calculated. The study, published last week by the Brookings Institution, reports that the US has spent more on its nuclear weapons programs than on any other single public spending program, with the exceptions of pensions ($7.9 trillion) and non-nuclear defence ($13.2 trillion). Federal spending on nuclear weapons has roughly equalled combined spending on state medical insurance ($2.3 tr), health ($1.7 tr) and education ($1.6 tr) The study shows that US stockpiles have been far larger than the public thought. When the then US Defence Secretary, Robert McNamara, stated in 1964 that a nuclear force equivalent to 400 megatons would be enough to cause mutually assured destruction with the Soviet Union, the US stockpile already totalled 17,000 megatons. Although the US and Russia now maintain smaller stockpiles, each still has some 10,000 nuclear warheads. The cost of nuclear arms will "continue for the foreseeable future", the report states. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE ENORMITY: 600 MILLION DEAD -- SECRET PENTAGON 1961 TARGETING ESTIMATE Daniel Ellsberg, who revealed the Pentagon Papers to the New York Times during the Vietnam War, speaking in Tel Aviv, Israel on 13 October 1996 at a conference chaired by Joseph Rotblat in support of Mordechai Vanunu, the world's longest imprisoned anti-nuclear activist, described what he calls "the most evil plans that have ever been made in the history of humanity." Broadcast by Co-op Radio, CFRO Vancouver, on 30 November 1996, from a tape made by Mordechai Briemberg of the Vancouver Committee to free Vanunu. (Transcribed by David Morgan) *** ''In 1961 I drafted a question for the president, John F.Kennedy, to ask the Joint Chiefs of Staff(JCS). I was in the process of drafting for the Secretary of Defense, Robert MacNamara, the Kennedy Administration Annual Operating Plans for General Nuclear War. I wrote a twenty-page top-secret draft, which was adopted totally by MacNamara, who sent it to the JCS, thus changing completely the general war plans from those of the Eisenhower Administration. I was very proud of doing that for reasons that you will see in a moment; I thought the Eisenhower plans were disastrous and that those I had drafted were much better. I can still say that they were better, but I fooled myself that they were that much better. They were still disastrous, and I bear that on my conscience. But in the course of drafting these new plans, I was in a very good position as a consultant to pose the following question for the President to give to the JCS: "If your plans, i.e., the Eisenhower plans, which were still in effect in early 1961, were executed as planned (and weren't disrupted by some typhoon, total incompetence or some pre-emptive attack by the Soviets) how many people would die in the Soviet Union and China?" Now I actually asked that question believing that they did not have an answer. I had been working with the planners for some time had asked the same question, but they had never seen any such estimate done by the Air Force staff, and I didn't think that it existed. I assumed that they didn't WANT to know how many people they could kill. So I thought that they would either have to waffle and admit that they didn't have an answer, which would be very embarrassing for a bureaucrat and would put them off balance, and less resistive to my revisions, or they would come up with some fast estimate that would be absurdly low, and thus have the same effect. Actually they did have an answer. It was addressed, "for the President's eyes only," but since I had written the question, they showed it to my eyes. So I held in my hands a very unusual piece of paper, a one-page sheet with a graph on it. It showed the number of people they expected to be killed in the Soviet Union and China alone--which is what I had asked, since I didn't want them to have an excuse for delaying by saying "we don't have the figures for Albania, give us another month." So I had the graph for the Soviet Union and China. It was an ascending line, a simple graph, starting with the immediate deaths the first day and the deaths from fall-out over the next six months, and the total figure was three hundred and twenty million (320,000,000) dead. So they knew what their plans entailed! It was obviously a computer model. They had done the calculations, so I figured let's ask the rest then--how about the rest of the Sino-Soviet block? Well I won't go through the whole thing, but there were 100 million in West Europe if the winds blew the wrong way over our NATO allies; 100 million in East Europe; neutral countries adjacent to the Soviet Union, like Finland, Afghanistan, Austria, Japan were wiped out by fallout from our attacks, without getting into any calculation of what Russian retaliation to our first strike, might have done. So the total body count over the next couple of weeks was about 600 million (six hundred million)--that means one hundred holocausts! I asked myself how colonels and majors that I drank beer with, saw in the evening, worked with every day, how they could have written such plans. These were not just hypothetical plans--they were the estimates used for the targeting of planes that were on alert all over the world, misssiles, submarines, all the machinery was out there. This was not ten years in the future, this was next week if we went to war. This is what would have happened if we had gone to war over Cuba, which was really possible in 1962, or Berlin in 1961. Six hundred million people! I thought they were the most evil plans that had ever been made in the history of humanity and I've spent the thirty five years since trying to understand how humans, how Americans, had created such plans and such machinery.'' Daniel Ellsberg, 13 October 1996, Tel Aviv, Israel From jnaiman@acs.ryerson.ca Fri Aug 7 09:00:48 1998 Date: Fri, 7 Aug 1998 11:04:12 -0400 (EDT) From: Joanne Naiman To: psn@csf.colorado.edu Subject: Threat of NAFTA case kills Canada's MMT ban (fwd) ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1998 23:37:26 -0400 From: Eric Fawcett To: s4p all lists , s4pont@physics.utoronto.ca, s4potht@physics.utoronto.ca, s4ptor@physics.utoronto.ca Subject: Threat of NAFTA case kills Canada's MMT ban The above was the banner headline in the Globe and Mail on the same day as the following article. The implication for the Government's MAI negotiations (unstated of course) is profound, with environmental regulations (and many others) becoming vulnerable to challenge by foreign corporations, the cases being adjudicated by non-elected international trade tribunals. Victoria Times-Colonist, Monday July 20, 1998; p. A6. "Liberals to back off on gas additive ban" OTTAWA (CP) - The Liberal government is backing off on its year-old ban of the gasoline additive MMT, despite new evidence the manganese in the octane enhancer can cause problems in the nervous system. Government officials have reached a tentative deal with MMT-maker Ethyl Corp., of Richmond, Va., to avoid a legal challenge under the North American free-trade agreement. Federal lawyers had warned the Liberal cabinet that Ethyl would likely win the NAFTA case. Sources told the newspaper that negotiators for the two sides had agreed that Ottawa would drop its ban on MMT and pay the company an estimated $10 million for legal costs and lost profits. The government will also issue a statement to the effect that the manganese-based additive is neither an environmental nor a health risk. In return, Ethyl would drop its NAFTA challenge and its claim for $250 million US in damages. However, Prime Minister Jean Chretien must still approve the agreement. The Liberal government banned the cross-border sale of MMT last year, saying the substance interferes with automobile emission controls and is therefore an environmental hazard. The legislation prohibited the importation or interprovincial sale of the additive. Former environmental ministers Sheila Copps and Sergio Marchi both argued they couldn't ban MMT directly because Health Canada had found there wasn't sufficient evidence it was toxic at low levels. So they resorted to the trade ban. Still, the Liberals' reversal comes as new studies indicate low-level exposure to manganese can cause memory impairment and tremors. Donna Mergler, a neurotoxicologist at the University of Quebec at Montreal, is conducting a study of 306 people in south-western Quebec that correlates manganese blood levels with neurological problems. Preliminary findings presented to a conference last October suggested even low levels of manganese in the blood can have health effects, particularly in children and the elderly. ----------------------------------------------------- From CDFUPDATE@childrensdefense.org Fri Aug 7 13:53:20 1998 Date: Fri, 07 Aug 1998 13:03:43 -0400 From: "CDFupdate CDFupdate" To: cdfupdate@automailer.com Subject: CDF Update - August 7, 1998 Sender: owner-cdfupdate@automailer.com Children's Defense Fund Update August 7, 1998 In this issue: -- House and Senate Recess -- Child Care Now! HOUSE AND SENATE RECESS SCHEDULE The House and Senate have both adjourned for August recess. The Senate is expected to return to Washington on August 31st. The House is expected to return to session on September 9th. It is important to contact your Senators and Representative while they are home. This is a good opportunity for them to hear your concerns about many important issues we have been working on the last several months. For more information on these issues and others, please visit CDF's web site at www.childrensdefense.org. To find the local phone number for your Members of Congress call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121, visit http://congress.org/, or call your local League of Women Voters, elections office, or county or state party operation. --Child Care-- Despite the set back for child care when the tobacco bill (which included the Kerry/Bond Child Care Amendment) was pulled from the Senate floor in June, CDF will continue to work with national, state, and local organizations to pass an increase in funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant. In the fall, we will focus on securing additional funding in the budget process. It is important that members of the House and Senate hear about the need for quality, affordable child care and after-school activities in your community. --Violence Prevention-- There is much work to be done to prevent violence against and by children, especially gun violence. First, Senator Hatch has vowed to bring S. 10 to the Senate floor in September, so Senators need to hear once again that S. 10 is a misguided approach to keeping children safe and on track, because it would allow children to be put in adult jails and prisons, it would fail to significantly invest in prevention, and it would fail to keep children safe from gunfire. Second, encourage Senators and Representatives to endorse the Kennedy/McCarthy Children's Gun Violence Prevention Act. Third, urge Representatives and Senators to support strong prevention investments in the House Commerce-State-Justice Appropriations Bill, which passed the House this week (with $125 million for prevention) and will be conferenced with the Senate bill (with $95 million for prevention). For more details see CDF Update 7/31. --The Budget Bill-- The House has passed a budget resolution that includes a massive $101 billion tax cut that would be paid for by cutting programs to low-income children and families. The Senate has passed its own version of a budget resolution with $30 billion in tax cuts. The House and Senate will attempt to resolve their budget differences after the August recess. Members of Congress must hear that children and their families cannot afford slashes in Medicaid, cash aid, benefits for those with disabilities, food stamps, or the Earned Income Tax Credit and Congress should oppose cutting services and benefits needed by poor and moderate income families in order to fund expensive tax cuts largely benefiting the wealthy. For more details see CDF Update 7/17. --Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Bill-- At a time of economic prosperity and growing budget surpluses, the House Appropriations Committee has proposed an Appropriations Bill that slashes funding for vital programs serving low-income children and families and fails to provide investments in program needed to help America's most vulnerable children have the opportunity to become productive members of our society. The House will consider this bill after the August recess, so urge your Representative to reject this bill and move forward with a measure that addresses the needs of children and families. CHILD CARE NOW! --Help Congress Get The Picture-- Let children speak up by designing banners, posters, and pictures to deliver the child care message to Congress. We need Congress to increase funding for child care this year, so please act now! Children of all ages (and children at heart) can get involved. Be creative! All children's programs, day care homes and centers, summer camps, libraries, churches, community centers, and friends can participate. Ask children to create their own hand-drawn banners, posters, and pictures. Please send us as many drawings as you can. Include the message "Act Now! We Need Quality Child Care and Safe After-School Activities!" on each drawing. Child Care Now! plans to hold a national press conference and deliver the drawings to Congress in mid-September. To make this event a huge success, we need thousands of drawings from across the country. Mail all drawings to Child Care Now! 25 E Street NW, Washington, DC 20001. Questions? Call Brooke Thacher at 202-662-3557. -- OUR STRENGTH IS IN OUR NUMBERS -- PLEASE FORWARD THIS LEGISLATIVE UPDATE TO YOUR FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES! Our typical e-mail is about a page or two long and is delivered once a week. To join the CDF Update list, sign-up on our Web site or send an e-mail to: and write in the body of the message: subscribe cdfupdate PLEASE NOTE: WHEN SUBSCRIBING OR UNSUBSCRIBING, DO NOT SURROUND YOUR ADDRESS WITH BRACKETS. Liz Rochlen Children's Defense Fund 25 E Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 202/662-3540 (fax) CDFupdate@childrensdefense.org www.childrensdefense.org From r.palat@auckland.ac.nz Fri Aug 7 16:25:56 1998 Date: Sat, 08 Aug 1998 10:24:34 +1200 From: Ravi Arvind Palat Reply-To: r.palat@auckland.ac.nz To: psn@csf.colorado.edu Subject: [Fwd: Observance of Hirsoshima Day] This is a multi-part message in MIME format. --------------729E3E2BC52AF4E98896ADDF --------------729E3E2BC52AF4E98896ADDF ([130.216.191.4]) by edunov2.auckland.ac.nz; Sat, 08 Aug 1998 07:13:08 +1200 From: "S. P. Udayakumar" To: BJPGovtWatch@maroon.tc.umn.edu Date: Fri, 7 Aug 1998 14:20:16 +0000 X-Distribution: Moderate Subject: Observance of Hirsoshima Day Reply-to: S P Udayakumar Here are reports of the observance of Hiroshima Day in different=20 parts of India released by India News Network(INN) Calcutta In one of the biggest anti-nuclear demonstration held anywhere in the world, over 400,000 people marched along the streets of Calcutta to register the impassioned protest of the masses against the policy of nuclear weaponisation adopted by the BJP-led government. The march which lasted for more than three hours was convened at the call of 66 mass organisations and of the `6th August Committee' which had been set up earlier in July this year to coordinate the hundreds of organisations which came forward to take part in the march. The procession was interspersed with a variety of tableaux which depicted the terrible fall-out of nuclear explosions. Some portrayed the horrors that continue to haunt the world in the wake of the nuclear attacks by the US in 1945 two small cities of Japan, Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The paintings also reflected the angry mood of the democratic-minded people of Bengal at the reckless nuclear policy resorted to by the BJP-led government. Various scientific research organisations presented models of the kind of all-pervasive pollution that affects humanity even when comparatively 'smaller' nuclear devices are exploded, wheth*er above the ground, below the ground, or under water. Carcino*genic disease=20 proliferates, babies are born with deformities. Genetic structures undergo horrible mutations. The green of the earth continues to die long after nuclear 'experiments' are gone through. The atmospheric conditions develop unpredictable changes with natural disasters rapidly increasing. The procession also included bands of tribal people from most of the twelve districts of south Bengal from where massive proces*sions came to Calcutta from very early in the morning of 6th August. In their own, unique manner, the tribal song-and-dance ensembles voiced their protest against all kinds nuclear 'experi*ments' that would ultimately harm the green earth and the people who inhabited it. The variety of the performances and the colour*ful costumes and masks that they wore attracted a lot of atten*tion. Slogans were raised from the procession against nuclear explo*sions. The refrain was the loudest when the slogan 'No more Hiroshima; Nagasaki No more' rang out from time-to-time. The entire proceedings were covered by the NHK national television network of Japan. The mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were not able to attend the Calcutta rally but they sent their best wishes for the success of the programme to the mayor of Calcutta. The procession that started from the Netaji Indoor stadium and from several other points of the city traversed central Calcutta, criss-crossing the main thoroughfares many times before ending in a huge rally at the Park Circus maidan. Songs, dances, mimed-plays, street-theatre, recitations, on-the-spot paintings marked the progress of the marchers. Just before the beginning of the march, a convention was held in the packed-to-capacity Netaji Indoor stadium. The convention was addressed, among others, by the writer Sunil Gangopadhyay, the poet Sankho Ghosh, the film director Mrinal Sen and others. New Delhi Shouting slogans and carrying placards proclaiming We Want Bread Not Bombs, No More Pokhrans, No More Hiroshimas, No More Nagasa*kis and No Weaponisation, No Deployment, thousands of people including a large contingent of schoolchildren wound their way from behind the Red Fort through the main streets of Old Delhi in an impressive Citizens March Against Nuclear Weapons today. The march was to commemorate August 6, 1945 when the first atom bomb was dropped on the city of Hiroshima killing and maiming tens of thousands of innocent people. The march was to arouse the Indian people against the dangerous nuclear policy of the BJP-led gov*ernment which conducted nuclear weapons tests on May 11 and 13, which were followed by the Pakistani tests two weeks later. The march culminated at the Ferozeshah Kotla grounds where a resolution was read out in Hindi and English by veteran Gandhian Nirmala Deshpande and historian Romila Thapar. Prominent person*alities from different walks of life participated in the march including CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan, CPI(M) polit bureau member Prakash Karat, writer Arundhati Roy, social scientist Rajni Kothari, journalist Kuldip Nayyar, actor Raj Babbar and Janata Dal leader Surendra Mohan. Artists, acaedemics, writers, college and school students, workers, and activists of mass organisations came out in full force to lend their voice against the nuclear madness that threatens to envelop the subcontinent. The resolution adopted at the rally noted that the tests carried out in May 1998 and the consequent provocative rhetoric of the BJP leaders "have only heightened tensions in the region, wor*sened relations with our neighbours and undermined popular initiatives aimed at forging peace among the people of the re*gion." It said, "Both India and Pakistan now have the capability to perpetrate the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on each other, not once but many times. Therefore, the need to remember August 6 Hiroshima Day is particularly important this year. The people of India and Pakistan must stop this madness which trheatens us with mutual annihilation." Regarding the significance of today's Citizen's March, the reso*lution noted: "This march conveys to the rulers of this country that the people do not want nuclear weapons and calls for a halt to the BJP led Government's weaponisation programme and its deployment. This march also conveys that India must return to a path of peace and disarmament. India, which always called for nuclear disarmament and did not with to be a party to a discrimi*natory global nuclear regime, is now seen to be only demanding to join the Nuclear Weapons Club. The attempt by the present govern*ment to join the nuclear club must be condemned as it is against all that this country has stood for." The resolution also asserted that India must continue to vigor*ously campaign to dismantle the global discriminatory nuclear regime and initiate moves towards global nuclear disarmament. The nuclear weapons powers, despite all their pious pronouncements about dismantling their arsenals, have made only marginal efforts to do so. Pointing out that their imposition of sanctions against India and Pakistan is hypocritical, the resolution said if they are serious about non-proliferaytion, they must pursue a credible programme for destruction of nuclear weapons globally, starting with their own. It added, "In order to resume India's due role, India must return to the global nuclear disaramament agenda and stop any further measures towards induction and deployment of nuclear weapons. Pakistan too must reciprocate with matching measures." Marches, meetings all over India As per preliminary reports available with INN, meetings and marches took place in different parts of the country to commemo*rate Hiroshima Day and mobilise the people against the horrors of nuclear war and against the dangerous nuclearisation carried out by the BJP-led government. Chennai Inspiring Human Chain Against Nuclear Weapons in Chennai (A.V. Balu) Following the highly successful Convention Against Nuclear Wea*pons on July 26 at Chennai (reported elsewhere in this issue), Hiroshima Day was observed on August 6 at Chennai in a most inspiring manner. A Committee Against Nuclear Weapons, consisting of many mass organisations including trade unions and organisations of stud*ents, women and youth, had been formed recently to observe Hir*oshima Day. The Committee called for a massive Human Chain start*ing from Parry's Corner - a key gathering point near the city's central bus terminus - to the Central Railway station, a distance of nearly three kilometres, on the evening of August 6, 1998. The popular response surpassed the most optimistic expectations of the organisers. From 5 to 6 pm in the evening on August 6 more than 5000 people lined up along the entire route from Parry's Corner to Central station. The composition of the crowd was as interesting as its size was impressive. There were at least two to three hundred children, a sizeable contingent of women and a not insignificant number of senior citizens including some who could vividly remember the Hiroshima-Nagasaki horrors. Many prominent personalities took part in the Human Chain. They included Dr.C.T.Kurien, the eminent economist, Ms. Rajam Krish*nan, an award winning and sensitive Tamil novelist, popular film director Shekhar, Com Vimal Ranadive, President of the All India Coordination Committee of Working Women, well known lawyers N.T.Vanamamalai , N.G.R. Prasad and Vaigai, Abbas Ibrahim, Con*venor of the TNCC(I)'s minority cell, Com N.M. Sundaram, General Secretary, All Indian Insurance Employees' Association, leading academics from the University of Madras, the Institute of Mathematical Sciences, the IIT, and several other institutions, Com. T.S. Rangarajan, General Secretary of the Indian Oil Em*ployees' Union, Ms. Meena Krishnaswamy, freedom fighter, Dr.P. Chandra, well known paediatrician, Senthilnathan, President, Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers' Association, and several others. #The participants at the Human Chain took a pledge, dedicating themselves to: * the struggle against the process of nuclear weaponisation that has begun in India and Pakistan * the movement against forces which promote war mongering and divide people * all struggles and movements to eliminate nuclear weapons from the face of the earth and * the creation of a world of peace, equality & fraternity, a world without nuclear weapons. The Committee to observe Hiroshima Day and its convenors Comrades K.N. Gopalakrishnan, Jagan and A.Rangarajan - deserve to be congratulated for their successful initiative. The momentum must be seized upon, and the movement to roll back nuclear weaponisation should gather speed and strength in the period ahead. The broadest possible unity needs to be forged. Mumbai More than 2000 demonstrators took part in the Silent Procession from Azad Maidan to Hutatma Chowk on the occasion of Hiroshima Day. The programmes was organised by a broad "Citizens Committee for Commemoration of Hiroshima and Nagasaki". More than 50 orgnisations including the Left parties, Left trade unions, Gandhians, progressive women's organisations, artists, intellectuals, envi*ronmentalists, civil liberties organisations, students and youth organisations and many voluntary organisations had constituted this Committee along with a large number of well known individuals from all walks of life. Despite the artificial "riots scare" created by the SS-BJP gov*ernment in the context of the publication of Srikrishna Commis*sion Report on the same day, there was a big turn out at Azad Maidan. College students along with a large number of profession*als like lawyers, scientists, artists, writers, teachers, doc*tors, journalists, etc. attending each wearing a white ribbon as symbol of solidarity with the Hiroshima victims and protest against the nuclear arms race. On behalf of CPI(M) state leaders Ahilya Rangnekar, K.L. Bajaj, Mahendra Singh, Saeed Ahmed attend*ed. A large number of children also participated. One child was carrying a placard "I want to Grow Up - Not Blow Up." Though the procession was silent, the demonstrators carried placards and banners with slogans for peace, disarmament and development protesting the arms race and criticising the BJP government for its nuclear war mongering on the one hand and abject surrender to US imperialism on the other. When the silent procession began at around 3.30 pm, demonstrators were still arriving in large numbers, but due to police insistence to keep the schedule the procession commenced and made its way impressively to Hutatma Chowk. At Hutatma Chowk a pledge was administered in Hindi by retired High Court Justice Dharmadhikari and followed by the same pledge in English read out by a Japanese nun. The meeting ended with songs. In addition to this Peace March, many local programes were held in different parts of Mumbai on the morning of 6th August itself. Tomorrow i.e. August 7, there will be "Peace Together Music Festival" at Andheri Sports Complex which is expected to be attended by 15,000 students organised by the Indian Peoples Media Collective in co-operation with St. Andrew's College, Bandra and a number of other colleges. Public meetings organised by Bombay Sarvodaya Mandal on August 6th evening and a "Citizens" Committee public meeting on 13.8.98 are notable activities during this week. A large number of meetings and lectures in colleges, along with showing of educational films like "Prophecy" are also taking place involving several thousands of students and the members of the public. It is evident that the movement for peace and disar*mament has taken healthy roots in the city of Mumbai. At the call of CPI(M) Maharashtra State Committee, meetings and marches were also held in all districts and many taluka towns of the state on the occasion of Hiroshima Day. The CPI(M) Mumbai Committee and CITU had jointly issued a pam*phlet and brought out a special badge on the occasion. Tripura Thousands of people in the state capital Agartala and in the North Tripura headquarter, Kailashar marched the streets on August 6=20 afternoon to assert the predominance of peace and amity over the forces of fissiparousness and warmongering on earth, marking the occasion of Hiroshima Day in Tripura. Similar programme is slated for August 10 at the South Tripura headquarter, Udaipur. Agartala city turned into a city of processions right from midday, with people from all walks of life heading to the Umakan*ta Maidan carrying the banners of their respective associations, organisations and institutions. Students and youths, workers and employees, intellectuals and cultural activists submerged all the difference of age, gender, castes, creeds, cultures and political affiliations in a massive urge to form a human barricade against warmongering, to defend civilization against a barbaric nuclear frenzy whipped up by neo-fascist politicians to gain some narrow political ends. The scorching rays of the sun could not deter the thousands of peace activists from articulating their determina*tion and dauntlessness through songs and slogans and spirited steps, carrying banners and festoons, posters and placards. There were also tableaus at the end of the long procession, artistical*ly denouncing war and demanding the bare necessities of life. The main procession originating from Umakanta Maidan was preceded by a brief function consisting of revolutionary songs and invoca*tory addresses. Among the speakers were the Information and Cultural Affairs minister, Jitendra Choudhury, and Education minister, Anil Sarkar. Jitendra Choudhury put up before the huge rally of peace activists the proposal for peace and amity. Anil Sarkar in his address outlined the historic significance of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki Day under the existing national and international context.=20 He lashed out at the BJP-led government at the Centre for giving up=20 the decades-old tradition of the country as the protagonist of peace, by detonating the experimental nuclear bomb at Pokhran, triggering a senseless war hysteria in the sub-continent and causing ostrasication of the country in the international arena. He exposed the diversionary tactics of this neo-fascist government at the centre having no inclination to solve the burning problems of its people, and laying the blame for all its ills on the minorities and the socialists through a paranoid antagonism towards Pakistan and China.