Nov 30, 2009
Tomorrow night, President Obama will address our country. It is said he will announce a large escalation of the war on Afghanistan. I've written the following letter to the President, a man I worked hard to elect and who I believe had and has the potential to turn our country around and head it in a progressive direction.
But he can't do that while pushing a wider war in Afghanistan. This is the most perilous moment of his young Presidency. Much is at stake. It's up to all of us to loudly and forthrightly protest this decision and point out the fallacy of escalating this war - not to save Barack Obama. But to save our country and save our world. By pursuing war, Obama will be following in the tragic footsteps of Lyndon Johnson who found that his Great Society programs were drowned in the blood of Vietnam. President Obama, by pursuing this war, will be dooming any chance of enacting his progressive agenda. He'll also be guaranteeing a return to the White House of the most extreme right wing forces in our country. And that spells disaster for our people, for our democracy and for all the world's people.
The time to act is now - write the President now: Click here to send your own message to President Obama - a message demanding peace not war in Afghanistan.
Here's the letter I sent -- Matt
===
Dear President Obama,
I write with a heavy heart. News reports say you’ve caved in to the Pentagon war hawks and agreed with their demand to send more young people to kill and be killed on a fool's errand - attempting to occupy and subdue Afghanistan.
This policy is bound to fail. Despite your portrayal that this is the beginning of the end of that 8-year war - nothing can hide the fact that this is an escalation. History shows escalation is a slippery slope. This year, 35,000 troops. Next year, the generals will say "if you only give us some more - there's light at the end of the tunnel". And on until the end when thousands upon thousands will have perished and trillions of dollars wasted but with no other accomplishment in hand.
While our economy falls apart; while our citizens lose homes and jobs; while our American dream of a dignified life evaporates - at that very moment when you decide to send more troops to Afghanistan, you will be shutting the door on any solution to those problems. It will take 40 to 50 billion dollars a year of our national treasure already diverted from solving urgent problems during eight years of Bush's wars. Can it be that Barack Obama, elected by millions who believed that he would extricate us from the reckless path of war pursued by Bush and Cheney is now choosing to continue those same destructive policies?
Please, don't betray the millions who voted for you. Bring all our troops home NOW, safe and alive. Use the money being squandered on war, death and destruction to reclaim the American dream that has been stolen from our people. Use the money to help the people of Afghanistan rebuild their war-torn country - it is only that policy which can defeat the terrorists. By waging a war there, you will be doing the opposite! Our country will not be safer as you claim but more endangered. The war will increase hatred of our country throughout the world and drive more innocent victims of drone attacks and of destructive American military action directly into the hands of al Qeyda and other extremists.
We the people need health care - not warfare! We need decent jobs not bombs! We need affordable housing and decent schools, not endless wars. Please do the right thing - Reject the advice of the Pentagon generals who always see war as the answer. Side with the people who voted for you - they yearn for peace and are opposed to sending more of our young people to Afghanistan.
Thank you.
MATTHEW WEINSTEIN
Brooklyn NY
Monday, November 30, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Two Things You Can Do To Help STOP These Wars
1Oct 13, 2009
It seems like yesterday that folks were gathering in cities throughout the U.S. - marking the anniversary of five years of war in Iraq. (see my post from that event. But that was already a year-and-a-half ago. Here we are still engaged there - still losing soldiers, still occupying a country that never did anything to harm our country or our people. Here we are, six-and-a-half years later and five million Iraqi refugees later - not to mention tens and hundreds of thousands dead and a country divided and utterly destroyed. Like the song says - "War ... What is it good for? Absolutely nothing! Say it again!
Last week we marked another gruesome anniversary - eight years of war in Afghanistan. In response to the horrific attack on the World Trade Center, Bush decided to punish the Afghan people by invading and occupying that country. Tens of thousands of U.S. troops were sent to capture and punish several hundred terrorists, hiding out in the hinterlands. Never mind that, in eight years, the villains have never been found or caught ... Bush had bigger fish to fry in Iraq, a country that had nothing to do with 911 but that did have the world's 2nd largest oil reserves!
Mission Accomplished!
January, 2009 - enter a new President who inherited the Boy Wonder's stupendous mess created in eight years of hideous aggression, malfeasance and ineptitude. Obama would end the war in Iraq, he promised, and bring the troops home - hopefully this will be done and soon - yet to this day a full complement of U.S. troops remain in Iraq. On Afghanistan, Barack Obama painted himself into a corner from which he's now finding it hard to extricate himself. Declaring Afghanistan the "right war" (is there such a thing?) and trying to prove that Democrats could indeed be "strong" on national security, he vowed to conduct that war in a "smarter" way than Bush had done in Iraq. Well, truth be told, smart would be not succumbing to the war hawks and war profiteers in the Pentagon, the war corporations and the Right. Giving in to that crowd would not be smart but really, really dumb! Just ask Linden Johnson whose Great Society drowned, submerged by the Vietnam war.
Afghanistan is a morass in the making. Alexander the Great, the British and the Russians can tell you something about that. They failed miserably, with endless suffering to all involved, to occupy and dominate this aptly-named Graveyard of the Empires. The point? - that there is no military victory to be had in Afghanistan. Just more and more misery and death and destruction for the Afghani people. More young American lives to be cut short. More of our national treasure squandered while urgent problems at home go unattended. Isn't it amazing that the conservatives in both parties can wring their hands and rail about the unaffordable and extravagant expense of health care for our citizens? But, mind you, not an utterance from these same penny-pinching blowhards on, what Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel prize recipient and Professor of Economics at Columbia, calls the three trillion dollar wars!
Our President has also been given a Nobel prize -- for peace!
