Big Fish Being Wiped Out
http://www.tcgreens.org/gl/articles/2003052706091937.html

Senator Byrd: War Fought On False Pretenses
http://www.tcgreens.org/gl/articles/20030527060125219.html

Rescuing Private Lynch; Ignoring Rachel Corrie
http://www.tcgreens.org/gl/articles/20030523054848866.html

Greens vs Democrats 2004
http://www.tcgreens.org/gl/articles/20030523054135156.html

Did Cornell Pull Plug on Radio Show?
http://www.tcgreens.org/gl/articles/20030523053609158.html

Cops, US Troops Can't Maintain Order In Iraq
http://www.tcgreens.org/gl/articles/20030522053543263.html

Will FCC Make Big Media Bigger?
http://www.tcgreens.org/gl/articles/20030522052837207.html

I Was Wrong: Free Trade Hurts The Poor
http://www.tcgreens.org/gl/articles/20030522052516712.html

Police Attack Biotech Activists in Saint Louis
http://www.tcgreens.org/gl/articles/20030521054445839.html

Greens File Lawsuit Against Maine Redistricting
http://www.tcgreens.org/gl/articles/20030521051638824.html

Don't Let Computer Voting Destroy Democracy
http://www.tcgreens.org/gl/articles/20030521050438475.html

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Big Fish Being Wiped Out

Industrial fishing fleets have scoured the world's oceans for the past five decades. A bombshell report released earlier this month by the journal Nature suggests results are worse than anyone expected: big fish populations have plummeted across-the-board by at least 90% since 1950. From the tropics to the poles, cod, halibut, flounder, blue marlins, sailfish, swordfish, dolphins and sharks are being wiped out.

"We have forgotten what we used to have," says Jeremy Jackson of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. "We had oceans full of heroic fish--literally sea monsters. People used to harpoon three-meter long swordfish in rowboats. Hemingway's Old Man and the Sea was for real."

Industrial fishing is now carried out with hi-tech military devices. Albatrosses and giant leatherback turtles are counted as "collateral damage". So too traditional fishing cultures in places like India and Papua New Guinea. As fish populations decline, the free market perversely rewards those who track down the last of the ocean's dwindling catch. Organizations like the WTO make it difficult for non-economic considerations to take precedence. Instead of emphasizing sustainable fishing practices, government and industry are pushing forward with genetic engineering and capital intensive aquaculture. || More Info

http://www.tcgreens.org/gl/articles/2003052706091937.html

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Senator Byrd: War Fought On False Pretenses

Truth has a way of asserting itself despite all attempts to obscure it. Distortion only serves to derail it for a time. No matter to what lengths we humans may go to obfuscate facts or delude our fellows, truth has a way of squeezing out through the cracks, eventually.

But the danger is that at some point it may no longer matter. The danger is that damage is done before the truth is widely realized. The reality is that, sometimes, it is easier to ignore uncomfortable facts and go along with whatever distortion is currently in vogue. We see a lot of this today in politics. I see a lot of it -- more than I would ever have believed -- right on this Senate Floor.

Regarding the situation in Iraq, it appears to this Senator that the American people may have been lured into accepting the unprovoked invasion of a sovereign nation, in violation of long-standing International law, under false premises. There is ample evidence that the horrific events of September 11 have been carefully manipulated to switch public focus from Osama Bin Laden and Al Queda who masterminded the September 11th attacks, to Saddam Hussein who did not. The run up to our invasion of Iraq featured the President and members of his cabinet invoking every frightening image they could conjure, from mushroom clouds, to buried caches of germ warfare, to drones poised to deliver germ laden death in our major cities. We were treated to a heavy dose of overstatement concerning Saddam Hussein's direct threat to our freedoms. The tactic was guaranteed to provoke a sure reaction from a nation still suffering from a combination of post traumatic stress and justifiable anger after the attacks of 911. It was the exploitation of fear. It was a placebo for the anger.

http://www.tcgreens.org/gl/articles/20030527060125219.html

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Rescuing Private Lynch; Ignoring Rachel Corrie

By Naomi Klein in The Guardian

Jessica Lynch and Rachel Corrie could have passed for sisters. Two all-American blondes, two destinies for ever changed in a Middle East war zone. Private Jessica Lynch, the soldier, was born in Palestine, West Virginia. Rachel Corrie, the activist, died in Israeli-occupied Palestine.