=20 The peace-loving people of the country, including those of Tripura, will foil this anti-people and anti-civilization moves of the government, he declared with deep confidence. The procession ended at Sukanta Academy Complex of Agartala. Patna In Patna, a procession was taken out from Gandhi Maidan in protest against nuclear weapons. Lucknow A meeting was held at the Ganga Prasad Memorial Hall in Lucknow which was presided over by K.N. Kakkar, well known literary personality. The meeting was addressed by CPI(M) polit bureau member Sitaram Yechury, socialist leader Raghu Thakur, enviorn*mental activist medha Patkar, and IIT professor, Prof. A.P. Shukla. Thiruvananthapuram In Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala state, a three hour long programme from 10.30 am was held at the Martyrs Memorial at Palayam attended by thousands of people. The programme included songs, skits, speeches and exhibitions against nuclear weapons. The programme was organised by the A.K. Gopalan Study Research Centre. Posters, placards and banners condemning the use of nuclear weapons were put up all over the city. The programme began with a speech by Jubha Ramakrishna Pillai, the oldest surviving freedom fighter in Kerala. Students of the Model High School held up a huge banner with the words "We Share the Sorrow of Hiroshima". Well known historian K.N. Panniker released a poster with the words in Malayalam meaning ---"Resist the Bomb -- Or There Will be No Tomorrow." --------------729E3E2BC52AF4E98896ADDF begin: vcard fn: Ravi Palat n: Palat;Ravi org: Dept. of Sociology, Univ. of Auckland email;internet: r.palat@auckland.ac.nz note;quoted-printable:Private Bag 92019=0D=0A= Auckland, NEW ZEALAND=0D=0A= Phone:+64-9-373-7599,ext.5313=0D=0A= FAX:+64-9-373-7439 x-mozilla-cpt: ;0 x-mozilla-html: FALSE version: 2.1 end: vcard --------------729E3E2BC52AF4E98896ADDF-- From jnaiman@acs.ryerson.ca Sat Aug 8 14:48:46 1998 Date: Sat, 8 Aug 1998 16:52:12 -0400 (EDT) From: Joanne Naiman To: psn@csf.colorado.edu Subject: Secret US Military Operations (fwd) ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1998 08:56:44 -0400 From: Eric Fawcett To: s4p all lists , s4pont@physics.utoronto.ca, s4potht@physics.utoronto.ca, s4ptor@physics.utoronto.ca Subject: Secret US Military Operations This news item supplements the one I sent last night to s4pxxx on "The Price and Enormity of Folly" I'm off to an INES Council meeting in Boston, so this will be the last s4p item for a little while From: Mike Wallace According to a series of 3 articles in the Washington Post, the US military is involved in training foreign armies in "at least 110 countries". These operations, called Joint Combined Exchange Training (JCET's) are free not only from civilian oversight, but are often even hidden from other US Government departments, and include armies at the top of anyone's horror list. It is even likely that US Forces trained some of the units that committed genocide in Rwanda. Mike Wallace has the text of these articles, but they are too long to post (37 pages in all). He will attach them to a message upon request; please specify desired format: BUT It is much easier on him if people got them themselves from the Post website (www.washingtonpost.com). The title of the series is "Sidestepping Sanctions", and the site search engine brings right up when you enter that. From anarres@PEAK.ORG Sun Aug 9 16:17:20 1998 Date: Sun, 9 Aug 1998 15:17:12 -0700 (PDT) From: Blaine Vogt Vogt To: psn@csf.colorado.edu Subject: "Focus on the Corporation" (fwd) Thought this might be of interest to some PSNers. Blaine ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Fri, 7 Aug 1998 15:23:34 -0400 (EDT) From: Robert Weissman Subject: We're back; request After a week off for vacation, Focus on the Corporation returns this week. The column will follow shortly. First, a request. We'd like to build the electronic circulation of Focus on the Corporation. If members of the list could pass the notice below to friends, colleagues and relevant lists, we'd appreciate it. Also, we are working with Z magazine's ZNet to establish a forum where readers of the column can post comments and where Russell and I will respond. We've received many interesting e-mail notes over the past few months; this will give people a way to share their comments with a broader audience, if they choose. We'll post information on this in the next few weeks. Robert Weissman Essential Information | Internet: rob@essential.org LISTSERVE ANNOUNCEMENT: FOCUS ON THE CORPORATION Corp-Focus is a moderated listserve which distributes the weekly column "Focus on the Corporation," co-authored by Russell Mokhiber, editor of Corporate Crime Reporter, and Robert Weissman, editor of Multinational Monitor magazine. To subscribe to Corp-Focus, send an e-mail message to listproc@essential.org with the following all in one line: subscribe corp-focus Focus on the Corporation scrutinizes the multinational corporation -- the most powerful institution of our time. Once a week, it reports and comments critically on corporate actions, plans, abuses and trends. Written with a sharp edge and occasional irreverency, Focus on the Corporation covers: * The double standards which excuse corporations for behavior (e.g., causing injury, accepting welfare) widely considered criminal or shameful when done by individuals; * Globalization and corporate power; * Trends in corporate economic blackmail, political influence and workplace organization; * Industry-wide efforts to escape regulation, silence critics, employ new technologies or consolidate business among a few companies; * Specific, extreme examples of corporate abuses: destruction of communities, trampling of democracy, poisoning of air and water; * Issues, such as tort reform, of across-the-board interest to business; and * The corporatization of our culture. Please post this notice on relevant lists, and accept our apologies for cross-posting. From AAFuller%Faculty%MC@manchester.edu Sun Aug 9 18:38:37 1998 From: AAFuller%Faculty%MC@manchester.edu Date: Sun, 9 Aug 98 19:41:15 EST To: Reply-To: Subject: Tell ASA to Pursue Socially Responsible Investing X-Incognito-SN: 1019 X-Incognito-Version: 4.10.130 August 10, 1998 Dear American Sociological Association member, The ASA Council is currently considering whether to invest the association's assets in socially responsible companies and lending institutions. If you support this effort, please write your name and affiliation below and return this message to aaf@manchester.edu by MONDAY, AUGUST 17. A list of supporters will be sent to the ASA Council. Numerous organizations and individuals practice socially responsible investing (SRI), which generally involves refusing to invest in companies and institutions that engage in what are deemed irresponsible practices (e.g. pollute the environment, use unfair labor practices, produce nuclear weapons), and/or investing in companies and institutions with outstanding records on environmental practices, community development, and the like. SRI has not been shown to result in a lower return on investments, and may even increase returns. Please forward this letter to others who may be interested in adding their names. Thank you! Sincerely, Abigail A. Fuller Assistant Professor of Sociology MC Box 178, Manchester College North Manchester, IN 46962 (219)982-5009 aaf@manchester.edu ------------------------------------------------------- I, the undersigned member of the American Sociological Association, support the socially responsible investment of the association's assets. [name] [affiliation] From ae5317@wayne.edu Mon Aug 10 09:06:43 1998 Date: Mon, 10 Aug 1998 11:06:19 -0400 To: psn@csf.colorado.edu From: David Fasenfest Subject: Request for Information Folks, I am interested in the importance of education and various choices young people make. One obvious factor is what school you go to, and some studies show that the quality of the school does not matter in terms of future earnings. However, one of the problems with these studies is that they adjust for test scores and parental background. In other words, they use the criteria that elite schools use to select students--the real meaning of the results is that if you have have test scores, high HS academic grades, and very educated and well-to-do parents, it does not matter if you go to an elite school (one of the top 82) or not. To what degree are people late bloomers and go on to successful careers even though they did not get in to the best colleges. The very top schools (Ivies and related) are different cases in that they are very helpful in getting into the very best/highest paid occupations (doctors, lawyers, and top business executives). I would think that someone has done a study on the very elite schools but have not been able to find it. Any suggestions would be appreciated...thanks in advance (and as always with this sort of thing, I would suggest replies sent to me directly and I will post to the list any compilation if there is interest)...DF Prof. David Fasenfest, Director Center for Urban Studies Wayne State University 656 W. Kirby Detroit, MI 48202 313-577-2208 (reception) 313-993-9525 (office) 313-577-1274 (fax) david.fasenfest@wayne.edu http://www.cus.wayne.edu From brbgc@ix.netcom.com Mon Aug 10 10:55:42 1998 by dfw-ix9.ix.netcom.com (8.8.4/8.8.4) id rma021572; Mon Aug 10 11:53:03 1998 Date: Mon, 10 Aug 1998 12:55:11 -0400 From: Ric Brown Reply-To: brbgc@ix.netcom.com To: Bad Subjects , cultstud-l , "H-LABOR@msu.edu" , "H-WOMEN@H-NET.MSU.EDU" , INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL ECONOMY , Labor Research and Action Project , "marxjour@ccc.uba.ar" , PROGRESSIVE SOCIOLOGISTS NETWORK , psn-cafe , "regards.liste@regards.fr" , Social Class in Contemporary Societies , Spoon Collective , STUDIES IN WOMEN AND ENVIRONMENT , Patricia Clough , Stanley Aronowitz , Mitu Hirshman , Jennifer Disney , Subject: CONF. ANN.: INTERNATIONAL WOMEN AND DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE: "WHICH WAY FOR WOMEN AND DEVELOPMENT?" CUNY, October 15-17 Please Forward THE GRADUATE SCHOOL AND UNIVERSITY CENTER OF THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK Presents WHICH WAY FOR WOMEN AND DEVELOPMENT? DEBATING CONCEPTS, STRATEGIES, AND DIRECTIONS IN THE 21st CENTURY To Be Held At The Borough of Manhattan Community College 199 Chambers Street October 15-17, 1998 **** For Complete Information, visit our WWW Page at **** http://www.geocities.com/athens/7364/Women_and_Development.html Our conference will bring together scholars and practitioners from around the world and working in divergent disciplines, including Women and Development experts, ecofeminists, postmodern and postcolonial feminist theorists and others, to address some of the recent debates over the goals, means, and theoretical frameworks informing the field of Women and Development. We will open with an evening plenary and continue for two more days of three panels each. The panels will cut across orientations, disciplines, and professions to provide the basis for an unprecedented interchange among scholars, practitioners and policy-makers to discuss some of the current challenges to the field -- intellectual, political, economic and ecological. Keynote Addresses by: ** Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Department of English, Columbia University ** Irene Tinker, Department of City and Regional Planning, University of California, Berkeley Panels Include: ** Re-Inventing Aid: International Agencies and the "Woman Question" in Development ** Locating Women/Locating Work: Emerging Capitalisms and the Gendered/Racial Division of Labor ** More Worldly Feminisms: Feminist Theories and the Politics of Location ** Stories from the Field: Theorizing Action/Acting on Theory ** Techno-Science Questions in Development: Intersections of Gender, Science, Media and Environment ** Can the Subaltern Desire? For the complete Conference Program, please visit http://www.geocities.com/athens/7364/program.html Participants Include: Lila Abu-Lughod, Rogaia Mustafa Abu Sharaf, Norma Alarcon, Peggy Antrobus, Tani Barlow, Eudine Barriteau, Linda Basch, Lourdes Beneria, Barbara Bowen, Patricia Clough, Jennifer Leigh Disney, Hester Eisenstein, Patience Elabor-Idemudia, Cynthia Enloe, Kimberly Flynn, Irene Gendzier, Noeleen Heyzer, Mitu Hirshman, Marnia Lazreg, Yvonne Lasalle, Marianne Marchand, Carmen Medeiros, Joan Mencher, Caroline Moser, Meera Nanda, Achola O. Pala, Jane Parpart, Shirin Rai, Kriemild Saunders, Vandana Shiva, Ella Shohat, Sinith Sittirak, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Noel Sturgeon, Irene Tinker, Dessima Williams, Ara Wilson and Brigitte Young. Sponsored By: Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research; Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs, CUNY; The Office of the President, The Office of the Provost, The Center for the Study of Women and Society, and The Center for Cultural Studies, the Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York; Racolin Foundation; Diversity Initiative of the Program in Applied Sociology, Queens College; Sawhney Travels; The Tribeca Performing Arts Center; The Film Studies Certificate Program and Ph.D. Programs in Anthropology, English, History, Political Science and Sociology of the Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York; The National Council for Research on Women; The International Women's Tribune Center. From jnaiman@acs.ryerson.ca Mon Aug 10 14:27:28 1998 Date: Mon, 10 Aug 1998 16:30:53 -0400 (EDT) From: Joanne Naiman To: psn@csf.colorado.edu Subject: The Agony of Iraq (fwd) PSN readers, Sorry, I've been forwarding a spate of messages recently that came in a clump from a friend who has just returned from a month's holiday. He gets these from the Science for Peace list here in Toronto. Hope you find them worthwhile. __________________________________ Joanne Naiman Department of Sociology Ryerson Polytechnic University 350 Victoria St. Toronto, Ontario CANADA M5B 2K3 Tel: (416) 979 5000, ext. 7047 Fax: (416) 979 5273 E-Mail: jnaiman@acs.ryerson.ca ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Tue, 4 Aug 1998 21:21:28 -0400 From: Eric Fawcett To: s4p all lists , s4pont@physics.utoronto.ca, s4potht@physics.utoronto.ca, s4ptor@physics.utoronto.ca Subject: The Agony of Iraq The Globe and Mail carried an article by Geoffrey York on July 13 entitled "Iraqi hospitals, schools still suffering," which should be read by everybody whose government supports the continued sanctions. Canada is even willing to provide military support for yet more bombing of the helpless citizens of this unfortunate country, cursed by history and geography. I failed to download a copy of the article, so I enclose only an abbreviated version, together with an appeal from brave members of Voices in the Wilderness, who continue to send delegations to the UN mission in Baghdad to protest the continued sanctions, and to take basic medical supplies. This is followed by a partial list of items prohibited to Iraq by the UN sanctions, which makes shocking reading, especially for anybody who has suffered heavy bombing in WWII by Germany, Britain or the USA (and the latter in several subsequent wars), and remembers the desperate need for outside help and supplies. ======================================================================== "Iraqi hospitals, schools still suffering" by Geoffrey York ~snip Iraq is a country crippled by economic sanctions. Most Iraqis are subsisting on food rations providing only a near-starvation diet. Their health and education systems are approaching the point of collapse. Nearly 8 years after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, there is finally talk of lifting the UN embargo, perhaps even as early as October [not my choice of expression, with 4500 Iraqi children dying every month through malnutrition and disease!], if Iraq complies with the final demands of inspectors looking for chemical and biological weapons. [Late news: G&M August 4: UNITED NATION. "Talks between Iraq and the UN on d dismantling Iraq's weapons of mass destruction have collapsed, and the chief UN inspector Richard Butler has cut his trip short," the President of the UN Security Council said today. SO the holocaust will continue indefinitely!] ~snip At Baghdad University............classrooms have battered old chairs, torn and peeling carpets, and a few computers from the 1970's. "We've heard there is something called the internet, but we don't know anything about it," says Sahar Mazin, a 20-year-old psychology student. Before the embargo there were 55,000 students at Baghdad University. Today, because of the job shortage, thousands of unemployed adults have boosted the enrolment to 100,000. Classes are held in two shifts, and the workload of professors has doubled, though the salary is only $15 per month. Other sectors are facing the same crushing pressures. Iraq's farms are blighted by shortage of pesticides, seeds, fertilizers and machinery. The vegetable and cereal harvest has dropped by 1/3 since 1990, and thousand of hectares of farmland have been abandoned. Electricity production is 60% less, and power failures of 15 hours per day are common. When the power goes out, water pumps fail and sewage is sucked into into the pipes, tainting the drinking water, which is often taken also from the polluted Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The Red Cross has warned of a potential catastrophe from water-borne diseases, calling it "a public health bomb in the making." ~snip "Before 1990, the medical system was very advanced, with well-equipped hospitals and well-trained personnel," said Manuel Bessler, head of the International Red Cross delegation in Baghdad. "Now this is a Third World country with desperate conditions. Young people who have no opportunity to get an education are smuggling, or selling cigarettes on the street. Iraq is about to lose a generation." One senior UN politician, speaking on condition of anonymity, recalls the American politicians in the Persian Gulf war who threatened to bomb Iraq back to the Stone Age. "The hawks got their wish," he said. "They wanted to destroy this country, an destroy its infrastructure, and they did a good a job of it" [and 5,000 years ago, this was "The Cradle of Civilization"!] ============================================================================= ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Sun, 2 Aug 1998 00:38:55 -0400 From: David Jessop To: davjes@iname.com Subject: VITW - UK Delegation to Iraq On Tuesday, 4 August, Voices in the Wilderness UK will send a 2-person delegation to Iraq. Long-time peace activists Mil Rai and Andrea Needham will vigil and fast in Baghdad, opposite the main UN offices, while supporters in London do the same on Downing Street. Many other communities across the US join them August 6-9 when public remembrances of those killed by atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki will call for protection of Iraqi people from the death and suffering caused by UN/US economic sanctions against Iraq. The UK delegation is sadly aware that the modest medical relief they will carry is only a token in relation to the vast shortages of medicine and supplies within Iraq. US members of VITW Fast For Life are on Day 11 of a 20-day fast calling for an end to the economic sanctions against Iraq. For more information, contact: Voices in the Wilderness, USA kkelly@igc.apc.org http://www.nonviolence.org/vitw (773) 784-8065 ============================================================================ A partial list of items prohibited to Iraq by UN sanctions ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Accumulators; Adhesive paper; aluminum foil; AM-FM receivers; Ambulances; Amplifiers; Answering machines; Armored cable; Ashtrays; Auto polish; Axes; Bags; Baking soda; Balls (for children, for sport); Baskets; Bath brushes Batteries; Battery chargers; Beads; Bearings; Bed lamps; Belts; Benches; Bicycles; Books (all categories included); Bottles; Bowls; Boxes; Broil Busses; Calculators; Cameras; Candles; Candlesticks; Canvas; Carpets; Cars; Carts; Carving knives; Cellophane; Chalk; Chess boards; Chiffon; Children's wear; Chisels; Clocks; Clutches; Coats; Coaxial cable; Cogs; Coils; Colors for painting; Combs; Compressors (for cooling); Computers and computer supplies; Copper; Cupboards; Cups; Desks; Desk lamps; Detergents; Dictaphones; Dish ware; Dishwashers; Dolls; Doorknobs; Doormats; Drawing knives; Dresses; Drills; Dryers; Dust cloths; Dyes; Dynamos; Easels; Electric cookers; Electric cords; Envelopes; Eyeglasses; Fabrics; Fans; Fax machines; Fibers; Files; Filing cabinets; Filing cards; Films; Filters; Flashlights; Flowerpots; Forks; Fountain pens; Furniture polish; Fuses; Gas burners; Gauges; Generators; Girdles; Glass; Glue; Gowns; Grills; Grindstone; Hairpins; Hammers; Handkerchiefs; Hats; Headlights; Headphones; Hearing aids; Hedge trimmers; Helmets; Hoes; Hooks; Hookup wires; Hoses; Hydraulic jacks; Ink (the prohibition on writing); Ink cartridges; Insulator strips; Interrupters; Jackets; Jacks; Joints; Jacks; Jumpers; Kettles; Knives; Lamp shades; Lathes; Lawn Mowers; Leather; Levers; Light bulbs; Light meters; Lime; Magazines (including journals); Magnesium; Magnets; Masonite; Mastic; Matches; Measuring equipment; Mica; Microfiche; Microphones; Microscopes; Mirrors; Mops; Motorbikes; Motors; Mufflers; Mugs; Music cassettes; Music CDs; Musical instruments; Nail brushes; Nail files; Napkins; Notebooks; Oil cans; Oil gauges; Oil lamps; Oscillators; Packaging materials; Pails; Painters brushes; Paints; Pans; Paper clips; Paper for printing; Paper for wrapping; Paper for writing; Pens; Percolators; Pesticides; Photocopiers; Photometers; Pincers; Pincettes; Pins; Plastics; Plates; Plexiglas; Pliers; Plugs; Plywood; Porcelain; Pots; Potties; Press drills; Pressure cookers; Printing equipment; Pulleys; Putty; Radiators for cars; Razor Blades; Razors; Reels; Relays; Riveters; Roasters; Rubber; Rugs; Rulers; Sandals; Sandpaper; Saucers; Saws; Scales; Scoreboards; Screws; Seals; Seats; Shampoo; Sheers; Shelves; Shirts; Shock absorbers; Shoe polish; Shoes; Shopping carts; Shovels; Silicon; Silver polish; Skirts; Soap; Soap pads; Sockets; Socks; Solder; Soldering irons; Spark plugs; Spatulas; Sponges; Spoons; Stamps; Staplers; Starters; Stoves; Straps; Suits; Sun hats; Swimming suits; Switches; Tables; Tacks; Tags; Telephone cables; Telephones; Tents; Thermometers; Threads; Timber; Timers; Tin; Tire pumps; Tissue paper; Toasters; Toilet paper (not considered medicines); Tongs; Toothbrushes; Toothpicks; Towels; Toys; Tractors; Transformers; Trash cans; Tripods; Troughs; Typewriters; Vacuum cleaners; Valves; Vans; Vaseline; Vases; Venetian blinds; Ventilators; Videotapes; Voltage regulators; Waffle irons; Wagons; Wallets; Wallpapers; Washing machines; Wastepaper baskets; Watches; Water pumps; Wax; Welders; Wheelbarrows; Window shades; Wood; Wool; Wrenches; Zoom lenses From brook@california.com Mon Aug 10 19:24:43 1998 Mon, 10 Aug 1998 18:24:26 -0700 (PDT) Date: Mon, 10 Aug 1998 15:06:36 -0700 To: AAFuller%Faculty%MC@manchester.edu From: CyberBrook Subject: Re: Tell ASA to Pursue Socially Responsible Investing In-Reply-To: I am not an ASA member but as a PSN member I would likle to add my 2 centavos. Although I support this (reformist) position, I'm uncomfortable with the terminology of "socially responsible" investing. Yes, it's good that they don't deal in tobacco or nuclear power or whatever, but they still exploit their workers, overcharge and mislead consumers, encourage (over)consumption (often using dangerous stereotypes to do so), may underpay their taxes, pollute the environment, etc., etc., etc. Perhaps many of these companies are less socially irresponsible (though even that may not be a purposeful strategy as much as it is market niche and luck), but they are almost invariably not socially responsible. Very few, if any, for-profit corporations are or can be.---Dan At 09-08-98, AAFuller%Faculty%MC@manchester.edu wrote: >August 10, 1998 > >Dear American Sociological Association member, > >The ASA Council is currently considering whether to invest the association's >assets in >socially responsible companies and lending institutions. If you support this >effort, please >write your name and affiliation below and return this message to >aaf@manchester.edu by >MONDAY, AUGUST 17. A list of supporters will be sent to the ASA Council. > >Numerous organizations and individuals practice socially responsible >investing (SRI), >which generally involves refusing to invest in companies and institutions >that engage in >what are deemed irresponsible practices (e.g. pollute the environment, use >unfair labor >practices, produce nuclear weapons), and/or investing in companies and >institutions with >outstanding records on environmental practices, community development, and >the like. From RODRIGUEZ@cui.edu Thu Aug 6 15:25:45 1998 From: RODRIGUEZ@cui.edu Date: Thu, 06 Aug 1998 09:20:47 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Request for Info: Bell Co To: lared-l@lmrinet.ucsb.edu Carmelo Ruiz writes for Claridad which is the most important lefttist weekly in Puerto Rico. While the coverage on Puerto Rico has focused on the status question, the anti-privatization struggle continues. Victor M. Rodriguez rodrigvm@soca.com ============================ From: Carmelo Ruiz To: Date: Monday, August 03, 1998 11:15 PM Subject: Need info on Bell Atlantic > Dear friends, >The struggle against the privatisation of the Puerto Rico Telephone >Company continues. After a heroic 42-day strike, the PRTC workers are >continuing their opposition by other means, including appealing to the >courts and to the US federal communications commission. > >I predict the protests against neoliberalism will ignite again later >this month as a new school semester begins. There is plenty of >discontent among public school teachers, university professors, >non-teaching university employees and students. > >Right now we urgently need information on Bell Atlantic. As you >already know, our government announced the PRTC's sale to GTE. But now >GTE itself has been bought by Bell Atlantic. Anti-privatisation >activists over here are desperate for information on this company. >Any info will be appreciated. > >We also need information on struggles against the privatisation of >telecoms in other countries. I have practically no information on the >privatisation of the Brasil phone system. What happened over there? > >Please tell me also what e-mail addresses and web sites I can turn to >for this information. > >in solidarity, > CARMELO RUIZ >fax: 1 (787) 268-6224=========================================== From dassbach@mtu.edu Tue Aug 11 08:47:11 1998 Tue, 11 Aug 1998 10:46:47 -0400 (EDT) Tue, 11 Aug 1998 10:46:46 -0400 (EDT) Tue, 11 Aug 1998 10:46:36 -0400 (EDT) From: "Carl H.A. Dassbach" To: "PSN" , Subject: There is no such thing as Socially Responsible Investing Date: Tue, 11 Aug 1998 10:46:01 -0400 charset="iso-8859-1" -----Original Message----- From: CyberBrook To: PROGRESSIVE SOCIOLOGISTS NETWORK Date: Tuesday, August 11, 1998 10:01 AM Subject: Re: Tell ASA to Pursue Socially Responsible Investing I agree 150% - there is no such thing as socially responsible investing - its as riduclous as like fighting a moral war. The very concept reeks of the contradictions of liberalism and other (so-called) lefties and leftish ideologies - somehow we can reap the "fruits" of capitalism but remain innocent of its atrocties and injustices. Impossible but a predominat attitude. I even find particpation in TIAA-CREF problematic for the same reason but there is also the question of what are the alternatives. Unfortunately, short of living in a commune with nothing - been there, tried that and it failed - there are none. >I am not an ASA member but as a PSN member I would likle to add my 2 >centavos. Although I support this (reformist) position, I'm uncomfortable >with the terminology of "socially responsible" investing. Yes, it's good >that they don't deal in tobacco or nuclear power or whatever, but they >still exploit their workers, overcharge and mislead consumers, encourage >(over)consumption (often using dangerous stereotypes to do so), may >underpay their taxes, pollute the environment, etc., etc., etc. Perhaps >many of these companies are less socially irresponsible (though even that >may not be a purposeful strategy as much as it is market niche and luck), >but they are almost invariably not socially responsible. Very few, if any, >for-profit corporations are or can be.---Dan > From dhenwood@panix.com Tue Aug 11 09:43:28 1998 Date: Tue, 11 Aug 1998 11:43:44 -0400 To: psn@csf.colorado.edu From: Doug Henwood Subject: immigration refs I'm looking for a good book or two on the history of U.S. immigration policy: when did they start regulating immigration and why? How did employers use immigration (if they did) to divide the workforce and push down wages? What were the successive structures of immigration policy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries? Any advice? Doug -- Doug Henwood Left Business Observer 250 W 85 St New York NY 10024-3217 USA +1-212-874-4020 voice +1-212-874-3137 fax email: web: From tell@net.bluemoon.net Tue Aug 11 10:56:28 1998 Date: Tue, 11 Aug 1998 12:55:52 -0400 (EDT) From: Shawgi Tell Reply-To: Shawgi Tell To: mult-cul aera-k Subject: The So-Called Pluralist/Diversity Dilemma Greetings, Folks, I thought I'd pose this matter to several relevant lists, not only because it concerns all, but also because there doesn't seem to be much discussion on this and also because I can't seem to get any answers. Here is the issue: By and large, multiculturalism and multiculturalist education commentators, multiculturalist educators themselves, and diversity proponents and others say or imply that there is a connection between diversity and problems. They promote and/or create the impression that problems are somehow a natural and inevitable part or feature of pluralistic or diverse societies. That is, diversity, in and of itself, is somehow a problem. Examples of this abound in the massive multiculturalist education field. My question is this: why is it assumed that problems, divisions, hostilties, antagonisms, racism and these sorts of things are somehow natural and inevitable features of diverse societies? Why is diversity per se conceived as a problem? In other words, are problems, divisions, racism, antagonisms, etc., inherent and natural features of diverse societies? Why? How so? In what sense? How do differences come to be problems in a given society? What must first exist in order for differences and problems to go hand in hand? It would be good to get some views on this and the implications for creating a society fit for all humans. Based on some of my other readings, it does not actually follow that where ever different races, religions, languages, nationalities and sexes cohabit a territory that antagonisms, hostitlities and divisions will naturally and inevitably arise. Shawgi Tell Niagara County Community College tell@net.bluemoon.net From wwhite@jaguar1.usouthal.edu Tue Aug 11 11:34:12 1998 Date: Tue, 11 Aug 1998 12:35:33 -0500 From: William White Reply-To: wwhite@jaguar1.usouthal.edu To: PROGRESSIVE SOCIOLOGISTS NETWORK Subject: The Irresponsibility of Pure Ideological Thinking Let me take the dialogue in a different but related direction…. First, we are intellectual, academic sociologists. I believe we have a better than average understanding of the forces that make up societies and the individuals that live under them. Yet, it continues to amaze me that many of us can be purely ideological in our thinking without considering the practical difficulties of setting up what I consider a progressive, humanistic, non-capitalist based society. Though I see a progressive society as my own personal vision of a better society, I cannot disregard the difficulty in attaining it. With that said, let me ask this first question. How do we build the “better society” without capitalism? This is a real concern for me since I truly believe that the economic forces are in place that will challenge capitalism as we know it today. The ripple effects of the Asian collapse will, in my opinion, lead to a much deeper gouge in the western capitalist world than mere “recessions.” Are we truly expecting, in an ideological sense, the “masses” to rise up against the capitalists, given that working people will experience the economic slump more severely than the upper .5% of society? If the organizations are not in place to take advantage of this situation, let alone not developed enough to express publicly an ideology of working class solidarity that is “marketable,” then I fear we will experience an incredible chaos of social proportions perhaps similar to fascist Germany. Second question: in the transition from socialism (if we even make it that far) to communism, must we not include capitalist incentive programs to “reward” productivity among workers—if not merely for the mental “transitional” health of the workers who only know the world from a capitalistic perspective? How will workers “work” for the common or community good if they have no knowledge (or trust) of how this system “theoretically” can work to their benefit? Also, unless there is a wholesale global elimination of capitalism as an economic structure, how will a socialist/communist society economically interact with capitalist societies? In what I consider the “best” of the socialist states to emerge (and remain somewhat intact), even Cuba experienced this transitional problem with its working class. The Cuban problem has become even more complex and compromised after the fall of the Soviet Union. Third question: consider what social psychological and conflict sociological theories (among others) add to this hypothetical dilemma. How do you rid a “new” society, across all social strata, of the inherent self-interests that individuals and groups possess in any given society? First, how do you rid powerful groups (with access to capital, or access to bureaucratic power, or access to military power) of their power, and second, how do you safeguard against new groups who will gain power from monopolizing it, given inherent self-interests in society? I know that I am making the strong assumption here that self-interest is a powerful force, but given the centuries of capitalist ideology and practice in the world, it is difficult for me to envision an easy transition from individual self-interest to a shared community perspective. These are troubling questions for me, for I do want to see a more progressive society emerge at some point in time. I think we can ideologically “wish” for a better society to come forth, but it will not magically appear because the workers, overnight, see they have a common interest in rising up against the ruling class. Even if they see they have common interests, their own self-interests may only create a new ruling class based on capitalist assumptions. If we are truly serious about changing society, and not just engaging in philosophical debates on the inherent injustices within capitalist social systems, then we must acknowledge the political, sociological, psychological, and economic mechanisms that exist to maintain the current social system. I believe that capitalist incentive programs for workers will still need to be a part of the transitional strategy towards a socialist world. Worker and group self-interest will continue to be a stumbling block once a transition is in place. Getting to this economic social transition will take a significant amount of work organizing around an agenda that seeks change but is in a language that workers can understand. For me, these are the significantly difficult steps before us. To promote an ideology of common interest among workers is a positive first step towards this transition. To not consider the power of self-interest in this dialogue, though, can be catastrophic. It is good that we can engage in this ideological dialogue among ourselves here. But if we aren’t willing to think the whole process out and consider the social forces that will get in the way of any progressive social transformation, then we are merely pontificating among ourselves. William Sakamoto White University of South Alabama wwhite@jaguar1.usouthal.edu From cfrlw01@ux1.cts.eiu.edu Tue Aug 11 11:49:59 1998 Tue, 11 Aug 1998 12:45:21 -0500 (CDT) Date: Tue, 11 Aug 1998 12:49:44 -0500 To: dassbach@mtu.edu, PROGRESSIVE SOCIOLOGISTS NETWORK From: Bob Whittenbarger Subject: Re: There is no such thing as Socially Responsible Investing In-Reply-To: <009501bdc536$c668ba60$2029db8d@dassbach.aux.mtu.edu> Dear Colleagues, The prospectus for the TIAA-CREF Social Choice account says, in part, that they do not invest in companies which "have operations in Northern Ireland, and have not adopted the MacBride Principles or do not operate in compliance with the Fair Employment Act of 1989; produce nuclear energy, are linked to weapons manufacturing; produce alcoholic beverages or tobacco products; or engage in activities that may damage the environment." For those who want to rid the world of capitalism, why is it unreasonable to try to act and to convince others to act in ways that are at least an *effort* to decrease some of the negative consequences of the system?! It is better to ignore the choice and thus favor those who invest in companies who *do* participate in those activities the Social Choice account tries to avoid? Indeed, what *are* the alternatives? No one--certainly no one on this list--does not participate in the economy. I would be enormously surprised if very many of us are not investors. If you aren't I suspect it's because you can't afford to, not because of principled opposition to the capitalist system. How strongly do you feel about supporting such a frequently and vigorously condemned system? Renounce you future pension, withdraw from your 403b's, IRA's, 457's; sell your individual stocks/ bonds etc.! Now that *is truly* ludicrous The clear-cut, absolute abstractions of Carl's first couple of paragraphs, get soft and fuzzy--realistically so, I believe-- when it gets to the personal realities of funding one's retire- ment package. Choice is possible; choice is necessary; ideology is a criterion. Bob >Subject: Re: Tell ASA to Pursue Socially Responsible Investing > >I agree 150% - there is no such thing as socially responsible investing - >its as riduclous as like fighting a moral war. > >The very concept reeks of the contradictions of liberalism and other >(so-called) lefties and leftish ideologies - somehow we can reap the >"fruits" of capitalism but remain innocent of its atrocties and injustices. >Impossible but a predominat attitude. > >I even find particpation in TIAA-CREF problematic for the same reason but >there is also the question of what are the alternatives. Unfortunately, >short of living in a commune with nothing - been there, tried that and it >failed - there are none. > > >>I am not an ASA member but as a PSN member I would likle to add my 2 >>centavos. Although I support this (reformist) position, I'm uncomfortable >>with the terminology of "socially responsible" investing. Yes, it's good >>that they don't deal in tobacco or nuclear power or whatever, but they >>still exploit their workers, overcharge and mislead consumers, encourage >>(over)consumption (often using dangerous stereotypes to do so), may >>underpay their taxes, pollute the environment, etc., etc., etc. Perhaps >>many of these companies are less socially irresponsible (though even that >>may not be a purposeful strategy as much as it is market niche and luck), >>but they are almost invariably not socially responsible. Very few, if any, >>for-profit corporations are or can be.