We ought to dismiss outright the mad rantings emanating from the bowels of the insane Right regarding that award and congratulate the President, but also congratulate ourselves for electing him in November of last year and putting an end to eight years of extremist damage and destruction brought to us by Cheney and Bush. But let us also realize, as did the Nobel committee so wisely understand, that peace has not yet been achieved and it will be up to the American people, once again, to demand the fulfillment of the promise that was made. And, yes, even though he said that Afghanistan was the "right" war, I believe that the President is having serious second thoughts about proceeding in the direction that the Pentagon generals have demanded. This is not a dumb President after all (unlike his predecessor) - he is well read and knows, full well, what escalation in Afghanistan portends for his Presidency, not to mention for the progressive goals that he enunciated during his campaign. He will need all the support that we can muster to push him and support him when he stands up to the warmongers. The cacophonous bellowing that will emanate from these war boosters, should Obama back away from pursuing an elusive military victory (whatever "victory" means), will be vicious, strident and unending. But we must remember one thing - They lost! We won! There's no reason to be depressed or defeatist. Let's stand up, as the majority that we are, and demand peace and the benefits of peace. That was what that election was all about - let's remember that and act on it.
Here are two events (I guess you were wondering when I would get back to that) taking place this week that can help build the demand for peace right here in little old Brooklyn. Both are being sponsored by my favorite organization, Brooklyn For Peace.
If you're in Brooklyn, please come out and join in.
But if you can't make it, consider making a generous donation to Brooklyn For Peace as it celebrates its 25 year anniversary. You can contribute easily online right here.
Twenty-five years of working for peace -- now that's an accomplishment you can believe in! Your donations will help support another 25 years - and we're gonna need a strong peace movment in the years ahead!
Thursday, October 15, 4:30 to 6:00 pm,
Brooklyn Borough Hall
(Joralemon St., between Court St. and Boerum Pl.)Protest Vigil:
Mark the 8th Anniversary of War in Afghanistan
and demand an end to the war NOW!
Sunday, October 18, 8:00 pm to 2:00 am
Concert - Brooklyn Get Radical!
at Public Assembly - 70 N 6 Street, Williamsburg
It seems like yesterday that folks were gathering in cities throughout the U.S. - marking the anniversary of five years of war in Iraq. (see my post from that event. But that was already a year-and-a-half ago. Here we are still engaged there - still losing soldiers, still occupying a country that never did anything to harm our country or our people. Here we are, six-and-a-half years later and five million Iraqi refugees later - not to mention tens and hundreds of thousands dead and a country divided and utterly destroyed. Like the song says - "War ... What is it good for? Absolutely nothing! Say it again!
Listen to Joan Osborne sing War!
Last week we marked another gruesome anniversary - eight years of war in Afghanistan. In response to the horrific attack on the World Trade Center, Bush decided to punish the Afghan people by invading and occupying that country. Tens of thousands of U.S. troops were sent to capture and punish several hundred terrorists, hiding out in the hinterlands. Never mind that, in eight years, the villains have never been found or caught ... Bush had bigger fish to fry in Iraq, a country that had nothing to do with 911 but that did have the world's 2nd largest oil reserves!
Mission Accomplished!January, 2009 - enter a new President who inherited the Boy Wonder's stupendous mess created in eight years of hideous aggression, malfeasance and ineptitude. Obama would end the war in Iraq, he promised, and bring the troops home - hopefully this will be done and soon - yet to this day a full complement of U.S. troops remain in Iraq. On Afghanistan, Barack Obama painted himself into a corner from which he's now finding it hard to extricate himself. Declaring Afghanistan the "right war" (is there such a thing?) and trying to prove that Democrats could indeed be "strong" on national security, he vowed to conduct that war in a "smarter" way than Bush had done in Iraq. Well, truth be told, smart would be not succumbing to the war hawks and war profiteers in the Pentagon, the war corporations and the Right. Giving in to that crowd would not be smart but really, really dumb! Just ask Linden Johnson whose Great Society drowned, submerged by the Vietnam war.
Afghanistan is a morass in the making. Alexander the Great, the British and the Russians can tell you something about that. They failed miserably, with endless suffering to all involved, to occupy and dominate this aptly-named Graveyard of the Empires. The point? - that there is no military victory to be had in Afghanistan. Just more and more misery and death and destruction for the Afghani people. More young American lives to be cut short. More of our national treasure squandered while urgent problems at home go unattended. Isn't it amazing that the conservatives in both parties can wring their hands and rail about the unaffordable and extravagant expense of health care for our citizens? But, mind you, not an utterance from these same penny-pinching blowhards on, what Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel prize recipient and Professor of Economics at Columbia, calls the three trillion dollar wars!
Our President has also been given a Nobel prize -- for peace!
We ought to dismiss outright the mad rantings emanating from the bowels of the insane Right regarding that award and congratulate the President, but also congratulate ourselves for electing him in November of last year and putting an end to eight years of extremist damage and destruction brought to us by Cheney and Bush. But let us also realize, as did the Nobel committee so wisely understand, that peace has not yet been achieved and it will be up to the American people, once again, to demand the fulfillment of the promise that was made. And, yes, even though he said that Afghanistan was the "right" war, I believe that the President is having serious second thoughts about proceeding in the direction that the Pentagon generals have demanded. This is not a dumb President after all (unlike his predecessor) - he is well read and knows, full well, what escalation in Afghanistan portends for his Presidency, not to mention for the progressive goals that he enunciated during his campaign. He will need all the support that we can muster to push him and support him when he stands up to the warmongers. The cacophonous bellowing that will emanate from these war boosters, should Obama back away from pursuing an elusive military victory (whatever "victory" means), will be vicious, strident and unending. But we must remember one thing - They lost! We won! There's no reason to be depressed or defeatist. Let's stand up, as the majority that we are, and demand peace and the benefits of peace. That was what that election was all about - let's remember that and act on it.