Corrie was four years older than 19-year-old Lynch. Her body was crushed by an Israeli bulldozer in Gaza seven days before Lynch was taken into Iraqi custody on March 23. Before she went to Iraq, Lynch organised a pen-pal programme with a local kindergarten. Before Corrie left for Gaza, she organised a pen-pal programme between kids in her hometown of Olympia, Washington, and children in Rafah.

Lynch went to Iraq as a soldier loyal to her government. Corrie went to Gaza to oppose the actions of her government. As a US citizen, she believed she had a special responsibility to defend Palestinians against US-built weapons, purchased with US aid to Israel. In letters home, she described how fresh water was being diverted from Gaza to Israeli settlements, how death was more normal than life. "This is what we pay for here," she wrote.

http://www.tcgreens.org/gl/articles/20030523054848866.html

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Greens vs Democrats 2004

Dear folks: I have just read the GP online news reports, starting with Charlene Spretnak's posting on the GP dilemma, followed by the Rensenbrink analysis (again), etc.

All of their arguments are reasonable, impeccable, praiseworthy, but ultimately the main question is: how will the GP proceed so as to further ITS OWN BEST INTERESTS, without sacrificing any principles or objectives?

http://www.tcgreens.org/gl/articles/20030523054135156.html

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Did Cornell Pull Plug on Radio Show?

Jeremey Weir Alderson, aka "Nobody"

From August 5, 1992 to October 4, 2001, I was the host of "The Nobody Show," a politically-oriented talk show that aired on WEOS in Geneva, NY. I had what I thought was an excellent relationship with my station manager, Mike Black. He had given me my start in broadcasting and helped me get "The Homelessness Marathon" off the ground (it is now the largest broadcast in America focusing on issues of poverty and homelessness). In my nine years at WEOS, neither he nor anyone else had ever had occasion to reprimand me, and at one point, he had even recommended me to Pacifica Broadcasting as a possible national talk host (I didn't pursue this because of Pacifica's troubles, but that's another story).

This harmonious situation ended abruptly when Mike informed me, out of the blue, that I was being taken off the air effective immediately. I did not protest. I did not want to make waves for Mike to whom I feel indebted, and I did not (and do not) feel that, in the great scheme of things, the loss of "The Nobody Show" was of any particular importance. I said I would only speak out if I learned there might be some broader issue involved in my termination. That time has come.

http://www.tcgreens.org/gl/articles/20030523053609158.html

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Cops, US Troops Can't Maintain Order In Iraq

BAGHDAD - Last week, I was leaving the Palestine hotel, in the heart of Baghdad, around 9 PM -- early evening for my old life, but very late for my new one.

The Palestine was a castle surrounded by US troops and barbed wire, and one of the few unquestionably safe places in the city. I hailed a taxi. We hadn't gone far, however, when two men signaled for us to stop, pretending they needed help.

The taxi driver and I behaved like typical Iraqis, and welcomed the men with open arms. But after a few moments one of them put a gun in the driver back, and the other put a knife to my neck. They asked us to empty our pockets, and we did. They stole everything -- even the car. Before they drove off, they even shot at us, but, thank God, no one was hurt.

http://www.tcgreens.org/gl/articles/20030522053543263.html

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Will FCC Make Big Media Bigger?

A majority of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) intends to ratify a sweeping plan to weaken or eliminate rules that limit the size and power of media companies. Among other things, the FCC's three Republican commissioners hope to revoke the newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership rule, which prevents a company from owning a newspaper and a TV station in the same market, and to significantly increase the number of TV stations one company can own.

While FCC chair Michael Powell has the votes to pass the plan, the decision to vote on the matter by June 2 could still be challenged to allow for more public education and debate. Several senators have asked for a delay in the process, and a measure to that end was introduced on May 9 in the House of Representatives (Reuters, 5/13/03). The two Democratic FCC commissioners, Michael Copps and Kenneth Adelstein, also oppose the deregulation, and requested on May 13 that the Commission postpone its planned vote. Powell rejected their request.