---Dan >> > > > > Bob Whittenbarger Department of Sociology and Anthropology 210 Blair Hall Eastern Illinois University Charleston, IL 61920 (217) 581-3620 From jnaiman@acs.ryerson.ca Tue Aug 11 12:51:21 1998 Date: Tue, 11 Aug 1998 14:54:44 -0400 (EDT) From: Joanne Naiman To: psn@csf.colorado.edu Subject: Laugh of the day PSNers, The other day I forwarded a message to the PSN on the cost of the arms race. Of course, once you have sent out a message on a list, you have no idea where else it may be forwarded. Imagine my surprise on receiving the following e-mail this morning. I am impressed at the attentiveness of your government leaders. Cheers, Joanne ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Mon, 10 Aug 1998 17:51:27 -0400 (EDT) From: autoresponder@WhiteHouse.gov To: Joanne Naiman Subject: Re: The Price and Enormity of Folly Dear Friend: Thank you for writing to Vice President Gore via electronic mail. Since coming on-line, vice.president@whitehouse.gov has received thousands of messages from people all over the world. Although the volume of mail prevents the Vice President from personally reviewing each message, be assured that your concerns, ideas, and suggestions have been read carefully, and a detailed report of the mail is provided to the Vice President on a regular basis. Your message will be brought to his attention as part of that report. We currently are working toward a system that will allow us to respond more specifically to your messages. In order to do so, your help will be needed to ensure that we can read and record your message clearly. Please try to write short and concise messages, address only one issue per message, and send only one copy of your message. You will receive one automated response per day. On October 20, 1994, President Clinton and Vice President Gore acted to improve the accessibility of government information by opening a service called "Welcome to the White House: An Interactive Citizens' Handbook" on the Internet. This new World Wide Web service provides a single point of access to all electronic government information on the Internet. By using a free Web-browsing software program such as Mosaic or Cello, the user can access a multimedia interface to information from the White House and the Executive Branch of government, including White House documents, a virtual tour of the White House, and detailed information about Cabinet-level and independent agencies. This interface includes photographs, audio, and "hotlinks" to other government Web sites and services. You should check with your service provider for instructions on how to browse the Web. "Welcome to the White House" can be accessed at: http://www.whitehouse.gov Though the new Web server provides access to White House documents and publications, we will continue to provide these by e-mail. To receive instructions, please send a message to the following address (**do not "reply" to the memo you are now reading**): publications@whitehouse.gov In the body of your message, type "Send Info" (without quotes); no other text should be included, specifically message headers or signature lines (.sig files). The instructions will be sent to you automatically. Also, we now have a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) document that, among other things, lists certain other sources of government information. (The FAQ file is approximately 35K in size; you should check with your service provider to ensure that you can receive files of this size.) This FAQ address is an autoresponder only; any comment sent to this address will not be acknowledged. In order to obtain this, you should send an e-mail message to: faq@whitehouse.gov All of us at the White House are excited about the progress that has been made with this historic project, and we look forward to future developments. Your continued interest and participation are very important to us. Sincerely, Bill Mason Director of Correspondence for the Vice President [You will only receive one automated response per day] From lklein@mail.hartford.edu Tue Aug 11 20:28:38 1998 From: lklein@mail.hartford.edu Date: Tue, 11 Aug 1998 22:30:20 EDT To: PSN@CSF.COLORADO.EDU Subject: sssp reception Postings are somewhat slow during this summer period. Perhaps this announcment will interest some folks headed for the SSSP/ASA meetings in San Francisco next week: The SSSP Sexual Behavior, Politics, and Communities Division will co-sponsor a reception with the Drugs and Drinking Division during the upcoming annual meeting in San Francisco. Meet PJ McGann, our incoming chair, and catch up on the ongoing division activities. Our student paper competition winner will accept her award at the reception. Come join us on August 20th from 6-8pm. at Johnny Foley's Irish House. The address is 243 O'Farrell Street. Invite your friends and colleagues. We have a cash bar and a substantial array of food will be served for your dining needs. See you in San Francisco! Lloyd Klein Chair, SSSP SBPC Division From brbgc@ix.netcom.com Tue Aug 11 21:22:32 1998 by dfw-ix4.ix.netcom.com (8.8.4/8.8.4) id rma012065; Tue Aug 11 22:21:46 1998 Date: Tue, 11 Aug 1998 23:21:42 -0400 From: Ric Brown Reply-To: brbgc@ix.netcom.com To: PROGRESSIVE SOCIOLOGISTS NETWORK , psn-cafe Subject: WWW Page address for CUNY Women and Development Conference Greetings, Please note that it is necessary to enter the address using the appropriate capital letters when typing in the web address for the conference. The correct url is: http://www.geocities.com/athens/7364/Women_and_Development.html For Netscape and MSExplorer users, you need only click on the address to link to the page. If you have any problems linking to the page, please email brbgc@ix.netcom.com Thanks for all your interest in the conference. ______________________________________________________ THE GRADUATE SCHOOL AND UNIVERSITY CENTER OF THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK Presents WHICH WAY FOR WOMEN AND DEVELOPMENT? DEBATING CONCEPTS, STRATEGIES, AND DIRECTIONS IN THE 21st CENTURY To Be Held At The Borough of Manhattan Community College 199 Chambers Street October 15-17, 1998 **** For Complete Information, visit our WWW Page at **** http://www.geocities.com/athens/7364/Women_and_Development.html From smrose@exis.net Wed Aug 12 10:27:54 1998 From: "Steve Rosenthal" To: PSN@CSF.COLORADO.EDU Date: Wed, 12 Aug 1998 12:28:23 +0000 Subject: Marxist Section Activities at ASA Meeting Here is a reminder about Marxist Section activities at the upcoming ASA meeting in San Francisco. Steve Rosenthal. 1. RECEPTION. Sunday, Aug. 23, 6:30pm, jointly with the Section on Racial and Ethnic Minorities. Recipients of Section Book Awards to be announced. 2. SECTION PARTY. Friday evening, Aug. 21, 9:30pm, after the Marxist Section/PSN Dinner (Lauren: Have you arranged a trip to a nearby gourmet restaurant?). The party will be at the Parc Fifty Five Hotel in the room of Alan Spector and Steve Rosenthal. Check at the Critical Sociology Table for Room number. 3. GRAD STUDENT HOUSING. There will be a room available for grad student section members. The Red Feather Institute is covering two nights, and the Marxist section one night. For further details, contact Adam Flint, who posted a message earlier about this on PSN. Section Day for the Section on Marxist Sociology is Friday, Aug. 21. The Program includes: Session 24: In What Way Is the Concept of 'White Skin Privilege' Helpful or Harmful to Exposing and Eliminating Racism? 8:30am. Session 78: Roundtables. 12:30pm. Followed by section business meeting at 1:30pm. Session 101: Author Meets Critics: Erik Olin Wright's "Class Counts." 2:30pm. From tell@net.bluemoon.net Wed Aug 12 10:45:04 1998 Date: Wed, 12 Aug 1998 12:44:38 -0400 (EDT) From: Shawgi Tell Reply-To: Shawgi Tell To: mult-cul psn@csf.colorado.edu Subject: The So-called Pluralist/Diversity Dilemma Greetings, In thinking more about this whole issue I've come up with the following. In certain contexts the mingling of different races, nationalities and/or religions in a country can give rise to sharp divisions, antagonisms and hostilities. What are the conditions under which this type of problem arises? Specifically, what social, political and economic conditions must exist for these sorts of problems to emerge? Multiculturalists, multiculturalist educators and diversity proponents do not say or think that differences are bad or negative. In fact, they emphasize differences; they "celebrate" differences. However, they think that racism, intolerance, hostilities, stresses and antagonisms are the result of diversity itself and ignorance, unawareness or narrow-mindedness on the part of different so-called intolerant, unaccepting, bigoted, and prejudicial people. According to this view, if only people themselves would overcome their prejudices and intolerance then things would be good or better; racism and hostilties along various lines would not exist. Thus, people themselves are seen as the problem or cause of problems. Consequently, multiculturalists, multiculturalist educators and diversity proponents say and think that what is needed to "build cultural bridges," to promote acceptance, tolerance, respect, harmony and this sort of thing is things such as personal awareness training, introspection, and "prejudice-reduction" and "attitude" adjustment training. I call this the let's-fix-the-people-themselves-approach. Basically, multiculturalists, multiculturalist educators and diversity proponents cannot reconcile themselves with the idea that the most diverse races, religions and/or nationalities can live happily together. (James Banks, president of AERA, for example, holds the ruling class dogma that the elimination of racism is a pipe dream.). For them, the cohabitation of differing races, religions and/or nationalities in one country is naturally and inevitable going to lead to acute difficulties. Again, this is, according to them, because of diversity itself and not something else. For example, difficulties, divisions, problems, conflicts, hostilities and antagonisms do not exist because: - of specific social, political and economic conditions. - society is sharply divided between exploiters and exploited, rulers and ruled, oppressors and oppressed. - the political and economic elite consciously and unconsciously practice the racist policy of divide-and-rule. - wealth accumulation for a few depends heavily on the race- and sex-based divison of the diverse working class. - the division of the polity is extremely essential to the political and economic supremacy of a tiny elite which levies tribute on the whole of society. - the State does not represent the people as a whole. No, according to the multiculturalists, multiculturalist educators and diversity proponents, it's not because of these realities that we have divisions, antagonisms, splits, stresses, strains, racism and divisions. Again, it is because of differences themselves. This and numerous other shortcomings of the multiculturalists, multiculturalist educators and diversity proponents is what also accounts for the lack of any serious or comprehensive discusssion of human rights - the basis of equality, unity and diversity - in their literature. For example, to the best of my knowledge, it is hard to find any multicultural or diversity text that deals openly, plainly and squarely with the question of how the equal inviolable rights of all humans can be guaranteed in practice. For me, two questions arise form all this: 1. what social, political and economic conditions must exist in order for differing races, religions and/or nationalities cohabiting a single country to experience sharp divisions, hostilities and antagonisms? 2. how can the equal inviolable rights of all humans be guaranteed in practice? Shawgi Tell Niagara County Community College tell@net.bluemoon.net From christopher.rhomberg@yale.edu Thu Aug 13 13:22:13 1998 Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1998 15:22:40 -0400 To: PSN@csf.colorado.edu From: Christopher Rhomberg Subject: ASA Fellow at Detroit Free Press -- UPDATE ON ASA STUDENT INTERN PLACEMENT AT DETROIT FREE PRESS -- below is a brief summary of the outcome of correspondence over two months: In response to my original inquiry, the ASA executive office wrote to me on July 9, attaching copies of letters from the American Academy for the Advancement of Science and the Free Press Recruiting and Development Editor. The AAAS letter stated that AAAS had withdrawn its placements at the Free Press during the two years of the strike, but that it had since met with DFP management and accepted its claim that the dispute was over, as described in the letter from the DFP editor. The AAAS was unwilling to relocate the fellow who was already on-site, but said it would not place anyone there next year if it found the dispute was not resolved. The July 9 letter contained no reference to any communication by either ASA or AAAS with the unions involved, no understanding that while the strike is over the employers have imposed a lockout affecting more than a thousand workers, and no statement of the ASA's own position with regard to labor disputes or the Free Press case. In response to my further questions, ASA Executive Officer Felice Levine wrote back on July 30. In this letter, Ms. Levine says that in August 1987 the ASA Council approved a resolution stating that "the sociological profession regards the right to bargain collectively by working people as one of the basic human rights protected by law and tradition," and that the profession "regards attempts to prevent unionization, or to reverse union recognition by employers as inimical to the protection of human rights." With regard to the Free Press, Ms. Levine added: "ASA did not see [the letter from the Free Press editor] until after your initial inquiry, and the Association does not endorse any of the facts stated in the letter, which we have not verified in any manner. We have asked AAAS to inform us before any ASA-sponsored fellow will be placed at the Detroit Free Press in the future, so that we can determine the status of the labor dispute before approving the placement. I can assure you that part of this process will include contacting appropriate union officials to determine their position." I think it is extremely unfortunate that the placement of the fellow at the Free Press this year occurred without the prior exercise of appropriate steps under the Council's 1987 resolution, or any communication with the unions representing the newspaper workers. However, I am glad to note the efforts ASA has since taken to investigate the situation, express its concerns to the AAAS, and to promise a review of the case, including contacts with the relevant unions, before approving any future placement at the Free Press. I hope these actions indicate ASA's commitment to reaffirm its support for principles of fair labor. Of course, it is ultimately ASA members who shape the organization's actions. Ms. Levine says she will distribute copies of correspondence on the placement to the ASA Council at its August 1998 meeting. ASA members can raise our concerns at the open business meeting there or communicate directly with the ASA President. I have asked ASA for a copy of the full text of the 1987 Council resolution, and will forward it when I receive it. I appreciate list readers' attention to the issues raised in this case. This is but one of many that call out for our support, but remains an opportunity for sociologists to show where we stand. From erics@intergate.bc.ca Thu Aug 13 20:38:16 1998 Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1998 19:38:08 -0700 (PDT) To: PROGRESSIVE SOCIOLOGISTS NETWORK From: erics@intergate.bc.ca (Eric Sommer) Subject: World Economic Crisis - Recent developments August 13, 1998 - World Crisis Listserve: Hi there, The following is from our World Crisis listserve. Anyone wishing to join us can just send me an email message requesting a subscription: erics@intergate.bc.ca Eric Sommer, Chairman, Chiapas Alert Network, Coordinator, World Crisis Listserv ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Here are some recent developments: * The New York Stock Exchange has plunnged a total of approximately 500 points in the past 10 days. This humungous hit was partially in reaction to continuing deterioration in Asia and Russia. * Asian economies have displayed extreme turbulence, volitility, and losses in both stock markets and currency values in the past 10 days. * Russia's main stock market lost 10% of its value in just one day, and there is now serious talk of the possibility of devaluation of the Ruble. *China's officials continue to speak out strongly agasint devaluation of its currency, but pressure from other deteriorating Asian economies, and particularly from the Japanese downturn, could force devaluation, which would almost certainly trigger still additional devaluations in South Asian countries, some of which have already recently devalued. * Japan's government has announced that the receission in that country is much more serious than had previously been acknowledged. Now here is an update on today's developments: NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Wall Street reverberated Thursday with the problems of financial markets around the world, as a meltdown in Russia added to simmering troubles in Asia and sent global investors running for the exits. Fears that the looming problems of financial markets from Moscow to Tokyo and Hong Kong could cause a worldwide economic slowdown and hurt U.S. growth and corporate profits weighed heavily on market players' minds. The latest bearish spasm came as Russian stock markets collapsed and influential financier George Soros, known for his ability to move international currency markets, sent a letter to Britain's Financial Times newspaper, urging Moscow to devalue the ruble. The Dow Jones industrial average closed 93.46 points, or 1.09 percent, lower at 8,459.50. On the New York Stock Exchange, volume was heavy and market breadth was negative with declines leading advances 1,919 to 1,074 as 662 million shares changed hands. The Nasdaq Composite shed 22.99, or 1.26 percent, to 1,802.54 and the S&P 500 index fell 9.31 to 1,074.91. The bond market closed lower as investors digested $10 billion in new 30-year bonds and kept a close eye on the gyrations of the dollar, the ruble and the stock market. The benchmark 30-year Treasury bond fell 18/32 of a point in price for a yield of 5.63 percent. The dollar fell against the Japanese yen as for once the limelight switched on trading between the greenback and the German mark. The U.S. currency finished higher against the mark following Soros' letter. Germany is one of Russia's largest lenders. Jittery market heads south On Wall Street, investors sold shares in the financial sector, whose exposure to international currency market jitters could hurt future earnings. From erics@intergate.bc.ca Thu Aug 13 20:55:00 1998 Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1998 11:40:39 -0700 To: , PROGRESSIVE SOCIOLOGISTS NETWORK From: erics@intergate.bc.ca (Eric Sommer) Subject: World Crisis Update - European Reaction to Tuesday U.S. Market Rout. Hi there, The following article describes European market reactions on Tuesday to the Huge drop on Wall street on that day. Eric Global rout robs Europe Frankfurt drops nearly 4 percent, as London, Paris shed well over 2 percent CNNfn special report: Markets in retreat August 11, 1998: 2:04 p.m. ET LONDON (Reuters) - The continuing financial crisis in Asia and Russia and an early plunge on Wall Street battered sentiment across Europe's markets Tuesday, with major bourses closing down sharply but above the day's lows. With the yen's slide to an eight-year low against the dollar and a fall in major Pacific Rim markets overnight, fears increased about currency devaluations in Asia, particularly China. The news out of Russia also caused concern. With investors skeptical over the government's chances of pulling the country back from financial crisis, debt yields soared as Russia's benchmark RTS1-Interfax share index fell 9.11 percent to 109.90, a level not seen since May 1996. The Moscow Times index, another measure of the broader Russian stock market, ended the day down 64.14 points, or 7.7 percent, to 228.89. A report Indonesia had defaulted on a debt repayment was another blow, even though the country said it was merely rescheduling debt principal payments in line with an agreement with the International Monetary Fund. How Europe's major bourses fared The United Kingdom's FTSE 100 index dropped to its lowest closing level in seven months. The surprise news of a $110 billion merger between British Petroleum (BP) and Amoco Corp. (AN) of the United States only temporarily halted the slide by the leading index. BP shares gained 2.9 percent The FTSE 100 ended down 154.8 points, or 2.8 percent, to 5,432.8, having at one stage been as low as 5,403.3. It was the index's biggest point fall of the year. Dealers said selling pressure was confined to specific sectors, with the heavyweight financial stocks receiving some particularly harsh treatment. Banking group Royal Bank of Scotland, for instance, shed 7.1 percent. Those London stocks with Hong Kong exposure were under some of the greatest pressure, among them banking group HSBC, shares of which fell 6.6 percent. Other dealers said the lack of buying interest had exacerbated the falls, and with many top fund managers away from their desks for the summer season, the volatility was likely to continue in the next few weeks. "There has been the occasional uptick by the market on a daily basis and then a series of falls. This is going to continue for the next couple of weeks as a lot of the important decision-makers are away." The German equity market failed to escape the day's weak ground, and hefty losses on Wall Street late on Tuesday dragged it to close almost 4 percent weaker, amid renewed anxiety about Asian markets. The floor-traded DAX index closed down 207.85 points, or 3.80 percent, to 5,268.40 points, about 10 points above the day's low. The electronic Xetra DAX finished 3.2 percent lower at 5,285.78 points. DG Bank chart analyst Marcel Mussler added to dealers' anxiety, saying the index was in a virtual "free fall" from a technical standpoint and had little strong chart support ahead of the psychologically important 5,000 level. He said the Asian financial crisis and the fact the DAX has been overbought have set it up for a fall from current levels. "The bears are on the loose," Mussler said. On the corporate side, Germany's second biggest commercial bank, Dresdner Bank AG, snatched market attention and was knocked to a three-and-a-half month low after a German newspaper report said it was in talks to buy U.S. broker PaineWebber Group Inc. Dresdner shares initially benefited from the news but uncertainty later set in about whether the bank could afford the group if the rumors proved true. Dresdner and PaineWebber declined comment on the report. Dresdner shares closed Xetra trade 4.36 marks weaker at 93.05 marks after falling to 92 marks. Shares in specialized chemical company Henkel KGaA and drug company Schwarz Pharma AG lost ground in line with the market, with Henkel closing nearly 4 percent weaker, and Schwarz Pharma ending more than 3 percent lower. Both companies earlier reported first-half results that fulfilled analysts' expectations. Blue-chip stocks were hit the hardest and with the largest volumes. Car maker Volkswagen AG closed 12.10 marks down at 140.85 marks and was among the biggest traders. Paris stocks ended down more than 2 percent after being pummeled by a double-whammy of confusion over Indonesia's debt repayment and Wall Street's fall on fears of currency devaluations in Asia. The blue-chip CAC-40 index fell 93.47 points, or 2.37 percent, to 3,845.98 but above its session low. Volume was 12.6 billion francs. The index slumped to 3,786.19, its lowest level since late April, after a Paris Club official said Indonesia was expected to suspend some sovereign debt repayments in August. It steadied slightly when Indonesian Chief Economy Minister Ginandjar Kartasasmita said the country had begun rescheduling repayment of principal on Indonesia's international debt in agreement with the IMF and ahead of a meeting in September with the Paris Club. But the fragile recovery in Paris was broken by an early slide in U.S. stocks. Nevertheless, French brokers were heartened to see the CAC climb back above 3,800 before the close and said the index could yet regain some upward momentum. "We needed to bounce off 3,800 to get some confidence, and I would be surprised if the CAC fell much more than this," said one broker. "Although there is a degree of alarm at the pace we are falling, the effect of global worries about Asia will diminish if the yen starts to stabilize at its current levels. After all, the European fundamentals have not changed," he added. The gloom on the Paris bourse was broken by a surge of interest in oil stocks Total and Elf-Aquitaine following news of a British Petroleum Plc-Amoco Corp. merger. Total closed up 1.61 percent at 630 francs and Elf closed up 0.71 percent at 704 francs, the only CAC-40 stocks to close in the black. Bank and finance company stocks were hit hard by renewed Asia worries. Societe Generale and BNP were among the CAC's main losers, ending down 5.6 percent to 1,147 francs and 4.27 percent to 455 francs, respectively. The bullish impact of the World Cup for France petered out for shares in hotel group Accor on Tuesday, its stock sliding despite first-half sales figures which one analyst described as "super." Stock in the group, which initially outperformed a bearish market, closed down 4.22 percent to 1,477 francs. Food group Danone closed down 0.31 percent to 1,625 francs. SG Securities said it would add the stock to its model European portfolio because it was a more defensive stock and because its growth strategy had been approved by the market. It said the stock could reach a target price above 2,000 francs. From erics@intergate.bc.ca Thu Aug 13 21:32:16 1998 Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1998 20:30:13 -0700 (PDT) To: , PROGRESSIVE SOCIOLOGISTS NETWORK From: erics@intergate.bc.ca (Eric Sommer) Subject: No to Pure Ideology/ It's time to Organize! Hi there, I want to support William White's call for serious consideration of what is involved in actually building a movement, a transitional society, and then a full-blown cooperativist society in the Advanced Industrial - or `post industrial' - world. His notion of developing the tenets of an `ideology of common interest among workers', and his caveat that this ideology must take account of tendencies towards narrow perceived self-interest, is in my view definitely worthy of discussion. One starting point I would suggest is to consider that capitalist market relationships turn people into `isolates' with flimsey, unstable, disorganized relationships to other people, unable to combine their energies with others to produce the means of their lives except through capitalist enterprises. Establishing new means of `wholistic cooperation' to meet at least some of our common needs is one means of beginning to move beyond this alienated condition. The need for an `ideology of common interest' is, from my perspective, particulary poignant at this time, as the movements with which I am involved are activly attempting to come to terms with the growing global economic crisis, and with its effects on our constituencies. It is our perception, based on admittedly somewhat sketchy research, that progressive movements worldwide are literally `asleep at the switch'. History has a way of playing tricks on all of us - just when everyone thinks that notions like `world depressions' or `the final crisis of capitalsim' may be a thing of the past, and certainly are not on the agenda now, ba-boom, a world economic crisis is starring us in the face. I would like to invite anyone in the Progressive sociology list who is interested in beginning joint dialogue and inquiry regarding how we can best begin to organize a cooperativeist response to the crisis in North America (U.S., Canada, Mexico) to contact me by email. Or you can join the World Crisis listserve, which was established partially for that purpose. For the record, the organizations I work with are: The Shuswap Association which has worked for 8 years with the cooperative Indigenous associations and federations representing 3 million Mayan and other Indigenous people in Chiapas, Mexico and Guatemala who are seeking to persue a path of cooperative ecological development in the region. These gigantic NGO's use unique wholistic organizing models which are only partially captured by the world `cooperative', inasmuch as all aspects of life are part of the `coopeation'. We in SAPED provide both material assistance with appropriate cooperative eco-technologies and with coordianton - including electronic services - and organization. Our organizers work both here in Canada and directly with the people in Chiapas and Guatemala. The Stewards Corporation Movement, which is a new fledgling movement of poor and working people in Canada and the U.S. We are using a highly articulated set of social models to begin organizing ourselves to work together in practical ways to care for one another and the planet, and are in active solidarity with the cooperative associations in Chiapas and Guatemala. The Chiapas Alert Network, which works with people across North America to defend the Indigenous people of Chiapas against the violence and intimidation unleashed by right-wing paramilitaries and the Mexican military against them. More information on these organizations is available to anyone who writes me for it. From CDFUPDATE@childrensdefense.org Fri Aug 14 15:37:31 1998 Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1998 13:37:10 -0400 From: "CDFupdate CDFupdate" To: cdfupdate@automailer.com Subject: CDF Update - August 14, 1998 Sender: owner-cdfupdate@automailer.com Children's Defense Fund Update August 14, 1998 In this issue: -- Minimum Wage -- CDF Update to Take an August Recess MINIMUM WAGE --Lend Your Support to Increasing the Minimum Wage-- The Campaign for a Fair Minimum Wage is seeking state or local organizations to join with them in supporting an increase in the minimum wage. Close to 150 national organizations, including the Children's Defense Fund, have already signed on as supporters. Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Representative David Bonior (D-MI) are sponsors of bills that would raise the minimum wage by $1.00 over two years (to $6.15 an hour in the year 2000). Senator Kennedy is looking for an appropriate legislative vehicle to attach his increase proposal to in September, and a large list of organizational supporters from all over the country would be very helpful. The Children's Defense Fund believes that raising the pay of America's low-wage workers is an essential part of a strategy to raise our children out of poverty. 69 percent of poor children in America live in a family where someone works, up from 61 percent just three years earlier, according to 1996 Census data. More parents are employed, but at jobs with below-poverty wages. Full-time, year-round work at the current $5.15 minimum wage still leaves a family of three at only 82 percent of the federal poverty line. While the $6.15 rate will not raise a family of three out of poverty, it continues the long-needed movement in the right direction. What we seek is simple and modest: to return to the value of the minimum wage of the 1960s and '70s, which did support a family above poverty. Below is a letter from the co-chairs of the Campaign for a Fair Minimum Wage seeking your organization's support. If your organization would like to be listed as a supporter, please reply to Jane O'Grady at the Campaign for a Fair Minimum Wage: e-mail: adaction@ix.netcom.com; fax: (202) 785-5969; or mail to Campaign for a Fair Minimum Wage, 1625 K Street, NW, Suite 210, Washington, DC 20006. Please include the organization's name, street address, city, state, and zip code, phone, fax, and e-mail listings, and a contact person's name. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Friend: We would like to enlist your organization in a legislative campaign for a fair minimum wage. As you know, Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Cong. David Bonior (D-MI), supported by the Administration, have introduced bills in this Congress (S.1805 and H.R. 3510) which, when enacted, will increase the Federal minimum wage by $.50 on January 1, 1999 and, again, by $.50 on January 1, 2000. The current federal minimum wage of $5.15 leaves a full-time worker more than $2,000 below the federally-established poverty standard for a family of three. Given the nation's low unemployment and inflation rates, we believe economic conditions could not be more favorable in which to deepen our commitment to a more equitable minimum wage. The Campaign for a Fair Minimum Wage is a coalition of policy and program oriented organizations advocating on behalf of this legislation. It is a successor to similar citizens' coalitions that have organized, successfully, around the minimum wage issue in the 1980's and early 1990's. We will be working in the coming months to educate the public and the Congress on the social and economic benefits of an increase in the Federal minimum wage. Growing inequality in the distribution of income and wealth and persistent poverty pose a serious challenge to our society. It is a challenge which can be met in some measure by ensuring a gain and just wage floor for those workers in the lowest paying jobs. A prosperity which does not include everyone is a false foundation on which to build the economy of the 21st century. If this is an issue of concern to your organization, we invite you to join with us and welcome your participation in the Campaign for a Fair Minimum Wage. Sincerely, John Sweeney, President, AFL-CIO Hugh Price, President, National Urban League Kweisi Mfume, President and CEO, NAACP Dorothy Height, Chairman of the Board, National Council of Negro Women Anita Perez-Ferguson, President, National Women's Political Caucus --------------------------------------------------------------------- CDF UPDATE RECESS The CDF Update will take a short recess for the remainder of the month of August. Please look for the next issue on September 4, 1998. The House of Representatives resumes session on August 31st and the Senate will return on September 9th. Please use this opportunity to contact your Members of Congress while they are home in your state. -- OUR STRENGTH IS IN OUR NUMBERS -- PLEASE FORWARD THIS LEGISLATIVE UPDATE TO YOUR FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES! Our typical e-mail is about a page or two long and is delivered once a week. To join the CDF Update list, sign-up on our Web site or send an e-mail to: and write in the body of the message: subscribe cdfupdate PLEASE NOTE: WHEN SUBSCRIBING OR UNSUBSCRIBING, DO NOT SURROUND YOUR ADDRESS WITH BRACKETS. Liz Rochlen Children's Defense Fund 25 E Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 202/662-3540 (fax) CDFupdate@childrensdefense.org www.childrensdefense.org From dhenwood@panix.com Sat Aug 15 19:36:30 1998 Sat, 15 Aug 1998 21:36:08 -0400 (EDT) Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1998 21:36:31 -0400 To: PEN-L@GALAXY.CSUCHICO.EDU, pkt@csf.colorado.edu, bad@ENG.HSS.CMU.EDU, psn@csf.colorado.edu From: Doug Henwood Subject: LBO web updates I've just added some new stuff to the LBO website . * "Why TV sucks" , a review of Pierre Bourdieu's On Television (New Press). Peppered with links, Bourdieu-related and otherwise. * July U.S. employment , unemployment , and earnings data. The earnings page includes charts on productivity; scratch your head and wonder where the heavily hyped productivity boom is in the numbers. * Income mobility references (for article in LBO #84). Plus a plenitude of other sample articles, supplements, dazzling graphics... Doug From marcelh@portal.ca Sat Aug 15 20:07:08 1998 Sat, 15 Aug 1998 17:13:38 -0700 (PDT) Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1998 17:13:06 -0700 To: "AntiFascistFighters" From: Marcel Hatch Subject: Pacific Northwest Confronts Neo-Nazi Threat Dear Anti-Fascist Friends, Here's a very current thread on fighting the neo-Nazi threat which has added the queer issue is to its long list of targets within the working class. THE FIRST SHORT PART of this email is an invitation to our Vancouver, British Columbia, Freedom Socialist Party meeting on the subject. BUT THE SECOND PART is an excellent example of comradely dialogue between two different political Left groups on how to combat the Nazis. I look forward to you feedback. And please feel free to re-post all or portions of this email to your friends. In solidarity, Marcel Hatch Freedom Socialist Party Vancouver, BC Canada fsp@wimsey.com __________________________________________________ If you have received this announcement in error or do not want future notices, please respond to fsp@wimsey.com with the word "unsubscribe" in the message or subject fields. ___________________ PLEASE RE-POST __________________ VANCOUVER FREEDOM SOCIALIST PARTY PUBLIC MEETING THE FASCIST THREAT AND HOW TO FIGHT IT! SUNDAY 23 AUGUST 4PM An eyewitness account of the Aryan Nations march and anti-fascist protest in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, with special guest speaker Luma Nichol of Seattle's United Front Against Fascism * Discover how the Idaho Human Rights Commission, city officials and businesses discouraged protest, while giving the white supremacists "red carpet" treatment for their march * Discuss how United Front Against Fascism and other civil rights groups made a powerful impact through direct action * Learn about the dynamic accomplishments of the United Front Against Fascism in coalescing the movements of labour, people of colour, feminists, Jews, lesbians, gays, youth, First Nations and elders to combat neo-Nazis * Luma Nichol is a feminist activist and veteran anti-Nazi organizer. Her probing analysis of this watershed event will help illuminate problems and challenges faced by anti-fascists in Canada and the U.S. Delicious summer mini-meal $3.50 donation, 3:00pm Call 604 874-9048 for information or directions Rebel Centre, 2278 East 24th Avenue, Vancouver One block west of Nanaimo SkyTrain tel 604 874 9048, fax 604 874 9058 email fsp@wimsey.com http://www.socialism.com STATEMENT BY MS NICHOL ______________________________ Date: August 10, 1998 To: Megan Adam and Tony Tracy Socialism from Below Group Vancouver B.C. From: Luma Nichol, United Front Against Fascism RE: Response to Socialism from Below on Aryan Nations Protest Dear Socialism from Below Group Comrades, Sorry it has taken me a while to get back to you on the report you posted on the net concerning the Aryan Nations march and counter-demonstration in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, July 18. Since the event, United Front Against Fascism has been madly writing and distributing press releases, opinion pieces, and letters to the editor in order to expose Coeur d'Alene's dirty little secret: their accommodation to their fascist neighbors. We have also been writing letters to Coeur d'Alene officials protesting the arrests made at the march. Thank you for making the trip from Canada to Idaho. International solidarity is so important in the fight against fascism. In the past, UFAF has participated in anti-Nazi rallies in Vancouver B.C., and, in 1992, we sponsored a cross-border solidarity rally on Whidbey Island. It's great to see you continue the U.S./Canada collaboration. We agree that an assessment of the recent events is needed. Ninety fascists marching down main street U.S.A. is horrific! However, the fact that 500-plus outraged people hit the streets, despite a massive campaign by the establishment to prevent such a counter rally, is a victory! Unfortunately, thanks to the red carpet treatment accorded the Aryan Nations by Coeur d'Alene city fathers, Richard Butler promises to march again. Next time, our anti- fascist forces need to be larger, more organized and more united. You raise some important points in your critique of the demonstration. One is that sectarianism prevented radical groups from working together and that anti-fascist organizers had no local connections, weakening the effectiveness of the protest. You are also critical that there was no plan to try to stop the Aryan Nations. In general, I agree with the points you raise and want to address these problems more fully below. It's also important to know that the FBI scared local protesters from associating with militants, specifically with UFAF. We also need to address the treacherous role of the liberals and city fathers. What shocked me the most from my trip to Coeur d'Alene is to realize to what extent the fascists have gained a foothold there. The Aryan Nations has become an accepted, if feared, part of the community. City officials, representing the interest of business, have established a policy of accommodating to the white supremacists. Their decision to not challenge Butler's march is consistent with their overall approach of ignoring the danger posed by their ultrarightist neighbors. Before I address your concerns, I want to give some background to the events that unfolded on July 18th and UFAF's history in the region. IGNORING THE FASCIST THREAT Coeur d'Alene is a tourist town and for this idyllic resort to be known as a haven for Nazis is bad for business. Since the ë80s, when the white supremacists began to make their presence felt in Idaho, the official policy has been one of appeasement, to downplay the visibility of white supremacists settling in the region. This year, when Butler announced he would march through the heart of the city, the establishment went into overdrive to prevent a counter-demonstration. Liberal human rights agencies advocated the community turn its back on the fascists and attend a unity rally 30 miles away in Spokane. These same liberals dreamed up the perverse Lemons to Lemonade Campaign, collecting pledges for every minute the Nazis marched, the funds from which would benefit local charities. Downtown businesses closed shop while those in the outlying malls offered free attractions. The Spokesman Review got into the act, publishing a "too great to hate" flyer whose message was that civil rights protesters were as hatefilled as the Nazis. The police issued dire warnings of arrests for those who so much as said "Boo" to the Hitlerites. The FBI deliberately downplayed the strength of the Aryan Nations and spread horror tales about militant outside agitators in order to deter militant protest. But none of this was effective in stopping a counter demo. People poured into downtown to give the fascists what for! Ten years of educating by United Front Against Fascism in the Northwest, and anti-fascist activists elsewhere, on the vital necessity to face off with the Nazis and on the demonstrated effectiveness of such a response has had an impact. IDAHO 1989 You say in your paper that "the Aryan Nations and the KKK both have long, unopposed histories in Idaho." That is not accurate. In December 1988, UFAF organized the first direct action counter-protest held in the Northwest against a joint Aryan Nations and White Aryan Resistance skinhead gathering on Whidbey Island in western Washington. This much publicized, highly controversial and hugely successful event inspired others to stand up to the fascists. At this time, Richard Butler declared that he would march in Idaho in April 1989 on the 100th anniversary of Hitler's birthday. Idaho's liberal Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations advocated that businesses close shop and that the community turn its back on the Nazis, just as they did this year. But, others disagreed, and inspired by the Whidbey Island rally, they formed Citizens for Non-violent Action Against Racism (CINAAR) and called for the community to walk to the gates of Butler's Hayden Lake compound. CINAAR leaders, Lisa Anderson, a Native American and Spencer Hamm, an African American who had had a cross burned on his lawn the previous year, asked for UFAF's support. When we announced we would participate in the walk and called on the Kootenai County Task Force to do the same, all hell broke loose. UFAF was demonized as a violent, extremist group and deliberately misportrayed in the local media as attacking the people of Coeur d'Alene and the Task Force for being apathetic. The cops did everything they could to terrorize people away from the walk, hyping the potential danger of such an endeavor. Under intense pressure, CINAAR organizers issued a directive to all participants that, if attacked, they were to sit down and not fight back, and the Washington Rainbow Coalition withdrew their endorsement of the walk under the advice of Jesse Jackson. As it turned out, a few weeks before the walk was due to happen, Richard Butler canceled his march. He said he did not want his skinheads to come into contact with AIDS-infected demonstrators from Portland and San Francisco's direct reference to UFAF's strong gay community support. CINAAR and UFAF hailed the cancellation as a victory as just the threat of mass protest got Butler to back down. Butler backing down added to the momentum for the civil rights walk and all the forces of the state could not stop it. Two thousand people hiked seven miles through Coeur d'Alene, to Hayden Lake between a phalanx of police, stopping two miles short of the gates of the Aryan Nations compound. THE LACK OF COLLABORATION WITH PROTESTERS FROM THE REGION One main difference between 1989 and 1998 was that this year no local rebels came forward to challenge the liberals and call for a counter-demonstration. Like you, UFAF believes that it is essential to work with the community under attack in organizing any fight back. The problem was finding local connections who had not been deterred from protesting by the liberals or made to fear us by the FBI. Had we had the resources to send community organizers to Coeur d'Alene in the weeks prior to July 18, I'm sure we would have found like-minded people to work with. This just was not possible for us this time. UFAF did contact people in the region to encourage them to support a protest. As soon as the news broke about Butler's march, I called one of the CINAAR organizers to offer to work on a protest with him. But nine years of liberal propaganda had taken their toll. He wanted to picket the media for giving the Aryans too much publicity and was angry that groups like UFAF would feed into the media frenzy. He said he would boycott the white supremacist's show. We also contacted unionists in Idaho and Spokane. We learned that the Kootenai County Labor Council opposed any counter-demonstration. We talked to the president of the council about the critical role of labor in countering fascism, about the success UFAF has had in gathering support from labor for our direct action protests and about the resolutions the King County and Washington State Labor Councils have passed in opposition to the Nazis. She took this information back to the council hoping to sway them, but to no avail. She was the sole member of the labor council who came to downtown Coeur d'Alene the morning of July 18 to join the UFAF contingent. The only local group we found who was planning to go to the Aryan march was a religious coalition. But they did not issue a call to others to join them. They also worked closely with the police who terrified them, giving them instructions about what to do should bullets fly, etc. The cops, with help from the FBI, warned them away from working with Left extremists. The coalition's rally instructions cautioned participants that "the United Front Against Fascism, a socialist/communist group from Seattle and possibly some regional gangs could also be present ( at the demo)." THE ROLE OF THE FBI The FBI was working behind the scenes to avert a militant counter-protest. As the agency that routinely monitors and infiltrates ultra-right groups, they are seen as a source of information. They tried to lull the community into complacency by putting forward the view that Richard Butler was dwindling in influence, had few supporters and would probably cancel the march as he had done in April, when it was originally scheduled. The FBI has a long-established working relationship with Northwest human rights organizations whom they use to gather information on the Left. One of these groups is the Northwest Coalition Against Malicious Harassment, the region's pre-eminent anti-hate crime agency, which is solidly opposed to confrontation of the fascists. In May, I called Bill Wassmuth who heads the agency to find out what their plans were in response to Butler's announced march. That's when I learned of their Lemons to Lemonade fundraising scheme and the unity rally in Spokane they were helping to organize. Not coincidentally, a few weeks later, the FBI called UFAF wanting to know if my "group was going to Coeur d'Alene." We refused to talk to the FBI as is our longstanding policy. Judging from the dis-information given the religious coalition, the FBI decided to take no chances about UFAF and poisoned the waters in order to dissuade any local protesters from working with us. SECTARIANISM WEAKENS ANTI-FASCIST FORCES The establishment mounted such a massive campaign against any protest that frankly it was hard to tell how many would defy the mayor and show up on July 18. It wasn't until the week of the Aryan Nations march, when it became clear that Butler would proceed with his plans, that UFAF learned of other contingents travelling to Coeur d'Alene, such as the EarthFirst! environmentalists from Moscow, Idaho. One of the groups we heard from was the International Socialist Organization (ISO) in Seattle. Five days before the event, Leanne with ISO and the Midwest Network to Stop the Klan called the Freedom Socialist Party, whose leaders helped found United Front Against Fascism, to inform us that they were organizing folks to go to Idaho. I asked what their plans were since I wanted to coordinate efforts with them. Leanne's curt response was "You know, like, stop the Klan, have you ever done anything like that?" A day later we called Leanne again and got a little more information but no interest in collaborating. ISO is well aware of UFAF's history in leading the fight against fascism in the Northwest and have participated in many of our actions. Yet they clearly had no interest in collaborating with us. At the demo site, I tried to find ISO leaders to talk but never located them, though one was glimpsed looking for her comrades. We positioned our UFAF contingent at the corner where ISO said they would gather as we wanted to form a radical contingent with them. But they never showed, nor did they send anyone to find us which would have been easy as we were at their meeting spot with our bright yellow and red banner. Later we saw them across the street where we could not reach them due to the police barricades. By the way, I have also called ISO since the demo to find out if they had anyone arrested and never got a response. UFAF is in total agreement with you about the necessity to build united front efforts when we confront the fascists. This has always been our theory and our practice. One factor that made collaboration more difficult in this instance is the short preparation time before the event. But despite this, the instinct of radical anti-fascists should be to work in united front formations. That this did not happen in Coeur d'Alene weakened our effectiveness as you pointed out. WE WERE NOT IN A POSITION TO STOP THE NAZIS I share with you the wish that we could have stopped the fascists from marching on July 18. But as you wrote, conditions were not favorable for this because of the immense cop power deployed and the disjointed opposition to the white supremacists. UFAF's assessment was that a physical confrontation would result in a high number of arrests. As anti-fascist leaders, we consider it our responsibility to follow through with defense of those who have been arrested as a result of our actions. Having to organize courtroom defense in another state, where we have no lawyers and few community resources plus the expense and time of traveling 300 miles to take part in court proceedings ruled out for us the prospect of leading an assault on this occasion. Even though there was no melee on July 18, the cops still busted 23 people with no justification! Protesters were arrested for such crimes as refusing to allow the police to search their backpacks, carrying signs on picket sticks and chanting slogans the cops found offensive. After the demonstration, when we learned that several people with the Moscow contingent had been arrested, we searched them out and gave them the name of a lawyer to contact. When we got home, we wrote to the Mayor and chief of police demanding the charges be dropped. We contacted others asking them to write as well. We also called the Seattle Times to urge them to do a follow up story on the brutality of the police. Speaking out against the pervasive trampling of our civil liberties is important. We cannot allow this treatment of protesters to become accepted as the norm. PREPARING FOR IDAHO 1999 Should the Aryan Nations march next year as they have promised , the scene in Coeur d'Alene will be vastly different. More people will turn out to protest. The potential for building a mass counter-demonstration capable of stopping the fascists is strong. It is our job as activists to see that this happens. This necessitates that anti-fascist organizers work together in a united front. It also highlights the importance of challenging the policy of demonizing human rights protesters and launching the entire police power of Idaho against us. In order to do this, we have to educate our potential supporters on the doomed policy of the liberals to clear the streets so the white supremacists can march unopposed. This is why, UFAF decided that one of the most important things we could do while in Coeur d'Alene was to educate on the effectiveness of direct action confrontation. To this end we issued a flyer (attached) which we distributed at the protest, at a meeting of the religious coalition and at the shopping mall where businesses were hosting human rights speakers. We also posted it on the net. We have received an incredible response to our position of standing up to the Nazis, especially from people in Idaho and Washington who want to get involved in the fight against fascism. UFAF is also working to get our account of what came down published in community and movement papers. We have press releases and first hand stories written if you have any suggestions for media who might run them. We have also had several letters published in the local papers. Reading the editorial pages of the Idaho papers, there is quite a debate raging on the events of July 18. It is important to inject our solutions into this public dialogue. We encourage everyone to speak up, write articles and letters and debate these issues in your own communities. If anti-fascist activists do the educating, build on the contacts we made from this trip to Coeur d'Alene and work together, there will be no next time for the Aryan Nations. In solidarity, Luma Nichol For United Front Against Fascism Seattle, Washington nicholuma@aol.com _________________________________________________ On Sunday 19 July Megan Adams of Socialism from Below Group wrote: On Friday, a group of six of us from Vancouver (Megan A., Tony T., Garth M., Alissa, Rob D., Margot B.) decided to go down to Couer D'Alene, Idaho to join the protest against a planned Aryan Nations march. Our trip there and back, and the demo in between was a 26 hour trip involving no sleep, some alcohol and a lot of coffee. The events as described below are the best that we know them to our ability, but any factual errors, we apologize for in advance... We wanted to write this account to let people know about what happened down there and the lessons that we drew from it, as well as some background. My apologies in advance for multiple posts. Megan Adams _________________________________________________ COPS AND KLAN GO HAND IN HAND In February of 1998, the Aryan Nations applied for a permit from the city of Couer D'Alene Idaho to stage a "hundred man flag parade". Originally slated to occur in April to coincide with Hitler's birthday, the march was moved forward to July 18. Local opposition to the scheduled march was sparse and varied with some citizens groups calling for a non-violent protest in the street and others organising a human rights symposium in near-by Spokane, Washington. Editorials in local papers all seemed to concur that while they the planned march was "disturbing", the Aryan Nations rights were protected by the First Amendment and therefore could not be challenged either legally or in the street. Steve Judy, the mayor of the town vowed to call in not only every local police force in the region, but the Idaho state police as well to ensure that no violence occurred. Essentially, protection of the right of fascists to march became the town's utmost priority, making local opposition extremely difficult from the outset. Background The Aryan Nations and the KKK both have long, unopposed histories in Idaho. The community of Hayden Lake (15 miles from Coeur D'Alene) is home to the Aryan Nation compound where many American fascists associated with the "Christian Identity" movement go to meet and train militia-style for the ensuing race war. The compound itself is heavily fortified with stockpiled arms and guarded by young neo-nazi skinhead thugs. Local opposition to this presence of fascism has been virtually non-existent. Ties between members of local police forces and the Aryan Nations are well known in the communities of the region, allowing the illegal activities of these nazis to go unchecked. Richard Butler is the disgusting old curmudgeon that runs this sad but dangerous show. His vile platform includes the creation of the Aryan National State which would be white-only. Butler's state would allow only Aryans to hold citizenship, vote, own property, conduct business, bear arms or hold office. All non-whites (what Butler terms 'racial hybrids') would be removed (read: killed) and have their wealth confiscated. Mixed in with this intense white power platform is a host of crazed conspiracy theories that include 'the scourge of Jewish Communism' and the persecution of whites at the hands of a 'socialist' US government (we wish!). Local youth in Couer D'Alene told us that they are frequently terrorized by skinhead gangs who act without impunity in harassing women, people of colour and anyone who is vocally opposed to the beliefs and actions of the Aryan Nations. In addition, local construction/demolition firms have experienced frequent thefts of items used to create explosives such as ammonium nitrate and blasting caps - which many feel are connected to AN activities. The Demonstration Despite pleas by the town mayor, over a thousand people lined the streets of Couer D'Alene to show their opposition to the Nazi marchers. Unfortunately there was no cohesive group to lead the protest. The Jewish Defense League, the International Socialist Organisation, the Freedom Socialist Party and Anti-Racist Action were all present at the demo (many who came from Seattle, Boise and other parts of the US and Canada), but didn't appear to have any working relationship to one another. Approximately seventy-five members of the Aryan nations and the KKK (all in full regalia, hoods and all) marched the streets flanked by skinhead security guards. Richard Butler lead the demo from a jeep while attempting to broadcast his message of hate which was fortunately drowned out by the chants of protesters. Marchers carried US, Canadian, Finnish and Nazi flags. Their march, assisted by the police, lasted about half an hour while demonstrators followed them on the sidewalk chanting "No Nazis, No KKK, No Fascist USA" and "One Race - Human Race". As well as the march, there were several nazi thugs who were "mingling" in the anti-racist crowd, taking pictures and harassing activists. Unfortunately the march was not stopped despite the numbers of opponents, and the majority of 'militant' fighters in the crowd refused to confront the nazis who were threatening protesters. The police, of course, had a lot to do with the inability of the crowd to act. There were about 200 uniformed police including riot squad and state guards. The number of undercover there was impossible to calculate. Their sole role was to protect the fascists by harassing and arresting activists. Not in any instance did they attempt to aid protesters in getting fascists off the sidewalks where they were told not to be. Irv Rubin of the Jewish Defense League was threatened with arrest for making obscene gestures at the march as it passed. All told, twenty three people were arrested in a brutal fashion - most for 'obstruction' and 'attempt to incite a riot'. The one skinhead we saw arrested was treated a hell of a lot better than the anti-racists we saw being beaten and hauled off by the cops. Once again, the Idaho police proved that the cops and Klan do go hand in hand. As the nazis finished their march and attempted to leave under police escort, a segment of the demo tried to stop one of the cars loaded with nazi thugs. The cops were successful at creating a diversion that split the protest in two and then proceeded to march their riot squat in to where the demonstrators were holding up the fascists. At this point the Riot Act was read and the car passed under chants of militant anti-racists. All in all, the counterdemo was completely unorganised and largely confused. One thing that added to the confusion was the large number of local people who seemed to have only come out to watch the spectacle and hurled more abuse at the women protesters than anything else. As activists in unfamiliar territory, we were looking for a militant leadership who had some connections on the ground, but found nothing. The mood of many protesters was to block the street and stop the fascists from marching, but no militant group was willing to take the lead (even though there were at least 200 people from socialist and anarchist groups in the crowd). That strong leadership could have pulled the less radical people into a more oppositional stance. On the other hand, the fact that there was opposition to the Aryan Nations in this small town is an extremely positive thing. Many local youth were out to protest, and some expressed interest in furthering their opposition to local skinhead gangs. Lessons As with any set of actions, there are a lot of lessons we can learn to further our ability as activists and radicals. The Police, The State and Fascism It has been argued in local anti-racist actions, that we should, or at least can, rely on the police to protect us in the event that things turn ugly on a demo against fascists. There have also been numerous cases of activists turning info on nazis over to CSIS. Many events in Canada and the US have shown us that we can not ever rely on the state to protect our work. In Toronto, members of ARA were routinely harassed and arrested during the height of their work fighting the Heritage Front. In 1996 in Maryland, seven activists were arrested, and dozens more tear gassed while opposing a Klan march. Couer D'Alene Idaho is just one more example in a pattern of events that demonstrates the refusal of the state to take up a meaningful fight against racist and fascist activity. The cops were clearly there to protect the fascists' right to march, not to prevent further racist atrocities from occurring. We can not and should not rely on the state to protect us from fascist activity; we can only rely on the mass movements that we build to shut them down. Sectarianism and the Movement Something that became very clear at the outset of the demo was that all of the radical groups involved refused to have any connection with each other. Because there was no unity between the United Front Against Fascism, the International Socialist Organisation or any other group, the potential of the demonstration to stop the fascists was pretty much pissed away. Here we clearly saw the lesson about the pitfalls of sectarianism. If we really are to fight fascism and win, or anything else for that matter, it is crucial that we put aside our differences so that we can act as a united front on the issues on which we agree. This is not to minimize debate between groups which can be very healthy, but to strengthen the actions which we all attend. Some of the comments made by members of organisations about members of other groups were quite disgusting. Unity is one of the most crucial issues on the left and we must all strive to achieve it especially on the ground. Strategy is Everything This also became abundantly clear in Couer D'Alene. No one had a clear strategy, not even a map of what could happen, laid out. This led to confusion on the part of less experienced activists particularly when confronted with needing tactics to deal with the nazis harassing the crowd, and police arrests. Experienced members of groups have to be able to come to terms with the question of tactics and aid other protesters in the event of intense (and quite frankly, really fucking scary) situations. This is not to say, tell people what to do, but rather take the experience of everyone into account to develop a plan for action. Because there was no cohesion on the left, there was no strategy. Fortunately nothing got really out of control (except that a lot of people were arrested), but we had the potential for some skull cracking (ours or theirs, you make the choice), and only a handful of people knew what to do. This in no way is meant to criticize the many people who drove through the night to protest the disgusting actions of the Aryan Nations, but rather to learn from the mistakes of the past so that we might be better activists in the future. Sorry for such a long post, but it has been an intense weekend and we wanted to share it with you all. If you have any questions, or if this didn't make sense, or if we got some of it wrong, please let me know. They shall not pass! (Next time) Megan and Tony "To be truly radical is to make hope possible rather than despair convincing" -- Raymond Williams Megan Adam meadam@sfu.ca From klockeb@sobek.Colorado.EDU Mon Aug 24 12:28:15 1998 Mon, 24 Aug 1998 12:28:06 -0600 (MDT) Date: Mon, 24 Aug 1998 12:28:06 -0600 (MDT) From: Klocke Brian V To: psn@csf.colorado.edu Subject: dsanet: Fwd: Clinton knew target was civilian (fwd) FYI: from THE OBSERVER Clinton knew target was civilian American tests showed no trace of nerve gas at 'deadly' Sudan plant. The President ordered the attack anyway By Ed Vulliamy in Washington, Henry McDonald in Belfast , and Shyam Bhatia and Martin Bright Sunday August 23, 1998 President Bill Clinton knew he was bombing a civilian target when he ordered the United States attack on a Sudan chemical plant. Tests ordered by him showed that no nerve gas was on the site and two British professionals who recently worked at the factory said it clearly had no military purpose. The disclosure will deepen the crisis, following the American attacks on Afghanistan and Sudan, in relations between the US and its Muslim allies, who have called upon Clinton to produce hard evidence that the attacks had a legitimate relevance to the war against international terrorism. The US claims that the Al-Shifa Pharmaceuticals Industries plant in North Khartoum was producing the ingredients for the deadly VX nerve gas. But Sudan's assertion that it produced 50 per cent of the country's drug requirements is much closer to the truth. Several vital pieces of evidence point to this conclusion. US forces flew a reconnaissance mission to test for traces of gas and reported that there were none. Nevertheless Clinton immediately authorised the attack. He was also told that the absence of gas would avoid the horrifying spectacle of civilian casualties. Sudan has said 10 people were injured, five seriously. Belfast independent film-maker Irwin Armstrong, who visited the plant last year while making a promotional video for the Sudanese ambassador in London, said: "The Americans have got this completely wrong. "In other parts of the country I encountered heavy security but not here. I was allowed to wander about quite freely. This is a perfectly normal chemical factory with the things you would expect - stainless steel vats and technicians." Tom Carnaffin, of Hexham, Northumberland, worked as a technical manager from 1992 to 1996 for the Baaboud family, who own the plant. "I have intimate knowledge of that factory and it just does not lend itself to the manufacture of chemical weapons," he said. "The Americans claimed that the weapons were being manufactured in the veterinary part of the factory. I have intimate knowledge of that part of the [plant] and unless there have been some radical changes in the last few months, it just isn't equipped to cope with the demands of chemical weapon manufacturing. "You need things like airlocks but this factory just has doors leading out onto the street. The factory was in the process of being sold to a Saudi Arabian. They are allies of the Americans and I don't think it would look very good in the prospectus that the factory was also manufacturing weapons for Baghdad. "I have personal knowledge of the need for medicine in Sudan as I almost died while working out there. The loss of this factory is a tragedy for the rural communities who need those medicines." The engineer, who has said he will be returning to Sudan in the near future to carry out more work for the Baaboud family, condemned the American attack and its resulting loss of life. "It's a funny feeling to think that I had a cup of tea in that place and the security guard on the gate who used to say hello to me is very probably now dead. The Baabouds are absolutely gutted about this. People who they knew personally have been killed - it is very upsetting." Meanwhile, an assurance that British targets will not be included in any retaliatory strikes has come from sources close to Osama bin Laden, the multimillionaire Saudi fundamentalist believed to be behind the twin bombings of US embassies in East Africa. Bin Laden, who survived the American air-strikes on his training camp inside Afghanistan, telephoned the editor of the London-based Arabic daily newspaper al Quds al Arabi to declare he was only interested in hitting the US and Israel.   © Copyright Guardian Media Group plc.1998 _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] From klockeb@sobek.Colorado.EDU Thu Aug 20 21:56:07 1998 Thu, 20 Aug 1998 21:55:59 -0600 (MDT) Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1998 21:55:59 -0600 (MDT) From: Klocke Brian V To: psn@csf.colorado.edu Subject: US Missile strikes against Sudan and Afghanistan I was disappointed not to receive any e-mail from any listserv today about CLinton's ordering of missile strikes against "Terrorist related facilities"(Clinton's words) in Sudan and Afghanistan. So, I guess I will try and put a few thoughts down. I was first alerted to this military act of attempting to put terror(ism) in US foes by our local community radio station. The DJ played, by request, Phil Ochs, "We're the Cops of the World" song which was the best critical analysis I heard on radio or TV all day. I was disappointed that even the Pacifica News service did not provide any critical commentary on today's events, they simply reported much of the same info that mainstream sources did. The CLinton administration(CA) said that this simultaneous destruction of "terrorist related facilities" was in retaliation for the bombing of US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya, saying that they had "American intelligence" linking the embassy bombings with Usama bin Laden's network and that they were planning further attacks. Yet they never explained what kind of intelligence information they were talking about nor expounded upon what evidence they had. No reporters questioned this. The CA also expressed that they have known for several years that these "terrorist training complexes" have existed. The timing of this military attack just hours/days after Clinton admitting an "improper relationship" with Monica Lewinsky, brings up images from the movie "Wag the Dog". One "security consultant" interviewed on McNeil/Lehrer made sure he stated that this wasn't a case of the tail wagging the dog (to have Clinton take public focus away from his Lewinsky troubles). All of the media coverage I heard quickly shifted away from the reasons why Clinton ordered this attack and showed loads of archival footage (sources not identified, of course) and dialogue convincing us that bin Laden is the worst terrorist (demonization process) in the world. >From the CA we heard the same old justifications of using violence to intimidate: "Threat to our National Security", and these rogue terrorist groups are "attempting to acquire chemical weapons". To bolster this, an image of a building in rubble was shown which the US says was a chemical weapons factory and which Sudan says was a medicine factory (perhaps both are partially true). Of course, we were told that teh factory we bombed in Iraq was not a baby milk factory but also a chemical weapons factory. My heart sank when I heard of the bombing of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania and saw the bloody bodies. And my Heart sank when I heard of the US bombing of Sudan and Afghanistan. I am sure that we will never se any bloody or dead bodies on US television in this second bombing but I am just as sure innocent people were killed in both bombings. General Shelton gave the standard US alleviance of guilt by saying that "we tried to minimize collateral damage" (i.e. killing of civilians). He knows that innocent people will be killed. Another obvious area of critical analysis that was lacking in the media coverage was exploring whether (even if you think the bombing is justified) the bombings will be effective at minimizing international hatred of US foreign policy. Do you really think that this will do anything other than further the emotional resolve of the family and friends of those who have been killed. Why is it terrorism when someone bombs the US and a justified "exercise of self defense" (CA) when the US bombs someone else. When I criticize the military actions of the US, most people I talk with that disagree try to argue that Fidel Castro or Saddam Hussein or Usama bin Laden really have done evil things to the US and their own people. Of course we could say the same about the US. I could critize other leaders of countries and international organizations and I often do, but why are we so afraid to criticize our own government. I feel we have more of a responsibility to critize our own government than others. This "military action" will insure that US military spending, already the highest in the world continues to receive over-funding (and perhaps increased funding) in the next few years, to continue to create and test new weapons, perhaps including biological weapons of which we have a significant amount stored. We are the only country to have used a nuclear weapon in war. But perhaps terrorism includes not only bombing but the slow erosion of whole cultures and ecosystems and the systematic, institutionalized oppression of "minority races, classes, genders, etc. Hopefully I have pushed enough buttons to start a little bit of dialogue on the list -I need to get some rest for I have a cold and a heavy head both physiologically and metaphorically. My heart sinks as I look down and see the terrorist blood on my hands. When will we learn? We must transform the violence around us and in us and in the US. It won't happen through intimidation, torture or killing. Stand up now or there will be no one left to stand up for you. Brian Klocke CU-Boulder "Peace through Justice with Love for all Living Beings" From Dave.Byrne@durham.ac.uk Wed Aug 26 05:57:58 1998 Wed, 26 Aug 1998 12:57:40 +0100 (BST) Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1998 12:57:38 +0100 (BST) From: D S Byrne To: Klocke Brian V Subject: Re: dsanet: Fwd: Clinton knew target was civilian (fwd) In-Reply-To: The dispute about the nature of the Sudan factory has taken an interesting turn in my regional press. The factory's former Chief Engineer who has said very clearly that it was a mainstream pharmaceutical plant lives in this region and the story was first broken in the regional paper. The interesting aspect of this is that a lot of quite affluent people in this region do, and always have, made their living by this kind of expatriate technical and consultancy work and this chap is plainly one of them. They are very pissed off with the US action because it messes up their field of work in the Middle East and even more angry that the UK government, in slavishly following the US line, is taken the word of, to quote one aquaintance of mine, wankers from the intelligence services over a competent professional's. These people are not generally particularly leftist! What they don't like is the political devaluation of technical knowledge. David Byrne Dept of Sociology and Social Policy University of Durham Elvet Riverside New Elvet Durham DH1 3JT 0191-374-2319 0191-0374-4743 fax From aaustin@utkux.utcc.utk.edu Tue Aug 25 18:48:44 1998 Tue, 25 Aug 1998 20:48:34 -0400 (EDT) Date: Tue, 25 Aug 1998 20:48:34 -0400 (EDT) From: Andrew Wayne Austin To: Klocke Brian V Subject: Re: US Missile strikes against Sudan and Afghanistan In-Reply-To: On Thu, 20 Aug 1998, Klocke Brian V wrote: > My heart sinks as I look down and see the terrorist blood on my hands. > When will we learn? There are people with far more blood on their hands than you, my friend. The US state is to blame. The blood is on its hands. My heart sinks to see the degree of popular support for the bombings. I think that the relative silence on this list is more out of the intense frustration that many of us feel when we turn on the news to see that once again our leaders act as terrorists. When will *we* learn? I don't think we should count ourselves as equal partners with those who carried out this horrible act. They will learn when we turn them out of office - no, when we *dissolve* the office. Andy From charnes@concentric.net Sun Aug 23 05:52:31 1998 by uhura.concentric.net (8.8.8/(98/08/04 5.11)) [1-800-745-2747 The Concentric Network] by marconi.concentric.net (8.8.8) Date: Sun, 23 Aug 1998 07:55:55 -0400 From: Rick Charnes To: Progressive Sociologists Network Subject: Vietnam syndrome Mark Richer wrote: > This just reminded me, it's a project Maureen Dowd has been at for some > time: getting over the "Vietnam syndrome" that's troubled warmongers since > the 1960s. If you look back to the days when Dowd was praising George > Bush, a man with "stark and vivid definition of principle," as shown by > his slaughter of Iraqis and destruction of social programs in the US, she > quotes Bush favorably: "By God, we've kicked the Vietnam syndrome once and > for all" (NYT, March 2, 1991). Hi, Mark -- Though with the Kosovo crisis, my primary political concern these days, it seems some strange and bitter flavor of the Vietnam syndrome has returned, and with a vengeance. Of course, this syndrome depends on the existence of some public 'mood' and opinion against military intervention, and in this crisis there's absolutely no public input, since 99.99% of the public has neither concern, interest nor understanding of what it's all about, so unlike Vietnam or the Gulf War everything that happens in the field is entirely dependent on the bureaucratic-diplomatic apparatus in Washington. I've been struggling greatly with my feelings about Kosovo, and I must admit that there's a strong part of me that, after 15 years in the left and anti-imperialist movements, I recognize in myself some desire for NATO to do something to stop the Serb attacks. It's shocking for me to look inside and see this, yet there it is. The ethnic cleansing in the former Yugoslavia has shaken some of my long-held core beliefs about the role of armed force. It appears that whereas in most world situations the US has asserted its hegemony and world dominance and shown its disregard for non-American lives and interests by the ~use~ of military interventions, in Kosovo on the other hand I believe it is maintaining its hegemony and shown its callous unconcern for human rights by the ~abstinence~ of military invention. It's a curious situation. The ideological justifications of the US and the west, as well as many other people are, of course, "Well, it's a complicated situation, there are so many other factors, there's no one 'right' side, we're not sure we can do it with air strikes alone, we can't go around putting out fires everywhere, a pox on both your houses," etc. etc. And of course there's the Vietnam Syndrome symptomology: "We're not sure there's an appetite among the American public for the loss of American lives for something so murky and inchoate as the protection of human rights..." And then on much of the left the corresponding attitude goes roughly like, "Well, the Albanians seem to be aligned with the US, the Serbs seem to be against the US, so as radicals and anti-imperialists our solidarity is with the Serbs." This is unfortunate attitude, not well thought out. Most probably an ultimate NATO intervention will be Milosevic's last and best hope, allowing him to blame the west for the 'loss' of Kosovo. Two million Kosovo Albanians want independence from a brutal colonial occupation and request US support to achieve that goal, yet all of a sudden American ruling circles are loving pacifists and its pronouncements are full of the horrors of achieving independence through any means, much yet armed force. The irony of the issuing of one such pronouncement on July 4 was not lost on the Kosovo Albanians. And now, out of nowhere, the US is terrified of Russian reaction to anything it does. Yes, of course, the effects and motives of NATO (or US!) intervention would not be all peaches and cream. But my point is simply that in Kosovo, the US desire to maintain hegemony and geopolitical strategic dominance and protect US 'interests' is exhibited in the ~abstaining~ from military intervention. It puts the 'ending of the Vietnam Syndrome', if such indeed exists, in a new, perverted, murky and confused, light. Perhaps this is the new, postmodern technique of hegemony: power through non-action: America discovers Buddhism. Noel Malcolm, author of the popular _Kosovo: A Short History_ has coined a phrase that perfectly describes the west's new 'Vietnam Syndrome' attitude towards the Kosovo crisis: 'sado-pacifism'... From jnaiman@acs.ryerson.ca Tue Aug 25 20:35:22 1998 Date: Tue, 25 Aug 1998 22:38:59 -0400 (EDT) From: Joanne Naiman To: psn@csf.colorado.edu Subject: U.S. attacks on Khartoum and Afghanistan (fwd) ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Tue, 25 Aug 1998 01:07:05 -0400 From: Eric Fawcett To: s4p all lists , s4pont@physics.utoronto.ca, s4potht@physics.utoronto.ca, s4ptor@physics.utoronto.ca Subject: U.S. attacks on Khartoum and Afghanistan 1] Report from the London Observer; 2] Noam Chomsky qoted in The Toronto Star; 3] Comment by R.K. Moore; 4] David Morgan's Letter submitted to the Editor of the GLobe and Mail; 5] POSTSCRIPT. ========================================================================== 1] CLINTON KNEW TARGET WAS CIVILIAN American tests showed no trace of nerve gas at 'deadly' Sudan plant. The President ordered the attack anyway. By Ed Vulliamy in Washington, Henry McDonald in Belfast, and Shyam Bhatia and Martin Bright in the LONDON OBSERVER. Sunday August 23, 1998: President Bill Clinton knew he was bombing a civilian target when he ordered the United States attack on a Sudan chemical plant. Tests ordered by him showed that no nerve gas was on the site and two British professionals who recently worked at the factory said it clearly had no military purpose. The disclosure will deepen the crisis, following the American attacks on Afghanistan and Sudan, in relations between the US and its Muslim allies, who have called upon Clinton to produce hard evidence that the attacks had a legitimate relevance to the war against international terrorism. The US claims that the Al-Shifa Pharmaceuticals Industries plant in North Khartoum was producing the ingredients for the deadly VX nerve gas. But Sudan's assertion that it produced 50 per cent of the country's drug requirements is much closer to the truth. Several vital pieces of evidence point to this conclusion. US forces flew a reconnaissance mission to test for traces of gas and reported that there were none. Nevertheless Clinton immediately authorised the attack. He was also told that the absence of gas would avoid the horrifying spectacle of civilian casualties. Sudan has said 10 people were injured, five seriously. Belfast independent film-maker Irwin Armstrong, who visited the plant last year while making a promotional video for the Sudanese ambassador in London, said: "The Americans have got this completely wrong. In other parts of the country I encountered heavy security but not here. I was allowed to wander about quite freely. This is a perfectly normal chemical factory with the things you would expect - stainless steel vats and technicians." Tom Carnaffin, of Hexham, Northumberland, worked as a technical manager from 1992 to 1996 for the Baaboud family, who own the plant. "I have intimate knowledge of that factory and it just does not lend itself to the manufacture of chemical weapons," he said. "The Americans claimed that the weapons were being manufactured in the veterinary part of the factory. I have intimate knowledge of that part of the [plant] and unless there have been some radical changes in the last few months, it just isn't equipped to cope with the demands of chemical weapon manufacturing. You need things like airlocks but this factory just has doors leading out onto the street. The factory was in the process of being sold to a Saudi Arabian. They are allies of the Americans and I don't think it would look very good in the prospectus that the factory was also manufacturing weapons for Baghdad. I have personal knowledge of the need for medicine in Sudan as I almost died while working out there. The loss of this factory is a tragedy for the rural communities who need those medicines." The engineer, who has said he will be returning to Sudan in the near future to carry out more work for the Baaboud family, condemned the American attack and its resulting loss of life. "It's a funny feeling to think that I had a cup of tea in that place and the security guard on the gate who used to say hello to me is very probably now dead. The Baabouds are absolutely gutted about this. People who they knew personally have been killed - it is very upsetting." ========================================================================= 2] IS IT TERRORISM TO ATTACK TERRORISTS? Noam Chomsky says "YES" The Toronto Star, Saturday August 22 Author and U.S. political critic Noam Chomsky is among those who contend that some of the main practitioners of terrorism are countries like the United States, which regularly use violence for political motives, to intimidate and terrify. In explaining the American strikes on targets in Afghanistan and Sudan, U.S. President Bill Clinton told Americans he was determined to strike back at terrorists, to send a message that such attacks won't be tolerated and to try to head off further violence. Chomsky says that if the Clinton doctrine on retaliation is to be taken literally, "then all around the world there are countries that have a perfect right to set off bombs in Washington." He points to the recent publication in the New York Times of evidence that a Miami-based organization was involved in bombings in Cuba that claimed civilian lives. And he says that by the same token, Lebanon would have the right to set off bombs in Israel, "which is constantly carrying out terrorist attacks north of what it calls its security zone" in southern Lebanon. "Nobody takes this principle seriously. It is a doctrine for the strong, and what it says is that the strong are allowed to attack the weak and defenceless any time they want to," Chomsky says. "In response to terrorism, further terrorism is not authorized. If Cuba or Nicaragua or Lebanon or whatever were to drop bombs in Washington - although it would be justified under the Clinton doctrine - it wouldn't be justified in any other sense. It's all blatantly illegal, there's nothing more clear than what the U.N. Charter says about this (use of violence)." Chomsky says law-abiding states should refrain from using violence and try to prosecute the perpetrators of terrorist attacks, rather than resorting to the same tactics. "People who carry out terrorist attacks are culpable and should be punished just like any other crime. The way to deal with the perpetrators of such violence is to gather evidence, track them down and seek extradition for trial." =========================================================================== 3] Richard K. Moore's cyberjournal #818 [Will the real terrorists please stand up on website http://cyberjournal.org] reminds us not to be led astray by the appearance that Clinton ordered the bombings to drive attention away from the Lewinsky case. "In fact, the US has done a great deal to enourage anti-Western terrorism, to get the ball rolling in this game. It's the US that armed and funded the Afghans who have later become international terrorists, and the US that supplied arms secretly to Iran (while they were holding hostages), and the US FBI who had agents in the group that bombed the World Trade Center. One can assume conspiracy-theorists have exaggerated their claims in the Oklahoma bombing case, but nonetheless there is adquate persuasive evidence that the public story regarding the Oklahoma bombing is bogus. Terrorist-act - terrorist-response is the formula the US favors, and it is the formula the US has been doing everything it can to implement in practice ever since they lost the Cold War excuse for interventionism and domestic suppression. Don't be misled by the media circus around Clinton. Clinton has not the power to order military actions over the objections of his military advisors. There are _so many potential "leaks" that could put the final nail in his poltical coffin -- he's a wounded rabbit and he does what he's told. Yes, he counts his lucky stars that he can appear noble on TV, with tears on command, but that's his luck, not his design." ============================================================================= 4] Letters to the Editor, Globe & Mail, Toronto, 23 August 1998 Re: U.S. Cruise missile response to embassy bombings Dear Sir: Were the cruise missile attacks against a factory in Khartoum and military bases in Afghanistan justified? The bombing of the U.S. Embassies in Nairobi and Dar Es Salaam were outrageous acts of terrorism that must be dealt with collectively by the world community. Article 51 of the U.N. Charter allows "the right of self-defense if an armed attack occurs." But the United states must now, under the Charter, immediately report to the Security Council "the measures taken in its self defence" and justify its military responses. The Security Council can then take collective action. The U.N. remains the best vehicle for world security. All military action taken outside the U.N. Charter is, in the very clearest meaning of the word, outlaw. This applies to the smallest terrorist organization and also to the world's mightiest power. Yours truly, David Morgan, National President of Veterans Against Nuclear Arms (VANA) =========================================================================== 5] POSTSCRIPT The GlobeandMail's coverage of the U.S. attacks reveal the pathetic inadequacy of this so-called National Newspaper. Most of the reports were about what they were saying in Washington--even John Stackhouse in New Delhi quoted at least as many U.S. spokesmen as Muslim. There were NO reports on reaction in Europe, or even in Canada! There was no reference whatsoever to the United Nations. Monday's G&M carries an editorial from the Saturday New York Times [all the news that fits we print], with a sub-heading, "The U.S. attacks appear to have been commensurate with the threat", and predictably will dutifully echo this outrageous statement in its own editorial in due course. From charnes@concentric.net Fri Aug 28 15:02:32 1998 by uhura.concentric.net (8.8.8/(98/08/04 5.11)) [1-800-745-2747 The Concentric Network] by marconi.concentric.net (8.8.8) id RAA08227; Fri, 28 Aug 1998 17:02:18 -0400 (EDT) Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1998 17:06:07 -0400 From: Rick Charnes To: Progressive Sociologists Network Subject: Thoughts on Russia and upcoming recession Reading today's NY Times I am reminded of what we used to say in 1989 right after communism fell: the US didn't 'win' the cold war, but only that the Soviet Union lost it first... Are we about to 'lose' it next? From jnaiman@acs.ryerson.ca Fri Aug 28 10:13:30 1998 Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1998 12:16:34 -0400 (EDT) From: Joanne Naiman To: psn@csf.colorado.edu Subject: Toronto Star Editorial Thought folks might find this interesting, esp. its reference to the International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings. Cheers, Joanne Naiman ****************** Editorial Toronto Star August 28, 1998 U.S. "WAR ON TERROR" LEAVES ALLIES SHELL-SCHOCKED JEAN CHÉTIEN threw caution to the winds to cheer Bill Clinton on this week, as the president defended his cruise missile strikes at Afghanistan and Sudan. ``I say we have to fight terrorism,'' Chrétien declared, referring to Clinton's target, the until recently obscure Saudi terrorist Osama bin Laden. ``So the Americans had to do something . . . to attack the people who are responsible for terrorism . . . You cannot tolerate violence of that nature. That is unacceptable. If there is no reaction to it, it will spread.'' This vote of confidence from a Canadian prime minister must have been welcome at the White House, at a time when wags were asking: ``Is Osama spelled M-o-n-i-c-a?'' Certainly, a lot of Canadians concur. Few will shed tears for bin Laden and his ilk. But as the debris settles, Chrétien may have reason to wish he'd been less effusive. A full week into the crisis, the White House is still struggling to justify its air raids, a situation shellshocked allies are noting with concern. This won't be the last time the Americans call on allies for support in what Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has dubbed ``the war of the future'' against terror. Next time, the response may be less reflexively positive. While Clinton has marshalled a credible case against bin Laden - he has publicly urged the murder of American civilians, runs terror training camps and has been implicated in the bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania - Washington's friends are being asked to take a great deal on faith. Clinton gave Chrétien no prior warning of the air strikes. Chrétien says he wasn't briefed by U.S. officials after the fact as to why attacks were so urgently required against not one, but two, sovereign countries. Nor have the Americans produced compelling evidence that their missiles were all flung at bona fide targets. That has led to an unseemly scramble to justify turning a pharmaceutical plant in Khartoum, Sudan, into a pile of loose dirt. The U.S. says that it produced chemical weapons. But precious little hard evidence has been advanced. Leaving allies in the dark and failing to fully justify military actions makes for an uncertain battle plan in a war on terror. It is unrealistic for Washington to expect a carte blanche from its allies, to bomb third parties - even if the aim is to deter terror. Particularly so because military strikes run counter to the spirit of a new United Nations convention that Canada and the U.S. signed not six months ago. It sets out a blueprint for a war on terror using primarily legal, not military, means. The International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings has been endorsed by the G-8 countries and 20 others, although it has yet to become law. The agreement criminalizes terror bombers, denies them any rights as ``political'' offenders, requires signatory countries to deal harshly with them, and brooks no excuses on ``political, philosophical, ideological, racial, ethnic, religious'' or other grounds. Signatory countries must ``prevent and counter preparations in their respective territories'' for terrorism, and prohibit groups that instigate, organize or finance terror. Significantly, the document invites countries to thwart terror without resorting to cross-border attacks. Article 17 stipulates that countries ``shall carry out their obligations . . .. in a manner consistent with the principles of sovereign equality and territorial integrity . . . and that of non-intervention in the domestic affairs of other states.'' Article 18 bolsters this point: ``Nothing in this convention entitles a state party to undertake in the territory of another state party the exercise of jurisdiction and performance of functions . . .'' This is a good treaty (the U.S. was a prime force behind it) because it recognizes that the only effective way to thwart terror is through the courts, systematically, and at a global level. Drawing countries like Afghanistan and Sudan (which have not yet signed the treaty) into the international legal order is far likelier to put terrorists out of business, than bombing them. Yet the Clinton administration chose to take the view that bin Laden had in effect ``declared war'' on America, and was planning a new round of attacks. Hence, Article 51 of the U.N. Charter authorized the U.S. to counter this ``armed attack'' by hitting at his alleged bases. American public opinion, anxious to lash out at terror, has no patience for the niceties of international law. So the strikes gave Clinton a welcome ``spike'' in the polls. But the law does matter, particularly when great nations are tempted to hammer small ones. The Clinton administration, keen to project power, opted for expediency over the principles of a sound treaty it had signed just months ago. And Ottawa cheered. **************************** From j9470388@wlv.ac.uk Fri Aug 28 06:14:12 1998 by ccug.wlv.ac.uk with smtp (Exim 1.92 #5) Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1998 13:13:53 -0700 From: Alan Harrison To: mweigand@usa.net Subject: Re: US Missile strikes against Sudan and Afghanistan mweigand@usa.net wrote: > > Just a quick comment. Do you believe that the recent bombings of American > embassies (and deaths of Americans) are less important because they occurred > outside of the U.S.? If this bombing had occurred inside the U.S., I would > venture to guess that you might not be so negative about retaliation. Or > as another example, suppose that you and your family are vacationing in Mexico, > and you are killed simply because you are an American. Should we as a society > simply ignore your death? I'm not American, but I can empathise with Mark's question by substituting "Britain" and "British" as appropriate. However, I'm not persuaded by the analogy with killing foreigners on holiday (although this has, of course, happened in Egypt, the victims being mainly European). The embassy bombings were just that - aimed at the official American government presence in the country. I think that if I lived in Saudi Arabia, under a feudal regime heavily supported by the USA, or if I were a Palestinian living under the US-backed Zionist occupation, I would probably regard an American embassy as a legitimate target. (I over-simplify with regard to the possibility of casualties unconnected with the embassy, and of embassy employees in such subordinate positions that they played no part in the hegemony exercised by the US government.) The South Africa bombing of the Planet Hollywood restaurant seems to me to be a different matter. While the place is owned by American citizens, two of whom at least seem to have rather nasty right-wing political views, the persons placing the bomb must have known that the customers who were the likely victims had no connection with the United States regime. Would those of us who are not pacifists rule out violence in ALL circumstances? I unequivocally supported, for example, the violence of the ANC in seeking to end apartheid, and would do so if attempts were made to overthrow, say, Saddam Hussein or the Indonesian regime. Alan Harrison From mweigand@usa.net Fri Aug 28 16:53:56 1998 Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1998 16:49:39 -0600 (MDT) From: mweigand@usa.net Subject: Re: US Missile strikes against Sudan and Afghanistan To: Alan Harrison Thanks for your comments. I basically agree. Pacifism has its limits, and I agree that if I lived in a country which was in effect controlled by a foreign power (U.S., Britain, etc.), I would be likely to view such foreign countries as "the enemy". The problem which often occurs is that the local ruling leaders, although indigenous, are in fact aligned with a foreign nation. When the West supports despotic leaders who are despised by their own people, we open ourselves up to such terrorist attacks. Best Wishes, -=MW=- MSCD.edu From skerlin@teleport.com Sun Aug 30 15:47:49 1998 by user2.teleport.com (8.8.7/8.8.4) Date: Sun, 30 Aug 1998 14:47:40 -0700 (PDT) From: Scott Kerlin To: psn@csf.colorado.edu Subject: Remembering Al Szymanski Hi: It's a time of reminiscing for me. Over the next 3 weeks, I'll be teaching about Marx and Marxism to a senior-level course in social theory, and as I gather my readings for my students I couldn't be more aware of the memory of Al Szymanski, who inspired my critical thinking so many years ago. I took my last course from Al in 1983, but was still attending courses in the department at the U of Oregon when he died, two years later. His death brought so many different members of the left together, even if ever so briefly during his memorial service. When we meet on Tuesday, my class will be discussing the implications of the summit meeting in Moscow. Next weekend, I am asking my students to view the movie "Reds", just to give a sense of historical context to the Soviet Union's rise and the impact on American society and socialism. So many times, I've wondered over the past decade, "what would Al say?" in the midst of the many changes in the East and the West that have occurred since his death. I didn't always agree with his outlook or perspective, but his spirit remains alive and well as I anticipate the week's upcoming events. I would love to know if anyone has developed a website that honors Al's work, so I can pass it along to my students. Regards, Scott Kerlin Portland, OR E-Mail: skerlin@teleport.com http://www.teleport.com/~skerlin/soc_phil.html From jsalt@teleport.com Sun Aug 30 11:03:02 1998 Received: from mail2.teleport.com (mail2.teleport.com [192.108.254.43]) by csf.Colorado.EDU (8.8.5/8.8.4/CNS-4.1p-nh) with SMTP id LAA25197 for ; Sun, 30 Aug 1998 11:02:56 -0600 (MDT) Received: (qmail 7879 invoked from network); 30 Aug 1998 17:02:50 -0000 Received: from eug02-pm3-34.teleport.com (HELO teleport.com) (198.106.140.112) by mail2.teleport.com with SMTP; 30 Aug 1998 17:02:50 -0000 Message-ID: <35E95C8D.2A771A6A@teleport.com> Date: Sun, 30 Aug 1998 10:07:10 -0400 From: Jim Salt X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.04 [en] (Win95; I) MIME-Version: 1.0 To: PROGRESSIVE SOCIOLOGISTS NETWORK , jsalt@teleport.com Subject: Researchers Find Sad, Lonely World in Cyberspace Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="------------5032F874800A0445F1424952" This is a multi-part message in MIME format. --------------5032F874800A0445F1424952 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit PSNers, Not sure this fits the criteria for inclusion on PSN, but given its obvious relevance to this medium, thought it might be relevant. Jim Salt http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/08/biztech/articles/30depression.html -- Jim Salt jsalt@teleport.com Work Address: Dept. of Social Science Lane Community College 4000 E. 30th Ave Eugene OR 97405-0640 1-541-747-4501 X2433 Temporary Home Address (until 9/3/98): 1459 City View Drive, #219 Eugene OR 97402 1-541-344-2559 Permanent Home Address (after 9/3/98): 679 W. 27th Avenue Eugene OR 97405 (no phone yet) "The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways; the point, however, is to change it." --- Karl Marx, Theses on Feuerbach --------------5032F874800A0445F1424952 Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii; name="30depression.html" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline; filename="30depression.html" Content-Base: "http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98 /08/biztech/articles/30depression.h tml" Researchers Find Sad, Lonely World in Cyberspace