Here are two events (I guess you were wondering when I would get back to that) taking place this week that can help build the demand for peace right here in little old Brooklyn. Both are being sponsored by my favorite organization, Brooklyn For Peace.
If you're in Brooklyn, please come out and join in.
But if you can't make it, consider making a generous donation to Brooklyn For Peace as it celebrates its 25 year anniversary. You can contribute easily online right here.
Twenty-five years of working for peace -- now that's an accomplishment you can believe in! Your donations will help support another 25 years - and we're gonna need a strong peace movment in the years ahead!
Thursday, October 15, 4:30 to 6:00 pm,
Brooklyn Borough Hall
(Joralemon St., between Court St. and Boerum Pl.)Protest Vigil:
Mark the 8th Anniversary of War in Afghanistan
and demand an end to the war NOW!
Sunday, October 18, 8:00 pm to 2:00 am
Concert - Brooklyn Get Radical!
at Public Assembly - 70 N 6 Street, Williamsburg
• Music - Hip Hop and other genres
• Spoken Word
• This will be for all ages - youth and older! This event will rock you and roll you and will raise much needed funds for Brooklyn For Peace, celebrating its 25th anniversary.
• You can order tickets online: Order Here,
Monday, October 12, 2009
A Wonderful Place To Pedal
Oct 13, 2009
About a hundred miles from the city (and three hours later - it seems many other people in many other cars had the same idea) we arrived in Wassaic, New York, a tiny hamlet that sits to the side of Route 22, just west of the Connecticut border. Here was the southern terminus of a bike path that has been constructed, in sections one by one, on what used to be bed of the New York and Harlem Railroad; so-called because that rail line, in its inception, once connected lower Manhattan (the city) to what was once the remote upscale suburb of Harlem. Then in the 1840s, construction began to extend that line,first to Westchester, then further north to the upstate towns of Wassaic, Amenia, Millerton and so on; towns that lined a narrow valley, later called the Harlem Valley, filled with productive dairy farms. The railroad would bring the milk from the farms to the growing metropolis to the south.
A few years later, one Noah Gridley, a local businessman, convinced his friend, Gail Borden, to bring his condensed milk factory to Wassaic. He described the area's good access to transportation and the plentiful dairy farms, perfect for his business. In those days, before refrigeration, Borden's new condensed milk in a can meant that the product could be stored for long periods of time without worry about spoilage. Borden got rich selling his milk to the Union army during the civil war. Of course Borden is a brand well known to this day.
An historic marker in Wassaic Park has illustrations from the original Borden products.
>> Note - click on any picture to see it larger. <<
Stacey, Diane and Chi - munching on sandwiches in front of the old Borden factory.
Before our bike ride we picnicked in a little park in Wassaic. Stacey packs up before we set off to ride.
We had started out for the trail very late in the day. That, plus the usual traffic, caused us to arrive around 3 o'clock. So our ride, which could have gone on for hours, was shortened to just an hour. We wanted to press on, but the temperature was dropping, the shadows lengthening and a dinner date back in Brooklyn beckoned. It was a long way to drive for such a short ride. But we all agreed that it had been worth it - the beauty of the area, the fall colors, the crisp, fresh air - made us feel that the trip was worthwhile.
Diane examines at a trail sign.
To see ALL the photos from our bike ride,
CLICK HERE FOR THE ALBUM or
CLICK HERE FOR A SLIDE SHOW.
"When the spirits are low,Sir Arthur knew of what he talked. And yesterday, a crisp, cool autumn day, was a perfect time to cast the monotonous aside and go for a bike ride in the Harlem Valley, upstate New York. So Stacey and I, our neighbor Diane and her friend Chi piled into our car along with four bikes and headed north.
when the day appears dark,
when work becomes monotonous,
when hope hardly seems worth having,
just mount a bicycle
and go out for a spin down the road,
without thought on anything
but the ride you are taking."
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 1896
About a hundred miles from the city (and three hours later - it seems many other people in many other cars had the same idea) we arrived in Wassaic, New York, a tiny hamlet that sits to the side of Route 22, just west of the Connecticut border. Here was the southern terminus of a bike path that has been constructed, in sections one by one, on what used to be bed of the New York and Harlem Railroad; so-called because that rail line, in its inception, once connected lower Manhattan (the city) to what was once the remote upscale suburb of Harlem. Then in the 1840s, construction began to extend that line,first to Westchester, then further north to the upstate towns of Wassaic, Amenia, Millerton and so on; towns that lined a narrow valley, later called the Harlem Valley, filled with productive dairy farms. The railroad would bring the milk from the farms to the growing metropolis to the south.
A few years later, one Noah Gridley, a local businessman, convinced his friend, Gail Borden, to bring his condensed milk factory to Wassaic. He described the area's good access to transportation and the plentiful dairy farms, perfect for his business. In those days, before refrigeration, Borden's new condensed milk in a can meant that the product could be stored for long periods of time without worry about spoilage. Borden got rich selling his milk to the Union army during the civil war. Of course Borden is a brand well known to this day.
An historic marker in Wassaic Park has illustrations from the original Borden products. >> Note - click on any picture to see it larger. <<
Stacey, Diane and Chi - munching on sandwiches in front of the old Borden factory.
Before our bike ride we picnicked in a little park in Wassaic. Stacey packs up before we set off to ride.We had started out for the trail very late in the day. That, plus the usual traffic, caused us to arrive around 3 o'clock. So our ride, which could have gone on for hours, was shortened to just an hour. We wanted to press on, but the temperature was dropping, the shadows lengthening and a dinner date back in Brooklyn beckoned. It was a long way to drive for such a short ride. But we all agreed that it had been worth it - the beauty of the area, the fall colors, the crisp, fresh air - made us feel that the trip was worthwhile.