The FCC's rulemaking process is, by design, difficult to follow, but the potential impact of what the New York Times called (3/14/03) "the most important set of rules changes in decades" is alarmingly clear. Broadcasting & Cable reported (5/15/03) that the FCC's current proposals would allow a single company to own as many as three TV stations in any of the five biggest markets (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston and Philadelphia), and permit ownership of two TV stations-- as well as a major newspaper-- "in nearly all of the largest 100 markets." In large radio markets, according to B&C, the changes would allow a company to own eight radio and two TV stations.

http://www.tcgreens.org/gl/articles/20030522052837207.html

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I Was Wrong: Free Trade Hurts The Poor

Stephen Byers; Monday May 19, 2003; The Guardian

In November 1999, during the World Trade Organisation ministerial conference in Seattle, I watched from my hotel room as thousands demonstrated against the evils of globalisation. Anarchists clad in black marched alongside grandmothers dressed as turtles and steelworkers from Philadelphia. They saw international trade as a threat - to their jobs, the environment or simply as part of a capitalist conspiracy.

As leader of the delegation from the United Kingdom, I was convinced that the expansion of world trade had the potential to bring major benefits to developing countries and would be one of the key means by which world poverty would be tackled.

In order to achieve this, I believed that developing countries would need to embrace trade liberalisation. This would mean opening up their own domestic markets to international competition. The thinking behind this approach being that the discipline of the market would resolve problems of underperformance, a strong economy would emerge and that, as a result, the poor would benefit. This still remains the position of major international bodies like the IMF and World Bank and is reflected in the system of incentives and penalties which they incorporate in their loan agreements with developing countries. But my mind has changed.

http://www.tcgreens.org/gl/articles/20030522052516712.html

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Police Attack Biotech Activists in Saint Louis

On May 16-17 in St. Louis police initiated a severe crackdown on activists during the protests against the pro-biotech World Agricultural Forum and concurrent Biodevastation 7 conference. The Biodev 7 conference, which was addressing issues of environmental racism, world agriculture and biowarfare, went on successfuly despite the heavy police presence. On May 16, St. Louis police - backed by federal agents - raided the Community Arts and Media Project (CAMP), home of the St. Louis IMC, and the Bolozone, a collective housing project, in anticipation of the Biodevastation conference and expected protests at the WAF. Police arrested protesters and non-protesters alike, without any provocation. The Secret Service illegaly entered one person's home and later harassed his parents as well. St. Louis IMC is asking for support and for support of all those unjustly arrested.

http://www.tcgreens.org/gl/articles/20030521054445839.html

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Greens File Lawsuit Against Maine Redistricting

By Associated Press, 5/18/2003 11:36

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) The Green Independent Party has gone to court to challenge a redistricting plan that would separate state Rep. John Eder from most of his constituents.

The Greens say the 2003 remapping would effectively dismantle Eder's support base.

In their filing with the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, the Greens argue that the redistricting plan constitutes gerrymandering and violates the Maine Constitution's requirement that each district be contiguous and compact.

''The goal is to bring the reapportionment in line with constitutional requirements,'' said David Lourie, a lawyer who represents the Greens.

http://www.tcgreens.org/gl/articles/20030521051638824.html

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Don't Let Computer Voting Destroy Democracy

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Greens warn that computerized voting programs and files, if implemented without public scrutiny and auditability, may allow greater vote fraud, engineered miscounts, and disqualification of legitimate votes in elections across the country.

Instead, many Greens urge technology that promotes democratic access and accuracy in voting and the maintenance of voter rolls, noting that touchscreens (Direct Recording Electronic voting) assist people with impaired vision and other disabilities and those not fluent in English.

"Touchscreens, for instance, can eliminate voided ballots that now happen when citizens accidentally overvote in a race," testified Santa Monica Mayor pro tem Kevin McKeown during a California Secretary of State hearing on voting technology. "Other options available don't prevent overvoting with such simple certainty."

http://www.tcgreens.org/gl/articles/20030521050438475.html

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