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August 30, 1998

Researchers Find Sad, Lonely World in Cyberspace
By AMY HARMON

In the first concentrated study of the social and psychological effects of Internet use at home, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have found that people who spend even a few hours a week online experience higher levels of depression and loneliness than they would have if they used the computer network less frequently.

Those participants who were lonelier and more depressed at the start of the two-year study, as determined by a standard questionnaire administered to all the subjects, were not more likely to use the Internet. Instead, Internet use itself appeared to cause a decline in psychological well-being, the researchers said.
New questions on public policy on the Internet.

The results of the $1.5 million project ran completely contrary to expectations of the social scientists who designed it and to many of the organizations that financed the study. These included technology companies like Intel Corp., Hewlett Packard, AT&T Research and Apple Computer, as well as the National Science Foundation.

"We were shocked by the findings, because they are counterintuitive to what we know about how socially the Internet is being used," said Robert Kraut, a social psychology professor at Carnegie Mellon's Human Computer Interaction Institute. "We are not talking here about the extremes. These were normal adults and their families, and on average, for those who used the Internet most, things got worse."

The Internet has been praised as superior to television and other "passive" media because it allows users to choose the kind of information they want to receive, and often, to respond actively to it in the form of e-mail exchanges with other users, chat rooms or electronic bulletin board postings.

Research on the effects of watching television indicates that it tends to reduce social involvement. But the new study, titled "HomeNet," suggests that the interactive medium may be no more socially healthy than older mass media. It also raises troubling questions about the nature of "virtual" communication and the disembodied relationships that are often formed in the vacuum of cyberspace.