Diane examines at a trail sign.To see ALL the photos from our bike ride,
CLICK HERE FOR THE ALBUM or
CLICK HERE FOR A SLIDE SHOW.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Patterson Annointed Gillibrand ...
But Now We Have A Real Choice - Jonathan Tasini!
Jonathan Tasini for U.S. Senate in 2010.Click photo for a larger view.
Sep 28, 2009
We had an interesting gathering at our house last Tuesday night. Some 22 folks gathered for a fundraiser and meet and greet. The object of our interest was Jonathan Tasini, an advocate for labor's rights, single-payer health care (aka Medicare for all), gender equality and peace in the Middle East. Tasini, you might remember, challenged a hawkish Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary when she ran for U.S. Senate from New York. He was the only one to call her on her unbending support for Bush's war on Iraq. It wasn't until she ran for President that she began to read the handwriting on the wall and shifted her position - still never apologizing (as many other Senators finally did) for her initial vote giving Bush permission to launch that hideous aggression against an innocent people. She was quoted then that voting for the war was one of the hardest decisions of her political career. But I wrote back to Clinton because I believed she had it backwards --
"Quite frankly, it was probably the easiest because you cast principle and honesty aside in favor of opportunism and cheap politics. It’s difficult to stand on principle in the face of pressure from the opposition. It’s easy to cave in to that pressure from the media and the warmongers."Interestingly, in the debate taking place now inside the Obama administration over expanding our latest endless war (in Afghanistan) Clinton, true to her self, is reportedly on the side favoring escalation. Some people never learn. But back to Jonathan Tasini.
Brooklyn folks turn out for a fundraiser at our house last Tuesday. Click photo for a larger view.
When voters increasingly started to understand the true nature of the Bush regime they began to punish the Republican party by defeating long-standing incumbents in Congress. This was the 2006 election and that vote presaged the coming victory of Barack Obama and a Democratic majority in Congress two years later. Kirsten Gillibrand was one of those candidates, elected in 2006 in upstate New York's 20th congressional district. She was propelled into office, defeating right-wing Republican incumbent John Sweeney, a veteran of four terms in the House. on what had become a broad wave of disgust with the Bush policies, even among many Republican and increasing popular opposition to the war in Iraq as well as anger stemming from a deteriorating economy.
But despite her victory over right-winger Sweeney, Gillibrand is no liberal --
- The daughter of a politically connected father, a lobbyist with strong ties to powerful Republicans, she was a member of the blue dog coalition of conservative Democratas during her tenure in the House. (Yes, those are the same bloc of right-wind Dems who, along with Republicans, are preventing the American people from obtaining real health care reform).
- A strong supporter of gun-rights, she has the backing of the gun lobby and received a 100% rating from the National Rifle Association.
- In the late 90's, working as an attorney for the firm of at Davis Polk and Wardwell, she represented Phillip Morris and was involved in major litigation battles brought against the tobacco industry in civil lawsuits and by FBI probes of criminal activity. She has accepted contributions from that pernicious industry, money that many Democrats refuse.
- On immigration issues, Gillibrand has had a distinctly conservative position, opposing the granting of amnesty to undocumented immigrants and supporting English as the official language of the United States.
The election for U.S. Senator is in 2010 and the pressure is on, led by New York's other Senator, Charles Schumer (aka "the senator from Wall Street" for his close ties to the banking and financial industry), to continue with the coronation of Gillibrand by the state's ruling elite. One by one, Democrats who thought about challenging the appointment with a primary run in 2010 have dropped by the wayside. Jonathan Tasini, not part of that party apparatus, is the exception. A dyed-in-the-wool progressive, Tasini comes out of the labor movement and takes strong positions in favor of the Employee Free Choice Act which would finally level the playing field for workers trying to organize against the wishes of multi-national corporations with unlimited deep pockets to fight unionization.
He calls for democracy to be realized, not merely in platitudes, but in the very real world around us, particularly in the economy where it's "time for the people to make the rules." Tasini says "We’ve let corporations set the rules for too long-—and they’ve been helped by politicians, in both major political parties, who put special interests ahead of the interests of Main Street" and working people.
In the Middle East, an issue that has politicians tripping over each other in their eagerness to express fealty to Israel without regard for right or wrong, Tasini stands almost alone, and unequivocally "supports the creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and all of the Gaza Strip, consequently ending Israeli occupation of these areas because such a solution is the only way to ensure Israeli security. The current situation in Gaza is intolerable and unconscionable" he states. With a nod to justice for all who inhabit the region, Muslims, Jews and Christians, he says, "The final peace settlement has to accommodate Israel’s security requirements but it also has to ensure a viable, thriving, independent Palestinian State which has territorial contiguity and is not broken into cantons."
And so on. On every issue of concern to progressives, I believe you will find Tasini to be a candidate worthy of support with strong principled and progressive positions. He'll make a great United States Senator and he will inject issues into next year's campaign that must be raised but that won't be raised in his absence.
Can he win? Tasini says he can! And, after hearing him speak, I believe it. But at the very least he'll give Gillibrand a damned good fight to the finish and speak out on the issues we want discussed. The only obstacle will be, as always, money. Which is why we had folks over last week and raised over a thousand dollars for Jonathan's campaign. We'll need thousands of dollars more to guarantee the people of New York state are given an opportunity to vote next year for a candidate who truly represents their best interests and not those of the corporations that have wreaked such terrible damage to our economy, our state, our country and our world.
You can check out Jonathan Tasini's website where you can learn more about the man and his positions and where you can make a generous contribution. These are terrible times but they are also times of great promise and potential for progressive change. The Tasini campaign for U.S. senate is about making that promise come true.
Go to www.jonathantasini.com for more information or to contribute. Thanks.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Brooklyn Says NO to Ratner and his Atlantic Yards. Again.
Jul 29, 2009
To chants of "Hey, Hey! Ho, Ho! Atlantic Yards has got to go!" hundreds of Brookllynites jammed the street in front of Kilgord Auditorium of the NYC Technical College. The school was the scene of hearings called by the state's Empire State Development Corporation which has overseen this land-grabbing boondoggle - a scandal of enormous proportions. The project, which would have built enormous sky-scraping, sun-blocking luxury high-rise buildings over the Long Island Railroad tracks, was funded with a no-bid lowball air rights giveaway from the MTA and huge tax breaks from the city and state. Never mind the impact on the surrounding low-rise and historic brownstone communities. Never mind the destructive effect that would drive rents up and working class and less affluent populations out of their homes and neighborhoods. Only mind the huge profits that could be gotten by building Bruce Ratner's vision of what he thought Brooklyn should look like.
But now that the economic bubble has burst, the Ratner project has fallen on hard times. First to be ditched was the so-called affordable housing components and a large number of the proposed residential buildings. After that, Ratner gave a pink slip to his star showcase architect, Frank Gehry -- he's way too expensive now. We're left with a plan that has as its star attraction, the Nets Stadium at the corner of Atlantic and Flatbush Avenues. But with Gehry's departure the rendering looks more like a gym for a community college in a small town rather than the flashy design once proposed. On top of this, Ratner demands that taxpayers should give him even more breaks and the MTA should give him an even more lenient and favorable contract on the air rights. Only an arrogant billionaire would have the chutzpah to make such demands. The question is will the politicians, the Mayor and the Governor, who have been so willing to accommodate this scandalous land grab, continue to play ball with Ratner or finally listen to the people and end this sham deal once and for all? Time will tell. Our voices can help them decide.
What's going on - monster high-rises in Downtown Brooklyn - dwarfing everything in sight, blocking sky and sun, congesting the streets to an even greater extent. This is our spineless and corrupt political leaders' vision of "progress" and of Brooklyn's future.
This is what it's all about. Save our communities ... from avaricious developers.
A large and spirited crowd of Brooklynites marched outside the ESDC hearings to demand an end to the Ratner Atlantic Yards scandal.
Daniel Goldstein of Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn, flanked by fighting NYC Council Member Letitia "Tish" James.
To loud approval from the crowd, Council Member Letitia "Tish" James gave a rousing speech and demanded that the Mayor put an end to the shameful Atlantic Yards project.
To see all my photos from today's protest just CLICK here for a PHOTO GALLERY.
Or CLICK here for a SLIDE SHOW
To chants of "Hey, Hey! Ho, Ho! Atlantic Yards has got to go!" hundreds of Brookllynites jammed the street in front of Kilgord Auditorium of the NYC Technical College. The school was the scene of hearings called by the state's Empire State Development Corporation which has overseen this land-grabbing boondoggle - a scandal of enormous proportions. The project, which would have built enormous sky-scraping, sun-blocking luxury high-rise buildings over the Long Island Railroad tracks, was funded with a no-bid lowball air rights giveaway from the MTA and huge tax breaks from the city and state. Never mind the impact on the surrounding low-rise and historic brownstone communities. Never mind the destructive effect that would drive rents up and working class and less affluent populations out of their homes and neighborhoods. Only mind the huge profits that could be gotten by building Bruce Ratner's vision of what he thought Brooklyn should look like.
But now that the economic bubble has burst, the Ratner project has fallen on hard times. First to be ditched was the so-called affordable housing components and a large number of the proposed residential buildings. After that, Ratner gave a pink slip to his star showcase architect, Frank Gehry -- he's way too expensive now. We're left with a plan that has as its star attraction, the Nets Stadium at the corner of Atlantic and Flatbush Avenues. But with Gehry's departure the rendering looks more like a gym for a community college in a small town rather than the flashy design once proposed. On top of this, Ratner demands that taxpayers should give him even more breaks and the MTA should give him an even more lenient and favorable contract on the air rights. Only an arrogant billionaire would have the chutzpah to make such demands. The question is will the politicians, the Mayor and the Governor, who have been so willing to accommodate this scandalous land grab, continue to play ball with Ratner or finally listen to the people and end this sham deal once and for all? Time will tell. Our voices can help them decide.
What's going on - monster high-rises in Downtown Brooklyn - dwarfing everything in sight, blocking sky and sun, congesting the streets to an even greater extent. This is our spineless and corrupt political leaders' vision of "progress" and of Brooklyn's future.
This is what it's all about. Save our communities ... from avaricious developers.
A large and spirited crowd of Brooklynites marched outside the ESDC hearings to demand an end to the Ratner Atlantic Yards scandal.
Daniel Goldstein of Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn, flanked by fighting NYC Council Member Letitia "Tish" James.
To loud approval from the crowd, Council Member Letitia "Tish" James gave a rousing speech and demanded that the Mayor put an end to the shameful Atlantic Yards project.To see all my photos from today's protest just CLICK here for a PHOTO GALLERY.