Participants in the study used inherently social features like e-mail and Internet chat more than they used passive information gathering like reading or watching videos. But they reported a decline in interaction with family members and a reduction in their circles of friends that directly corresponded to the amount of time they spent online.

At the beginning and end of the two-year study, the subjects were asked to agree or disagree with statements like "I felt everything I did was an effort," and "I enjoyed life" and "I can find companionship when I want it." They were also asked to estimate how many minutes each day they spent with each member of their family and to quantify their social circle. Many of these are standard questions in tests used to determine psychological health.

For the duration of the study, the subjects' use of the Internet was recorded. For the purposes of this study, depression and loneliness were measured independently, and each subject was rated on a subjective scale. In measuring depression, the responses were plotted on a scale of 0 to 3, with 0 being the least depressed and 3 being the most depressed. Loneliness was plotted on a scale of 1 to 5.

By the end of the study, the researchers found that one hour a week on the Internet led, on average, to an increase of .03, or 1 percent, on the depression scale, a loss of 2.7 members of the subject's social circle, which averaged 66 people, and an increase of .02, or four-tenths of 1 percent, on the loneliness scale.

The subjects exhibited wide variations in all three measured effects, and while the net effects were not large, they were statistically significant in demonstrating deterioration of social and psychological life, Kraut said.


Related Article
Study Says 70 Million American Adults Use the Internet
(Aug. 26)
Based on these data, the researchers hypothesize that relationships maintained over long distances without face-to-face contact ultimately do not provide the kind of support and reciprocity that typically contribute to a sense of psychological security and happiness, like being available to baby-sit in a pinch for a friend, or to grab a cup of coffee.

"Our hypothesis is there are more cases where you're building shallow relationships, leading to an overall decline in feeling of connection to other people," Kraut said.

The study tracked the behavior of 169 participants in the Pittsburgh area who were selected from four schools and community groups. Half the group was measured through two years of Internet use, and the other half for one year. The findings will be published this week by The American Psychologist, the peer-reviewed monthly journal of the American Psychological Association.

Because the study participants were not randomly selected, it is unclear how the findings apply to the general population. It is also conceivable that some unmeasured factor caused simultaneous increases in use of the Internet and decline in normal levels of social involvement. Moreover, the effect of Internet use varied depending on an individual's life patterns and type of use. Researchers said that people who were isolated because of their geography or work shifts might have benefited socially from Internet use.

Even so, several social scientists familiar with the study vouched for its credibility and predicted that the findings would probably touch off a national debate over how public policy on the Internet should evolve and how the technology itself might be shaped to yield more beneficial effects.

"They did an extremely careful scientific study, and it's not a result that's easily ignored," said Tora Bikson, a senior scientist at Rand, the research institution. Based in part on previous studies that focused on how local communities like Santa Monica, Calif., used computer networks to enhance civic participation, Rand has recommended that the federal government provide e-mail access to all Americans.

"It's not clear what the underlying psychological explanation is," Ms. Bikson said of the study. "Is it because people give up day-to-day contact and then find themselves depressed? Or are they exposed to the broader world of Internet and then wonder, 'What am I doing here in Pittsburgh?' Maybe your comparison standard changes. I'd like to see this replicated on a larger scale. Then I'd really worry."

Christine Riley, a psychologist at Intel Corp., the giant chip manufacturer that was among the sponsors of the study, said she was surprised by the results but did not consider the research definitive.

"For us, the point is there was really no information on this before," Ms. Riley said. "But it's important to remember this is not about the technology, per se; it's about how it is used. It really points to the need for considering social factors in terms of how you design applications and services for technology."

The Carnegie Mellon team -- which included Sara Kiesler, a social psychologist who helped pioneer the study of human interaction over computer networks; Tridas Mukophadhyay, a professor at the graduate business school who has examined computer mediated communication in the workplace; and William Scherlis, a research scientist in computer science -- stressed that the negative effects of Internet use that they found were not inevitable.

For example, the main focus of Internet use in schools has been gathering information and getting in touch with people from far-away places. But the research suggests that maintaining social ties with people in close physical proximity could be more psychologically healthy.

"More intense development and deployment of services that support pre-existing communities and strong relationships should be encouraged," the researchers write in their forthcoming article. "Government efforts to wire the nation's schools, for example, should consider online homework sessions for students rather than just online reference works."

At a time when Internet use is expanding rapidly -- nearly 70 million adult Americans are on line, according to Nielsen Media Research -- social critics say the technology could exacerbate the fragmentation of U.S. society or help to fuse it, depending on how it is used.

"There are two things the Internet can turn out to be, and we don't know yet which it's going to be," said Robert Putnam, a political scientist at Harvard University whose forthcoming book, "Bowling Alone," which is to be published next year by Simon & Schuster, chronicles the alienation of Americans from each other since the 1960s. "The fact that I'm able to communicate daily with my collaborators in Germany and Japan makes me more efficient, but there are a lot of things it can't do, like bring me chicken soup."

Putnam added, "The question is how can you push computer mediated communication in a direction that would make it more community friendly."

Perhaps paradoxically, several participants in the Internet study expressed surprise when they were informed of the study's conclusions by a reporter.

"For me it's been the opposite of depression; it's been a way of being connected," said Rabbi Alvin Berkun, who used the Internet for a few hours a week to read The Jerusalem Post and communicate with other rabbis across the country.

But Berkun said his wife did not share his enthusiasm for the medium. "She does sometimes resent when I go and hook up," he said, adding after a pause, "I guess I am away from where my family is while I'm on the computer." Another possibility is that the natural human preference for face-to-face communication may provide a self-correcting mechanism to the technology that tries to cross it.

The rabbi's daughter, Rebecca, 17, said she had spent a fair amount of time in teen-age chat rooms at the beginning of the survey in 1995.

"I can see how people would get depressed," Ms. Berkun said. "When we first got it, I would be on for an hour a day or more. But I found it was the same type of people, the same type of things being said. It got kind of old."

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--------------5032F874800A0445F1424952-- From RPlatkin@aol.com Sun Aug 30 12:39:30 1998 Received: from imo16.mx.aol.com (imo16.mx.aol.com [198.81.17.6]) by csf.Colorado.EDU (8.8.5/8.8.4/CNS-4.1p-nh) with ESMTP id MAA27867; Sun, 30 Aug 1998 12:39:24 -0600 (MDT) From: RPlatkin@aol.com Received: from RPlatkin@aol.com by imo16.mx.aol.com (IMOv16.3) id DCVa014905; Sun, 30 Aug 1998 14:39:17 -0400 (EDT) Message-ID: <40bedc9f.35e99c55@aol.com>> Date: Sun, 30 Aug 1998 14:39:17 EDT To: psn@csf.colorado.edu, revs@csf.colorado.edu, pn-net@pratt.edu Cc: mssourk@mscc.huji.ac.il, Ct20001@aol.com Mime-Version: 1.0 Subject: Fwd: LA-AMN: [LA-AMN] Anti-war actions Content-type: multipart/mixed; boundary="part0_904502357_boundary" X-Mailer: AOL 3.0 16-bit for Windows sub 38 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. --part0_904502357_boundary Content-ID: <0_904502357@inet_out.mail.aol.com.1> Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII --part0_904502357_boundary Content-ID: <0_904502357@inet_out.mail.primenet.com.2> Content-type: message/rfc822 Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Content-disposition: inline Return-Path: Received: from rly-za03.mx.aol.com (rly-za03.mail.aol.com [172.31.36.99]) by air-za03.mail.aol.com (v49.4) with SMTP; Tue, 25 Aug 1998 00:22:54 -0400 Received: from igc7.igc.org (igc7.igc.apc.org [192.82.108.35]) by rly-za03.mx.aol.com (8.8.8/8.8.5/AOL-4.0.0) with ESMTP id AAA04602; Tue, 25 Aug 1998 00:22:36 -0400 (EDT) Received: (from majordomo@localhost) by igc7.igc.org (8.8.8/8.8.8) id VAA02893; Mon, 24 Aug 1998 21:16:46 -0700 (PDT) Received: from smtp02.primenet.com (daemon@smtp02.primenet.com [206.165.6.132]) by igc7.igc.org (8.8.8/8.8.8) with ESMTP id VAA02628 for ; Mon, 24 Aug 1998 21:15:12 -0700 (PDT) Received: (from daemon@localhost) by smtp02.primenet.com (8.8.8/8.8.8) id VAA08985 for ; Mon, 24 Aug 1998 21:15:24 -0700 (MST) Received: from ip-63-169.bur.primenet.com(207.218.63.169), claiming to be "[207.218.63.169]" via SMTP by smtp02.primenet.com, id smtpd008961; Mon Aug 24 21:15:20 1998 Date: Mon, 24 Aug 1998 21:08:44 +0100 From: mvallen@primenet.com (mark vallen) Message-Id: Precedence: bulk Reply-To: la-amn@igc.org Sender: owner-la-amn@igc.org Subject: LA-AMN: [LA-AMN] Anti-war actions To: la-amn@igc.apc.org X-Sender: mvallen@pop.primenet.com Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit http://www.neravt.com/left/ The above is the URL for "Jay's Leftist and Progressive Internet Resources." This is a "hub" site where you will find links to many interesting sources of information. Currently the site has links to photos from the latest demonstrations against Clinton's bombings of Afghanistan and the Sudan. There are so many good links at this site dealing with the current crisis in the Middle East and East Africa that I can't begin to list them all... please, just visit Jay's... and remember to bookmark this vital Web page! Mark (badges? We don't need no stinking badges!!) --part0_904502357_boundary-- From brook@california.com Sun Aug 30 13:16:18 1998 Received: from california.com (global.california.com [209.3.225.32]) by csf.Colorado.EDU (8.8.5/8.8.4/CNS-4.1p-nh) with ESMTP id NAA29846 for ; Sun, 30 Aug 1998 13:16:06 -0600 (MDT) Received: from brook.california.com (ppp-209-079.california.com [209.3.225.79]) by california.com (8.9.1/8.9.0) with SMTP id MAA15241; Sun, 30 Aug 1998 12:15:57 -0700 (PDT) Message-Id: <199808301915.MAA15241@california.com> X-Sender: brook@global.california.com X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Pro Version 4.0 Date: Sun, 30 Aug 1998 12:18:38 -0700 To: PSN@csf.colorado.edu From: CyberBrook Subject: =?iso-8859-1?Q?CIA_and_MI5_linked_to_Hammarskj=F6ld_death?= Cc: jinsong@ucdavis.edu, osluzano@ucdavis.edu, flatta@ceb.ucop.edu, theperegri@aol.com, rice@dpls.dacc.wisc.edu, DLEVINE@BPL.ORG, c.barker@mmu.ac.uk, browning@sfsu.edu, sepehr@netwizards.net, mohsen.hakim@mdh.se, awrapport@aol.com, seggilman@ucdavis.edu, trishndel@earthlink.net Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-MIME-Autoconverted: from quoted-printable to 8bit by csf.Colorado.EDU id NAA29849 ELECTRONIC MAIL&GUARDIAN Johannesburg, South Africa. August 28, 1998 CIA and MI5 linked to Hammarskjöld death Documents the Truth Commission stumbled across linking South African agents to the airline death of UN chief Dag Hammarskjöld, also reveal that the project was hatched at the highest levels of the CIA and MI5. MARLENE BURGER reports THE alleged plot to assassinate United Nations secretary general Dag Hammarskjöld 37 years ago was the brainchild of at least two British security agencies — MI5 and the Special Operations Executive — and the CIA, top-secret documents show. For once, apartheid's dirty tricks brigade appears to have been falsely accused of involvement in the murder. A series of messages between a commodore and a captain, whose names have been expunged by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, point to a plot hatched on South African soil by a group which had access to vast amounts of money and the ability to muster mercenary forces to protect international investment in turbulent post-colonial Africa. The messages, all on letterheads of the South Africa Institute for Maritime Research (SAIMR), cover the period from July 1960 to September 17 1961 — the day on which Hammarskjöld's aircraft crashed while approaching the airport at Ndola in the then Northern Rhodesia. In addition to outlining Operation Celeste — the plan to get rid of the "troublesome" Hammarskjöld — the documents implicate the SAIMR and international intelligence agencies in the death of Patrice Lumumba, the pro-communist first president of the Congo. Lumumba was deposed in September 1960 and allegedly shot while escaping from custody in the breakaway province of Katanga in 1961. The documents, found by a truth commission researcher investigating an apparently unrelated matter, implicate then CIA chief Allen Dulles in Operation Celeste. They also claim that the explosives used for the bomb that downed the aircraft were supplied by a Belgian mining conglomerate, Union Miniere. The company had extensive interests in copper-rich Katanga, and is known to have backed to Tshombe's use of mercenaries, including the group led by South Africa's Colonel "Mad Mike" Hoare. The most damning report refers to a meeting between MI5, Special Operations Executive, the CIA and the SAIMR at which it was recorded that Dulles "agrees ... Dag is becoming troublesome and ... should be removed". According to the documents, Dulles "has promised full co-operation from his people ... Dag will be in Leopoldville on or about 12/9/61. The aircraft ferrying him will be a DC6 in the livery of [Swedish company] Transair." The captain is ordered to "see that Leo airport [Leopoldville, now Kinshasa] as well as Elizabethville [now Lubumbashi] is covered by your people, as I want his removal to be handled more efficiently than was Patrice [Lumumba]". The first message is dated July 12 1960, less than two weeks after the Congo became independent: “Head office is rather concerned with developments in the Congo, particularly the Haute Katanga, where it appears the local strongman Moise Tshombe, supported by Union Miniere, is planning a secession." The writer claims to "have it on good authority that the UNO [United Nations Organisation] will want to get its greedy paws on the province”. He says he has been instructed to ask the captain "to send as many agents as you think would be needed to bolster Congo Red's unit in case of future problems". Civil war broke out in the Congo four days after independence, and Tshombe announced Katanga's secession on July 11. The commodore records this in his next message, sent on July 15, the day UN troops arrived at Lumumba's request. The next orders inform the captain: "Your contact with CIA is Dwight. He will be residing at Hotel Leopold II in Elizabethville from now until November 1 1961. The password is: ‘How is Celeste these days?' His response should be: 'She's recovering nicely apart from the cough.'" Hammarskjöld's death appears to have been part of an attempt to prevent Katanga's mineral wealth from falling under communist control. On September 14 1961, a message couriered to the SAIMR's offices in De Villiers Street, Johannesburg, recorded: "DC6 aircraft bearing Transair livery is parked at Leo to be used for transport of subject. Our technician has orders to plant 6lb TNT in the wheelbay with contact detonator to activate as wheels are retracted on taking off." An earlier message records that "Union Miniere has offered to provide logistic or other support. We have told them to have 6lb of TNT at all possible locations with detonators, electrical contacts and wiring, batteries, etc." A report dated September 17 records: "Device failed on take-off, and the aircraft crashed a few hours later as it prepared to land." An official inquiry blamed pilot error. The documents have been dismissed as fakes by a former Swedish diplomat, and both MI5 and the CIA have denied any involvement in Hammarskjöld's death. However, they bear a striking resemblance to other documents emanating from the SAIMR seven years ago, when it was headed by self-styled commodore Keith Maxwell-Annandale and forged links with both South Africa's military intelligence and the National Intelligence Services. These documents show the SAIMR masterminded the abortive 1981 attempt to depose Seychelles president Albert René. It was also behind a successful 1990 coup in Somalia. -- Electronic Mail&Guardian, August 28, 1998. From YLPSLL0@cpua.it.luc.edu Mon Aug 31 14:36:07 1998 Received: from cpua.it.luc.edu (cpua.it.luc.edu [147.126.240.20]) by csf.Colorado.EDU (8.8.5/8.8.4/CNS-4.1p-nh) with SMTP id OAA09283 for ; Mon, 31 Aug 1998 14:35:53 -0600 (MDT) Message-Id: <199808312035.OAA09283@csf.Colorado.EDU> Received: from CPUA.IT.LUC.EDU by cpua.it.luc.edu (IBM MVS SMTP V3R1) with BSMTP id 2675; Mon, 31 Aug 98 15:35:42 LCL Date: Mon, 31 Aug 98 15:35 CDT From: YLPSLL0@cpua.it.luc.edu To: psn@CSF.COLORADO.EDU Subject: Cyberspace and future of the social Thanks to Jim for sending the nyt piece on email/depression. Raises some interesting questions on social psychological consequences of cyberspace. I have long suggested that it erodes what little is left of the social-especially that small realm of the social that remains critical. But it is interesting that by providing virtual communities, and we on psn are one, it leaves people more starved for the face to face interactions that are the essence of the social. As of a few hours ago I was asked to do a think on Critical theory at the Midwest meetings and decided to deal with the issues raised in terms of consequences on the social and progressive/critical thought. Anyone care to comment on the piece to psn. ???? Lauren Langman From janford@earthlink.net Mon Aug 31 17:36:08 1998 Received: from hawk.prod.itd.earthlink.net (hawk.prod.itd.earthlink.net [207.217.120.22]) by csf.Colorado.EDU (8.8.5/8.8.4/CNS-4.1p-nh) with ESMTP id RAA18274 for ; Mon, 31 Aug 1998 17:35:59 -0600 (MDT) Received: from janford (1Cust114.tnt1.santa-barbara.ca.da.uu.net [208.254.175.114]) by hawk.prod.itd.earthlink.net (8.8.7/8.8.5) with SMTP id QAA15926 for ; Mon, 31 Aug 1998 16:35:50 -0700 (PDT) From: "Jan Ford" To: "PROGRESSIVE SOCIOLOGISTS NETWORK" Subject: RE: Researchers Find Sad, Lonely World in Cyberspace Date: Mon, 31 Aug 1998 16:39:30 -0700 Message-ID: <000701bdd538$99489e80$4faffed0@janford> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0008_01BDD4FD.ECE9C680" X-Priority: 3 (Normal) X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook 8.5, Build 4.71.2173.0 In-Reply-To: <35E95C8D.2A771A6A@teleport.com> X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V4.72.3110.3 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0008_01BDD4FD.ECE9C680 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I wouldn't jump to too big a conclusion here. First the study couldn't be statistically significant if it was not random, right? Secondly, are the results socially significant? How important are the small percentage increases? Might they not be in the same catagory as a claim that a person with a 105 IQ is smarter than one with an IQ of 101? Without a control group how do we know that the increase wasn't due to an external factor. Losing 2.7 members of a 66 memeber social circle could mean many things: were they close friends or marginal acquintences? The headline for this article in my local paper said something like "Internet causes loneliness and depression" Newspapers continually print overstated headlines in studies like this. I have an article from the LA Times which said, "Theory of evolution questioned by new find." Then, when you read the article you find that it is simply a report of a hominid find which gives a more accurate picture of the dates of homo erectus. -----Original Message----- From: owner-psn@csf.colorado.edu [mailto:owner-psn@csf.colorado.edu]On Behalf Of Jim Salt Sent: Sunday, August 30, 1998 7:07 AM To: PROGRESSIVE SOCIOLOGISTS NETWORK Subject: Researchers Find Sad, Lonely World in Cyberspace August 30, 1998 Researchers Find Sad, Lonely World in Cyberspace By AMY HARMON n the first concentrated study of the social and psychological effects of Internet use at home, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have found that people who spend even a few hours a week online experience higher levels of depression and loneliness than they would have if they used the computer network less frequently. Those participants who were lonelier and more depressed at the start of the two-year study, as determined by a standard questionnaire administered to all the subjects, were not more likely to use the Internet. Instead, Internet use itself appeared to cause a decline in psychological well-being, the researchers said. ------------------------------------------------------------ New questions on public policy on the Internet. ------------------------------------------------------------ The results of the $1.5 million project ran completely contrary to expectations of the social scientists who designed it and to many of the organizations that financed the study. These included technology companies like Intel Corp., Hewlett Packard, AT&T Research and Apple Computer, as well as the National Science Foundation. "We were shocked by the findings, because they are counterintuitive to what we know about how socially the Internet is being used," said Robert Kraut, a social psychology professor at Carnegie Mellon's Human Computer Interaction Institute. "We are not talking here about the extremes. These were normal adults and their families, and on average, for those who used the Internet most, things got worse." The Internet has been praised as superior to television and other "passive" media because it allows users to choose the kind of information they want to receive, and often, to respond actively to it in the form of e-mail exchanges with other users, chat rooms or electronic bulletin board postings. Research on the effects of watching television indicates that it tends to reduce social involvement. But the new study, titled "HomeNet," suggests that the interactive medium may be no more socially healthy than older mass media. It also raises troubling questions about the nature of "virtual" communication and the disembodied relationships that are often formed in the vacuum of cyberspace. Participants in the study used inherently social features like e-mail and Internet chat more than they used passive information gathering like reading or watching videos. But they reported a decline in interaction with family members and a reduction in their circles of friends that directly corresponded to the amount of time they spent online. At the beginning and end of the two-year study, the subjects were asked to agree or disagree with statements like "I felt everything I did was an effort," and "I enjoyed life" and "I can find companionship when I want it." They were also asked to estimate how many minutes each day they spent with each member of their family and to quantify their social circle. Many of these are standard questions in tests used to determine psychological health. For the duration of the study, the subjects' use of the Internet was recorded. For the purposes of this study, depression and loneliness were measured independently, and each subject was rated on a subjective scale. In measuring depression, the responses were plotted on a scale of 0 to 3, with 0 being the least depressed and 3 being the most depressed. Loneliness was plotted on a scale of 1 to 5. By the end of the study, the researchers found that one hour a week on the Internet led, on average, to an increase of .03, or 1 percent, on the depression scale, a loss of 2.7 members of the subject's social circle, which averaged 66 people, and an increase of .02, or four-tenths of 1 percent, on the loneliness scale. The subjects exhibited wide variations in all three measured effects, and while the net effects were not large, they were statistically significant in demonstrating deterioration of social and psychological life, Kraut said. ------------------------------------------------------------ Related Article Study Says 70 Million American Adults Use the Internet (Aug. 26) ------------------------------------------------------------ Based on these data, the researchers hypothesize that relationships maintained over long distances without face-to-face contact ultimately do not provide the kind of support and reciprocity that typically contribute to a sense of psychological security and happiness, like being available to baby-sit in a pinch for a friend, or to grab a cup of coffee. "Our hypothesis is there are more cases where you're building shallow relationships, leading to an overall decline in feeling of connection to other people," Kraut said. The study tracked the behavior of 169 participants in the Pittsburgh area who were selected from four schools and community groups. Half the group was measured through two years of Internet use, and the other half for one year. The findings will be published this week by The American Psychologist, the peer-reviewed monthly journal of the American Psychological Association. Because the study participants were not randomly selected, it is unclear how the findings apply to the general population. It is also conceivable that some unmeasured factor caused simultaneous increases in use of the Internet and decline in normal levels of social involvement. Moreover, the effect of Internet use varied depending on an individual's life patterns and type of use. Researchers said that people who were isolated because of their geography or work shifts might have benefited socially from Internet use. Even so, several social scientists familiar with the study vouched for its credibility and predicted that the findings would probably touch off a national debate over how public policy on the Internet should evolve and how the technology itself might be shaped to yield more beneficial effects. "They did an extremely careful scientific study, and it's not a result that's easily ignored," said Tora Bikson, a senior scientist at Rand, the research institution. Based in part on previous studies that focused on how local communities like Santa Monica, Calif., used computer networks to enhance civic participation, Rand has recommended that the federal government provide e-mail access to all Americans. "It's not clear what the underlying psychological explanation is," Ms. Bikson said of the study. "Is it because people give up day-to-day contact and then find themselves depressed? Or are they exposed to the broader world of Internet and then wonder, 'What am I doing here in Pittsburgh?' Maybe your comparison standard changes. I'd like to see this replicated on a larger scale. Then I'd really worry." Christine Riley, a psychologist at Intel Corp., the giant chip manufacturer that was among the sponsors of the study, said she was surprised by the results but did not consider the research definitive. "For us, the point is there was really no information on this before," Ms. Riley said. "But it's important to remember this is not about the technology, per se; it's about how it is used. It really points to the need for considering social factors in terms of how you design applications and services for technology." The Carnegie Mellon team -- which included Sara Kiesler, a social psychologist who helped pioneer the study of human interaction over computer networks; Tridas Mukophadhyay, a professor at the graduate business school who has examined computer mediated communication in the workplace; and William Scherlis, a research scientist in computer science -- stressed that the negative effects of Internet use that they found were not inevitable. For example, the main focus of Internet use in schools has been gathering information and getting in touch with people from far-away places. But the research suggests that maintaining social ties with people in close physical proximity could be more psychologically healthy. "More intense development and deployment of services that support pre-existing communities and strong relationships should be encouraged," the researchers write in their forthcoming article. "Government efforts to wire the nation's schools, for example, should consider online homework sessions for students rather than just online reference works." At a time when Internet use is expanding rapidly -- nearly 70 million adult Americans are on line, according to Nielsen Media Research -- social critics say the technology could exacerbate the fragmentation of U.S. society or help to fuse it, depending on how it is used. "There are two things the Internet can turn out to be, and we don't know yet which it's going to be," said Robert Putnam, a political scientist at Harvard University whose forthcoming book, "Bowling Alone," which is to be published next year by Simon & Schuster, chronicles the alienation of Americans from each other since the 1960s. "The fact that I'm able to communicate daily with my collaborators in Germany and Japan makes me more efficient, but there are a lot of things it can't do, like bring me chicken soup." Putnam added, "The question is how can you push computer mediated communication in a direction that would make it more community friendly." Perhaps paradoxically, several participants in the Internet study expressed surprise when they were informed of the study's conclusions by a reporter. "For me it's been the opposite of depression; it's been a way of being connected," said Rabbi Alvin Berkun, who used the Internet for a few hours a week to read The Jerusalem Post and communicate with other rabbis across the country. But Berkun said his wife did not share his enthusiasm for the medium. "She does sometimes resent when I go and hook up," he said, adding after a pause, "I guess I am away from where my family is while I'm on the computer." Another possibility is that the natural human preference for face-to-face communication may provide a self-correcting mechanism to the technology that tries to cross it. The rabbi's daughter, Rebecca, 17, said she had spent a fair amount of time in teen-age chat rooms at the beginning of the survey in 1995. "I can see how people would get depressed," Ms. Berkun said. "When we first got it, I would be on for an hour a day or more. But I found it was the same type of people, the same type of things being said. It got kind of old." ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Related Sites Following are links to the external Web sites mentioned in this article. These sites are not part of The New York Times on the Web, and The Times has no control over their content or availability. When you have finished visiting any of these sites, you will be able to return to this page by clicking on your Web browser's "Back" button or icon until this page reappears. a.. HomeNet Project b.. Human-Computer Interaction Institute, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University c.. American Psychologist -------------------------------------------------------------------- Home | Site Index | Site Search | Forums | Archives | Marketplace Quick News | Page One Plus | International | National/N.Y. | Business | Technology | Science | Sports | Weather | Editorial | Op-Ed | Arts | Automobiles | Books | Diversions | Job Market | Real Estate | Travel Help/Feedback | Classifieds | Services | New York Today Copyright 1998 The New York Times Company ------=_NextPart_000_0008_01BDD4FD.ECE9C680 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Researchers Find Sad, Lonely World in = Cyberspace
I=20 wouldn't jump to too big a conclusion here. First the study couldn't be=20 statistically significant if it was not random, right? Secondly, are the = results=20 socially significant? How important are the small percentage increases? = Might=20 they not be in the same catagory as a claim that a person with a 105 IQ = is=20 smarter than one with an IQ of 101?
Without a control group how do we know that the = increase=20 wasn't due to an external factor. Losing 2.7 members of a 66 memeber = social=20 circle could mean many things: were they close friends or marginal=20 acquintences?
The headline for this article in my local paper = said something=20 like "Internet causes loneliness and depression" Newspapers=20 continually print overstated headlines in studies like this. I have an = article=20 from the LA Times which said, "Theory of evolution questioned by = new=20 find." Then, when you read the article you find that it is simply a = report=20 of a hominid find which gives a more accurate picture of the dates of = homo=20 erectus.
-----Original Message-----
From: = owner-psn@csf.colorado.edu=20 [mailto:owner-psn@csf.colorado.edu]On Behalf Of Jim = Salt
Sent:=20 Sunday, August 30, 1998 7:07 AM
To: PROGRESSIVE SOCIOLOGISTS=20 NETWORK
Subject: Researchers Find Sad, Lonely World in=20 Cyberspace
3Dtoolbar=20
3D"Click =
August 30, 1998
By AMY HARMON