Or CLICK here for a SLIDE SHOW
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
A Beautiful Governor
July 24, 2009
And by that I mean a beautiful island. Namely, Governors Island which sits, serenely, off the bottom tip of another island, Manhattan. An island so named, because when the Brits took over from the Dutch in 1674 (after a 10-year period of back-and-forth control), they did so for the “benefit and accommodation of His Majesty's Governors.” Never mind for the benefit of the original people who lived in the area - the Native Americans of Manahatas. The Dutch, efficient (and greedy) businessman that they were, had already purchased the island (which the Native Americans called Pagganck) for "two ax heads, a string of beads, and a handful of nails." It wasn't until 110 years later in 1784, however, that the island officially received its current name: Governors Island. Over the years, the isle served a mostly military purpose. Given its strategic location, forts were built that served to keep the British from even attempting to take New York during the War of 1812. If you're interested in more history than that you can go to the Island's website here.
Now for the real purpose of this post. Wow! This is a fabulous place! It's one of our city's new parks that will offer one a fantastic view and appreciation of our grand and magnificent harbor. Open Fridays and weekends form May 30th to October 11th , one can board a free ferry at the foot of Whitehall Street (just east of the Staten Island Ferry terminal ). You can board the ferry on foot or on bike but, happily, not by car. And you can rent a bike or a 4-wheeled bike-buggy on the island. On Fridays, bike rentals are even free but get there early as they go fast.
This place is a magical gem with a new and spectacular view at every turn in the road that one uses to circumnavigate the island. Here there are concerts, a sand "beach" (no swimming), free kayaks, art exhibits, cafes and food concessions and the most marvelous picnic locations, complete with sprawling lawns, lovely old shade trees, tables, benches and glorious hammocks! Then again, you can picnic in Nolan Park in the center of the island. A lovely oasis of towering London plane trees on each side of the center common are bordered with 19th century Victorian frame houses, used by the officers who inhabited this place once upon a time. Set up your picnic right on one of the porches and relax in the shade of the trees. If you want to avoid crazy crowds, you're probably better off on a Friday than a weekend.
Stacey and I started out on Friday morning. We mounted our bikes and headed for the Brooklyn Bridge, about three miles from our home in Prospect Heights. Though we've ridden over the bridge countless times, it's still a thrill. The views of lower Manhattan, the East River, the poetic structure of the bridge itself are always inspring.
(Note: You can click on any photo to see it larger). Stacey leads the way as we biked across the Brooklyn Bridge - awe-inspiring visit in its own right. Destination - Governors Island.
Biking the Brooklyn Bridge is a trip back to the late 1800's - a gargantuan stone structure that has stood the test of time. Just a few years later, the Williamsburg Bridge was constructed all of steel.
Midway across the bridge we stop to view our destination - that verdant island on the horizon in the middle of the harbor The large construction site just below is a future section of the miles-long Brooklyn Bridge Park that is being built along the East River.
We biked down Broadway and reached the ferry which is free and runs every hour on the hour (island bound).
"All 'board!"
"Are there sharks in the water? Can you ride a bike over there? Where are the bikes? What would happen if we fell in the water here?" And a hundred other questions.
A view off the port side of the ferry with a view up the East River to the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg Bridges.
Leaving Manhattan behind.
When you finish the short ferry ride and exit the ferry, it feels a bit like you're immigrants, newly-arrived at Ellis Island. People pour off the boat, on foot and bike, and look around, puzzled about what to do and where to go. Maps are available and friendly staff are all about to answer your queries.
"OK, we're here. Now what?"
After a stop in the bathroom, Stacey and I set off to explore the island. A bike path beckoned to the left and off we went. This appeared to be the circumferential road. We wanted to make a loop - several miles around - to see the views it afforded. Then we'd check out a bit of the island's interior. The park is still a work in progress - much of it is off bounds as old Coast Guard buildings and facilities are renovated and made accessible to the public. But already the park incorporates a large expanse of recreational space including the 2.2 mile "Great Promenade" which we were setting off on our bikes.
A view across the harbor and up the East River. Benches and picnc spots abound on the Great Promenade that rings the island.
Say, that's cool! These 4-wheeled, 4-person bike buggies are for rent - free on Fridays - for those of you who don't know how to balance on two wheels.
You're in for a treat when you come around the southern tip of the island. (Remember to click any photo for a larger version).
As we continue around the island, an awesome view of Manhattan.
Stacey rounds the northwest corner of the island at Castle Williams which protected the city from British invasion in 1812.
We finished our ride with an brief exploration of the center of the island. Here we discovered more charm: Colonel's Row and Nolan's Park - both lined with 19th century officers' homes and the Parade Grounds, a vast expanse of lawn. There's also a public school that served the children of Coast Guard service personnel and a movie theater that was showing a scary summer thriller. All these are free for you to enter and explore.
Colonel's Row, in the center of the island, with tree-shaded walkways, beautiful old houses and plenty of room for picnics or exploring.
Whoa! A giant ship appears and docks across Buttermilk Channel in Brooklyn. The scale and scope of the harbor is enormous when viewed from this location.
We stopped at the Water Taxi sand beach (one of several throughout the city). This is equipped with, yes, sand and picnic tables. Adjacent is a hot dog stand where we stopped for a frank and a ice cold one before boarding the ferry back to Manhattan.
Nolan Park, surrounded by 19th century homes. One can sit on a porch and relax of have a picnic.
The Water Taxi sand "beach," with picnic tables, food concession and a palm tree.
It was a perfect few hours. The day had threatened rain with ominous clouds as we started out but, as seems to happen lately, had turned into a clear blue sky with puffy white clouds. We promised to return to explore some more. This is a great NYC destination that you should put on the top of your list for things to do and see in our city. See you on the bike path! - Matt
P.S. To see all my photos of Governors Island, click here for a SLIDE SHOW or here to visit the PHOTO GALLERY.
And by that I mean a beautiful island. Namely, Governors Island which sits, serenely, off the bottom tip of another island, Manhattan. An island so named, because when the Brits took over from the Dutch in 1674 (after a 10-year period of back-and-forth control), they did so for the “benefit and accommodation of His Majesty's Governors.” Never mind for the benefit of the original people who lived in the area - the Native Americans of Manahatas. The Dutch, efficient (and greedy) businessman that they were, had already purchased the island (which the Native Americans called Pagganck) for "two ax heads, a string of beads, and a handful of nails." It wasn't until 110 years later in 1784, however, that the island officially received its current name: Governors Island. Over the years, the isle served a mostly military purpose. Given its strategic location, forts were built that served to keep the British from even attempting to take New York during the War of 1812. If you're interested in more history than that you can go to the Island's website here.
Now for the real purpose of this post. Wow! This is a fabulous place! It's one of our city's new parks that will offer one a fantastic view and appreciation of our grand and magnificent harbor. Open Fridays and weekends form May 30th to October 11th , one can board a free ferry at the foot of Whitehall Street (just east of the Staten Island Ferry terminal ). You can board the ferry on foot or on bike but, happily, not by car. And you can rent a bike or a 4-wheeled bike-buggy on the island. On Fridays, bike rentals are even free but get there early as they go fast.
This place is a magical gem with a new and spectacular view at every turn in the road that one uses to circumnavigate the island. Here there are concerts, a sand "beach" (no swimming), free kayaks, art exhibits, cafes and food concessions and the most marvelous picnic locations, complete with sprawling lawns, lovely old shade trees, tables, benches and glorious hammocks! Then again, you can picnic in Nolan Park in the center of the island. A lovely oasis of towering London plane trees on each side of the center common are bordered with 19th century Victorian frame houses, used by the officers who inhabited this place once upon a time. Set up your picnic right on one of the porches and relax in the shade of the trees. If you want to avoid crazy crowds, you're probably better off on a Friday than a weekend.
Stacey and I started out on Friday morning. We mounted our bikes and headed for the Brooklyn Bridge, about three miles from our home in Prospect Heights. Though we've ridden over the bridge countless times, it's still a thrill. The views of lower Manhattan, the East River, the poetic structure of the bridge itself are always inspring.
(Note: You can click on any photo to see it larger). Stacey leads the way as we biked across the Brooklyn Bridge - awe-inspiring visit in its own right. Destination - Governors Island.
Biking the Brooklyn Bridge is a trip back to the late 1800's - a gargantuan stone structure that has stood the test of time. Just a few years later, the Williamsburg Bridge was constructed all of steel.Midway across the bridge we stop to view our destination - that verdant island on the horizon in the middle of the harbor The large construction site just below is a future section of the miles-long Brooklyn Bridge Park that is being built along the East River.
We biked down Broadway and reached the ferry which is free and runs every hour on the hour (island bound).
"All 'board!"
"Are there sharks in the water? Can you ride a bike over there? Where are the bikes? What would happen if we fell in the water here?" And a hundred other questions.
A view off the port side of the ferry with a view up the East River to the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg Bridges.
Leaving Manhattan behind.When you finish the short ferry ride and exit the ferry, it feels a bit like you're immigrants, newly-arrived at Ellis Island. People pour off the boat, on foot and bike, and look around, puzzled about what to do and where to go. Maps are available and friendly staff are all about to answer your queries.
"OK, we're here. Now what?"After a stop in the bathroom, Stacey and I set off to explore the island. A bike path beckoned to the left and off we went. This appeared to be the circumferential road. We wanted to make a loop - several miles around - to see the views it afforded. Then we'd check out a bit of the island's interior. The park is still a work in progress - much of it is off bounds as old Coast Guard buildings and facilities are renovated and made accessible to the public. But already the park incorporates a large expanse of recreational space including the 2.2 mile "Great Promenade" which we were setting off on our bikes.
A view across the harbor and up the East River. Benches and picnc spots abound on the Great Promenade that rings the island.
Say, that's cool! These 4-wheeled, 4-person bike buggies are for rent - free on Fridays - for those of you who don't know how to balance on two wheels.
You're in for a treat when you come around the southern tip of the island. (Remember to click any photo for a larger version).
As we continue around the island, an awesome view of Manhattan.
Stacey rounds the northwest corner of the island at Castle Williams which protected the city from British invasion in 1812.
We finished our ride with an brief exploration of the center of the island. Here we discovered more charm: Colonel's Row and Nolan's Park - both lined with 19th century officers' homes and the Parade Grounds, a vast expanse of lawn. There's also a public school that served the children of Coast Guard service personnel and a movie theater that was showing a scary summer thriller. All these are free for you to enter and explore.
Colonel's Row, in the center of the island, with tree-shaded walkways, beautiful old houses and plenty of room for picnics or exploring.
Whoa! A giant ship appears and docks across Buttermilk Channel in Brooklyn. The scale and scope of the harbor is enormous when viewed from this location.We stopped at the Water Taxi sand beach (one of several throughout the city). This is equipped with, yes, sand and picnic tables. Adjacent is a hot dog stand where we stopped for a frank and a ice cold one before boarding the ferry back to Manhattan.
Nolan Park, surrounded by 19th century homes. One can sit on a porch and relax of have a picnic.
The Water Taxi sand "beach," with picnic tables, food concession and a palm tree.It was a perfect few hours. The day had threatened rain with ominous clouds as we started out but, as seems to happen lately, had turned into a clear blue sky with puffy white clouds. We promised to return to explore some more. This is a great NYC destination that you should put on the top of your list for things to do and see in our city. See you on the bike path! - Matt
P.S. To see all my photos of Governors Island, click here for a SLIDE SHOW or here to visit the PHOTO GALLERY.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Rolling Through Manhattan On A Mission For Peace
May 16, 2009
Like the old civil rights song goes, I woke up this morning with my mind set on, well, PEACE. And not just peace but biking for peace. The reason being: today was the third annual NYC-United For Peace and Justice Pedal For Peace bike ride. This was the third time I've ridden in this delightful, family-friendly fundraising bike ride. The ride has two goals: raise money for the important work that UFPJ organizes year round: the struggle to end the wars that are the legacy of the Bush administration and that are impediment to solving the dire problems confronting our country: a declining economy, increasing joblessness and loss of homes, lack of decent health care for millions of Americans ... and so on. The other reason: we just want to have some fun. And we did!