3DIn the first concentrated study of the social and=20 psychological effects of Internet use at home, researchers at = Carnegie=20 Mellon University have found that people who spend even a few = hours a=20 week online experience higher levels of depression and = loneliness than=20 they would have if they used the computer network less = frequently.=20

Those participants who were lonelier and more depressed at = the start=20 of the two-year study, as determined by a standard questionnaire = administered to all the subjects, were not more likely to use = the=20 Internet. Instead, Internet use itself appeared to cause a = decline in=20 psychological well-being, the researchers said.
New=20 questions on public policy on the = Internet.

The results of the $1.5 million project ran completely = contrary to=20 expectations of the social scientists who designed it and to = many of the=20 organizations that financed the study. These included technology = companies like Intel Corp., Hewlett Packard, AT&T Research = and Apple=20 Computer, as well as the National Science Foundation.=20

"We were shocked by the findings, because they are=20 counterintuitive to what we know about how socially the Internet = is=20 being used," said Robert Kraut, a social psychology = professor at=20 Carnegie Mellon's Human Computer Interaction = Institute.=20 "We are not talking here about the extremes. These were = normal=20 adults and their families, and on average, for those who used = the=20 Internet most, things got worse."=20

The Internet has been praised as superior to television and = other=20 "passive" media because it allows users to choose the = kind of=20 information they want to receive, and often, to respond actively = to it=20 in the form of e-mail exchanges with other users, chat rooms or=20 electronic bulletin board postings.=20

Research on the effects of watching television indicates that = it=20 tends to reduce social involvement. But the new study, titled = "HomeNet," suggests that the interactive = medium may be=20 no more socially healthy than older mass media. It also raises = troubling=20 questions about the nature of "virtual" communication = and the=20 disembodied relationships that are often formed in the vacuum of = cyberspace.=20

Participants in the study used inherently social features = like e-mail=20 and Internet chat more than they used passive information = gathering like=20 reading or watching videos. But they reported a decline in = interaction=20 with family members and a reduction in their circles of friends = that=20 directly corresponded to the amount of time they spent online.=20

At the beginning and end of the two-year study, the subjects = were=20 asked to agree or disagree with statements like "I felt = everything=20 I did was an effort," and "I enjoyed life" and = "I=20 can find companionship when I want it." They were also = asked to=20 estimate how many minutes each day they spent with each member = of their=20 family and to quantify their social circle. Many of these are = standard=20 questions in tests used to determine psychological health.=20

For the duration of the study, the subjects' use of the = Internet was=20 recorded. For the purposes of this study, depression and = loneliness were=20 measured independently, and each subject was rated on a = subjective=20 scale. In measuring depression, the responses were plotted on a = scale of=20 0 to 3, with 0 being the least depressed and 3 being the most = depressed.=20 Loneliness was plotted on a scale of 1 to 5.=20

By the end of the study, the researchers found that one hour = a week=20 on the Internet led, on average, to an increase of .03, or 1 = percent, on=20 the depression scale, a loss of 2.7 members of the subject's = social=20 circle, which averaged 66 people, and an increase of .02, or = four-tenths=20 of 1 percent, on the loneliness scale.=20

The subjects exhibited wide variations in all three measured = effects,=20 and while the net effects were not large, they were = statistically=20 significant in demonstrating deterioration of social and = psychological=20 life, Kraut said.=20


Related Article
Study=20 Says 70 Million American Adults Use the=20 Internet
(Aug. 26)
Based on = these data, the=20 researchers hypothesize that relationships maintained over long=20 distances without face-to-face contact ultimately do not provide = the=20 kind of support and reciprocity that typically contribute to a = sense of=20 psychological security and happiness, like being available to = baby-sit=20 in a pinch for a friend, or to grab a cup of coffee.=20

"Our hypothesis is there are more cases where you're = building=20 shallow relationships, leading to an overall decline in feeling = of=20 connection to other people," Kraut said.=20

The study tracked the behavior of 169 participants in the = Pittsburgh=20 area who were selected from four schools and community groups. = Half the=20 group was measured through two years of Internet use, and the = other half=20 for one year. The findings will be published this week by The American Psychologist, the peer-reviewed = monthly=20 journal of the American Psychological Association.=20

Because the study participants were not randomly selected, it = is=20 unclear how the findings apply to the general population. It is = also=20 conceivable that some unmeasured factor caused simultaneous = increases in=20 use of the Internet and decline in normal levels of social = involvement.=20 Moreover, the effect of Internet use varied depending on an = individual's=20 life patterns and type of use. Researchers said that people who = were=20 isolated because of their geography or work shifts might have = benefited=20 socially from Internet use.=20

Even so, several social scientists familiar with the study = vouched=20 for its credibility and predicted that the findings would = probably touch=20 off a national debate over how public policy on the Internet = should=20 evolve and how the technology itself might be shaped to yield = more=20 beneficial effects.=20

"They did an extremely careful scientific study, and = it's not a=20 result that's easily ignored," said Tora Bikson, a senior = scientist=20 at Rand, the research institution. Based in part on previous = studies=20 that focused on how local communities like Santa Monica, Calif., = used=20 computer networks to enhance civic participation, Rand has = recommended=20 that the federal government provide e-mail access to all = Americans.=20

"It's not clear what the underlying psychological = explanation=20 is," Ms. Bikson said of the study. "Is it because = people give=20 up day-to-day contact and then find themselves depressed? Or are = they=20 exposed to the broader world of Internet and then wonder, 'What = am I=20 doing here in Pittsburgh?' Maybe your comparison standard = changes. I'd=20 like to see this replicated on a larger scale. Then I'd really=20 worry."=20

Christine Riley, a psychologist at Intel Corp., the giant = chip=20 manufacturer that was among the sponsors of the study, said she = was=20 surprised by the results but did not consider the research = definitive.=20

"For us, the point is there was really no information on = this=20 before," Ms. Riley said. "But it's important to = remember this=20 is not about the technology, per se; it's about how it is used. = It=20 really points to the need for considering social factors in = terms of how=20 you design applications and services for technology."=20

The Carnegie Mellon team -- which included Sara Kiesler, a = social=20 psychologist who helped pioneer the study of human interaction = over=20 computer networks; Tridas Mukophadhyay, a professor at the = graduate=20 business school who has examined computer mediated communication = in the=20 workplace; and William Scherlis, a research scientist in = computer=20 science -- stressed that the negative effects of Internet use = that they=20 found were not inevitable.=20

For example, the main focus of Internet use in schools has = been=20 gathering information and getting in touch with people from = far-away=20 places. But the research suggests that maintaining social ties = with=20 people in close physical proximity could be more psychologically = healthy.=20

"More intense development and deployment of services = that=20 support pre-existing communities and strong relationships should = be=20 encouraged," the researchers write in their forthcoming = article.=20 "Government efforts to wire the nation's schools, for = example,=20 should consider online homework sessions for students rather = than just=20 online reference works."=20

At a time when Internet use is expanding rapidly -- nearly 70 = million=20 adult Americans are on line, according to Nielsen Media Research = --=20 social critics say the technology could exacerbate the = fragmentation of=20 U.S. society or help to fuse it, depending on how it is used.=20

"There are two things the Internet can turn out to be, = and we=20 don't know yet which it's going to be," said Robert Putnam, = a=20 political scientist at Harvard University whose forthcoming = book,=20 "Bowling Alone," which is to be published next year by = Simon=20 & Schuster, chronicles the alienation of Americans from each = other=20 since the 1960s. "The fact that I'm able to communicate = daily with=20 my collaborators in Germany and Japan makes me more efficient, = but there=20 are a lot of things it can't do, like bring me chicken = soup."=20

Putnam added, "The question is how can you push computer = mediated communication in a direction that would make it more = community=20 friendly."=20

Perhaps paradoxically, several participants in the Internet = study=20 expressed surprise when they were informed of the study's = conclusions by=20 a reporter.=20

"For me it's been the opposite of depression; it's been = a way of=20 being connected," said Rabbi Alvin Berkun, who used the = Internet=20 for a few hours a week to read The Jerusalem Post and = communicate with=20 other rabbis across the country.=20

But Berkun said his wife did not share his enthusiasm for the = medium.=20 "She does sometimes resent when I go and hook up," he = said,=20 adding after a pause, "I guess I am away from where my = family is=20 while I'm on the computer." Another possibility is that the = natural=20 human preference for face-to-face communication may provide a=20 self-correcting mechanism to the technology that tries to cross = it.=20

The rabbi's daughter, Rebecca, 17, said she had spent a fair = amount=20 of time in teen-age chat rooms at the beginning of the survey in = 1995.=20

"I can see how people would get depressed," Ms. = Berkun=20 said. "When we first got it, I would be on for an hour a = day or=20 more. But I found it was the same type of people, the same type = of=20 things being said. It got kind of old."=20

Related Sites
Following are links to = the=20 external Web sites mentioned in this article. These sites are = not part=20 of The New York Times on the Web, and The Times has no control = over=20 their content or availability. When you have finished visiting = any of=20 these sites, you will be able to return to this page by clicking = on your=20 Web browser's "Back" button or icon until this page=20 reappears.



3D"Click
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------=_NextPart_000_0008_01BDD4FD.ECE9C680-- From erics@intergate.bc.ca Mon Aug 31 20:15:00 1998 Received: from cobra.intergate.bc.ca (cobra.intergate.bc.ca [204.50.111.14]) by csf.Colorado.EDU (8.8.5/8.8.4/CNS-4.1p-nh) with ESMTP id UAA24843 for ; Mon, 31 Aug 1998 20:14:51 -0600 (MDT) Received: from pm11s15.intergate.bc.ca (pm11s15.intergate.bc.ca [209.52.161.60]) by cobra.intergate.bc.ca (8.8.8/8.8.5) with SMTP id KAA11135 for ; Mon, 31 Aug 1998 10:59:06 -0700 Date: Mon, 31 Aug 1998 10:59:06 -0700 Message-Id: <199808311759.KAA11135@cobra.intergate.bc.ca> X-Sender: erics@pop.intergate.bc.ca X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Version 1.4.4 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" To: PROGRESSIVE SOCIOLOGISTS NETWORK From: erics@intergate.bc.ca (Eric Sommer) Subject: [world-crisis] ANALYSIS - OVERDETERMINATION OF CRISIS To subscribe to the World Crisis Listserve, send a message to erics@intergate.bc.ca ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------- Overdetermination of the World Economic Crisis by Eric Sommer The current world crisis, upon closer examination, can be seen to be `overdetermined' in that it is actually resulting from three inter-related processes. These three processes are the `financial crisis' and its immediate causes, ecological despoilation, and the Year 2000 computer bug problem, which is proving to be a far more important issue than most progressives yet realize. First, then, there is the `purely' economic crisis, which may well, at least in large part, be the product of a `crisis of overproduction' resulting from the productivity of today's information technology and robotic technologies outstripping the ability of consumption based on the ability of workers operating in a capitalist framework to buy back the products they create. In additon to productivity advances, another contributer to this aspect of the crisis is the trend to `free market globalization' such as the NAFTA agreement which have removed import tarrifs which protected the industrial activity and wage levels within the developed countries which allowed workers in those countries to buy back some of their output. This financial crisis is, of course, `twinned' in many areas with socio-political crises involving the instability of corrupt and authoritarian governments operating in the interests of global capitalism, such as the governments of Suharto in Indonesia (his cronies still have power there), Yeltsin in Russia, and so forth. The `financial' aspect of the crisis is exemplified by massive losses in financial markets worldwide; massive unemployment in Russia and South Asia; and massive declines in prices and demand for commodities such as steel, oil, copper, and wood, whch are heavily impacting resource export areas such as Mexico, Chile, and rural British Columbia, Canada, as evidenced by the rapidly declining relative value of such currencies as the Mexican Peso, the Canadian dollar, and the currecny of South African. A second element in the world crisis is an ecological crisis resulting from untoward human intervention in the biosphere. The possible starvation of up to 80 million people in Indonesia in comming months, as predicted by both the World Bank and the Indonesian government, is exacerbated by the possibility of serious crop shortages resulting at least in part from changed wheather patterns. In Latin America the crisis is just beginning to take hold through sudden drops in currency values, plunging stock markets, and drastic reductions in world prices and demand for key exports such as Chilean copper, Mexican steel, and so forth. There, the impact of the El Nino current, thought by many ecologists and climatologists to have been greatly amplified by global warming, is heavily damaging theharvest of fish in Peru, where they are an important economic factor. A third element in the world crisis, which is already impacting stock prices, is the Y2, or `year 2000', problem, involving the possibility of massive computer and network system failures due to the inability to fully locate and replace software dating sub-routines which only run up to 1999. These subroutines are burried deeply inside massive numbers of corporate, governmental, hospital, and other systems. This problem, which is greatly underappreciated outside computer industry circles, has been said by some economicsts to be capabile - BY ITSELF - of triggering a worldwide depression. It is crucial not to underestimate, as I at one time did, the significance of the Y2 bug. Some of the key computer industry personnel assigned to correct the Y2000 problem in major institutions have become so concerned that they have purchased cabins in the woods and stocked them with `survivalist' equipment and supplies. It should also be noted that a branch of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has just issued an edict requiring all U.S. corporations to fully disclose both the measures taken by exchange-listed corporations to eliminate the Y2 problem, and the success or failure of those measures. Some of those who have attempted to eliminate the problem - such as Samsonite luggage - have found that entire manufacturing systems or other systems have completely crashed as a result of problems engendered by the attempt to correct matters. In the case of Samsonite, its shares lost 30% of their value as a result of the difficulties. More importantly still, the markets have begun, though this is not yet widely recognized, to `discount' for the Y2 problem by lowering the prices of shares; and savy investors and investment institutions are beginning to demand explanations from brokers and publicly traded company's as to whether and how they are addressing the problem. Insiders believe that as investors become aware of the Y2 problem and the grave difficulties associated with correcting it, stock prices will be heavily and negatively impacted. The SEC agency requiring Y2 public disclosure has also threatened to delist any company which does not disclose and take adequate measures to address the problem. The real problem, however, is that the Y2 problem is VERY difficult if not impossible to fully correct. For more information on the Y2000 Issue, point your browser to: www.y2knews.com The World Crisis, is, then, made up of three inter-acting crises: 1) The financial crisis, rooted at least partially in the internal contradictions of market capitalism; 2) the environmental crisis, contributing to the economic difficulties and the difficulty of caring for people in the economic crisis countries; 3) and the Year 2000 computer problem, which bids fair to help drive corporate stock prices through the floor while creating real world problems in post Jan. 1, 2000 material production. Only a new world movement to put social life on on a cooperative and ecological footing can successfully address the multi-dimensional and gargauntian impacts of this crisis. Recent militant strike actions, ranging from Detroit to South Korea to Sideria indicate that the planetary underclass of workers and poor people is preparing to struggle. Stay tuned. From mweigand@usa.net Mon Aug 31 18:01:26 1998 Received: from mail.iex.net (mail.iex.net [192.156.196.5]) by csf.Colorado.EDU (8.8.5/8.8.4/CNS-4.1p-nh) with ESMTP id SAA19706; Mon, 31 Aug 1998 18:01:20 -0600 (MDT) Received: (from mweigand@localhost) by mail.iex.net (8.8.5/8.7.5) id RAA19457; Mon, 31 Aug 1998 17:57:21 -0600 (MDT) Date: Mon, 31 Aug 1998 17:57:21 -0600 (MDT) Message-Id: <199808312357.RAA19457@mail.iex.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit From: mweigand@usa.net Subject: on-line courses, continued To: psn-cafe@csf.colorado.edu Cc: psn@csf.colorado.edu X-Mailer: SPRY Mail Version: 04.00.06.17 On my campus, the fastest growing courses seem to be on-line courses. I have previously commented on this topic, but want to ask others on the PSN about this trend. For example, such computerized "distance learning" courses seem to be just another example of depersonalized education. In prior years, students complained about large courses with 100+ students. They often argued that such education was dehumanized/depersonalized and an example of an impersonal, factory-like university environment. Today, it appears that student expectations have been lowered to such an extent that a "professor-less" classroom seems desirable. Human interaction is not expected. In some cases, this represents a way for today's students to avoid personal interaction and any questioning of their personal beliefs and prejudices. In many cases, the student motive seems to be to obtain a college degree with a minimum of personal investment (time, cost, effort, personal growth). Put differently, students who prefer on-line courses seem to be those who are the least interested in education. Universities and colleges often promote computerized courses because it is a cost-saving measure which requires fewer classrooms and fewer teaching faculty. At least in my classes, discussion is often a cathartic moment for students, who must deal with other students who are quite different from themselves. In computerized courses, personal dialogue is reduced to impersonal email polemics/pontifications/semantics. A student in an on-line course never has to confront another as a real human being. The professor becomes a faceless bureaucrat/legalistic authority who pontificates in a manner similar to a corporate memo from management. Perhaps this is the future: edicts from above via computerized email/memo which prepare students for their lives as future corporate drones. Best Wishes, -=MW=- MSCD.edu From Sanjay.Bhatikar@Colorado.EDU Sat Aug 29 22:40:18 1998 Received: from ucsu.Colorado.EDU (ucsu.Colorado.EDU [128.138.129.83]) by csf.Colorado.EDU (8.8.5/8.8.4/CNS-4.1p-nh) with ESMTP id WAA06049 for ; Sat, 29 Aug 1998 22:39:32 -0600 (MDT) Received: from localhost by ucsu.Colorado.EDU (8.9.0/8.9.0/ITS-5.0/bigseven) with SMTP id WAA12948; Sat, 29 Aug 1998 22:38:53 -0600 (MDT) Date: Sat, 29 Aug 1998 22:38:53 -0600 (MDT) From: BHATIKAR SANJAY RAJAN To: Rick Charnes cc: PROGRESSIVE SOCIOLOGISTS NETWORK , sxj16@usa.net, akgarg@lucent.com, jaquedlen@hotmail.com, dharmd@bom2.vsnl.net.in, dwyerj@euclid.colorado.edu, jkwillia@euclid.colorado.edu, amanda.bulik@Colorado.EDU, pravinb@eden.rutgers.edu, dushylove@hotmail.com, kodiknj@eng.auburn.edu, sett@ucsub.colorado.edu, pagarkar@ucsub.colorado.edu, maniak@cc.iitb.ernet.in, smita@giasbma.vsnl.net.in Subject: SUDAN In-Reply-To: <35E71BBF.D14801C@concentric.net> Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Dear folks, the implicit branding of citizens of Sudanese nationality as 'terrorists' in retaliation for the terrorist activities of certain organizations within that nation, or even the activities of the Sudanese govt., is untenable. It is a dangerous mentality, and in the sway of such a mentality we are likely to condone violent acts against the Sudanese people upon the merest wisp of justification. In no way is it just that citizens of Sudan be killed to punish the Sudanese govt. or terrorists based in Sudan. The Govt. will take care of itself. The terrorists and mishief-makers will find other ways to make mishief. And the common people will suffer. Those that have been orphaned or widowed or maimed will be put in the position of picking up the tattered fabric of their lives and will be left to think of how to piece it together or starve. Through this kind of short-sighted action, the US is playing into the hands of terrorists - by engendering popular support in Sudan for the terrorists. My friends, what is being achieved by frightening people who have little hope of redressal? Is bullying a virtue? The only greatness is know is humility. A great society will be known by its compassion and kindliness. By its ability to look beyond itself and make sacrifices for the good of the global community. Bullying is an act of insecurity and fear. It is when we have a lot to hold on to that we behave in a childish, self-centered fashion rather than in a mature, loving manner. We can only fool ourselves into believing that global events are not our responsibility. We can stay fooled in this manner all our lives. The painful truth is, WE HAVE BLOOD ON OUR HANDS, and like for Macbeth, the blood-stains will not go away by washing, but only through loving. Think! The truth is far from obvious. Remember the words Eisenhower: Every battleship built, every missile launched, and every bullet fired is a theft from the poor of the world". Sincerely - Sanjay *********************************\\\\\/////************************************ Sanjay Bhatikar Mechanical Engineer (Robotics and Neural Networks) #220, Creekside Apts. 505, 27th Street Boulder, Colorado 80303 Resi - (303) 499 3921 bhatikar@ucsu.colorado.edu Offi - (303) 492 0656 bhatikar@engine.colorado.edu YOU WILL LOVE TO LIVE WHEN YOU LIVE TO LOVE *********************************||||||||||************************************ On Fri, 28 Aug 1998, Rick Charnes wrote: > Reading today's NY Times I am reminded of what we used to say in 1989 > right after communism fell: the US didn't 'win' the cold war, but only > that the Soviet Union lost it first... > > Are we about to 'lose' it next? >