The day threatened to be a repeat of last year's ride which was a drencher. But though the clouds hung over us till the very end (when the sun suddenly appeared) the rain stayed away. That was not a bad thing - the somewhat cool day made biking a perspiration-free pleasure.
Here's my bike - bedecked for the Pedal For Peace bike ride.
The threat of rain, however, did frighten people - enough so that the ride this year was a bit smaller than usual. Never mind. It was small but still very spirited. We gathered at the north end of Central Park and prepared our bicycles with signs calling for peace and funding for our communities instead of warfare. People were in good spirits and itching to get on their bikes and pedal. Soon enough, Leslie Kielson , of NYC-UFPJ , gave us some last minute instructions. A marshal then gave us some tips to ensure a safe ride and off we went, out of the park and north through Harlem.
Coming or going, the message's the same: No more money for war!
This is really a lovely little ride as it take one through interesting parts of our city that you might not ever get to see: lovely streets in Harlem, then up into hilly Washington Heights where the old geology of our city is still very visible in the form of giant boulders of Manhattan schist looming on the side of steep streets. And then a stop for a snack, half way through the 15 miles, at historic High Bridge Park with fabulous views over the Harlem River far below us and out over the Bronx to the east. Historic because the High Bridge is the borough's oldest bridge connecting it to the mainland (yes, the Bronx is on the mainland!) It was not only a bridge but an incredible, early public works project of enormous magnitude as it is also an enormous aqueduct that brought fresh water from the pristine Catskill mountains to the faucets, sinks and tubs of the metropolis a hundred or so miles away.
Getting ready to leave the park and venture northward.
Out of Central Park and heading north through Harlem.
We reach our snack stop - historic High Bridge Park in Manhattan. High Bridge is visible way below on the right.
After some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and refreshing cold water, we got back on our steel steeds and headed back downtown. But the route now took us down the west side of Manhattan, along the Hudson on elegant Riverside Drive - beautiful! For a map of the route just CLICK HERE.
Cruising down Riverside Drive on our way back to the start point.
All along our ride, from beginning to end, we shouted out to passers-by the purpose of our ride. We were greeted with applause, shouts of approval and V-signs of peace. That was a particularly rewarding part of the ride, know that people who voted for Obama under the slogan "Yes we can!" were now saying to Congress and the President - "Yes we must!" Must end these wars that are robbing us of the ability to fix our economy and meet the urgent needs of our citizens.
I'm looking forward to next year's ride. I hope that you'll join us next time! It's fun and very worthwhile.
And here we all are - at High Bridge. A small group with a very large spirit! What a great sight!
To see all my photos just CLICK HERE.
A final comment: I'd like to share with you my feelings of deep gratitude. Therefore, this post is dedicated to all my friends and family who donated to my bike ride. I raised $1407.00 which goes to further the important work of NYC-United For Peace & Justice who are working so hard to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, to bring our troops home - safe and alive, and to direct those funds to be used for rebuilding our country instead of for warfare and occupation. Thank you all so much!
And, by the way, if you haven't yet donated it's not too late! Just CLICK HERE to give right now. It's painless and easy and you'll be doing a good thing for our country and for our planet.
Like the old civil rights song goes, I woke up this morning with my mind set on, well, PEACE. And not just peace but biking for peace. The reason being: today was the third annual NYC-United For Peace and Justice Pedal For Peace bike ride. This was the third time I've ridden in this delightful, family-friendly fundraising bike ride. The ride has two goals: raise money for the important work that UFPJ organizes year round: the struggle to end the wars that are the legacy of the Bush administration and that are impediment to solving the dire problems confronting our country: a declining economy, increasing joblessness and loss of homes, lack of decent health care for millions of Americans ... and so on. The other reason: we just want to have some fun. And we did!
The day threatened to be a repeat of last year's ride which was a drencher. But though the clouds hung over us till the very end (when the sun suddenly appeared) the rain stayed away. That was not a bad thing - the somewhat cool day made biking a perspiration-free pleasure.
Here's my bike - bedecked for the Pedal For Peace bike ride.The threat of rain, however, did frighten people - enough so that the ride this year was a bit smaller than usual. Never mind. It was small but still very spirited. We gathered at the north end of Central Park and prepared our bicycles with signs calling for peace and funding for our communities instead of warfare. People were in good spirits and itching to get on their bikes and pedal. Soon enough, Leslie Kielson , of NYC-UFPJ , gave us some last minute instructions. A marshal then gave us some tips to ensure a safe ride and off we went, out of the park and north through Harlem.
Coming or going, the message's the same: No more money for war!This is really a lovely little ride as it take one through interesting parts of our city that you might not ever get to see: lovely streets in Harlem, then up into hilly Washington Heights where the old geology of our city is still very visible in the form of giant boulders of Manhattan schist looming on the side of steep streets. And then a stop for a snack, half way through the 15 miles, at historic High Bridge Park with fabulous views over the Harlem River far below us and out over the Bronx to the east. Historic because the High Bridge is the borough's oldest bridge connecting it to the mainland (yes, the Bronx is on the mainland!) It was not only a bridge but an incredible, early public works project of enormous magnitude as it is also an enormous aqueduct that brought fresh water from the pristine Catskill mountains to the faucets, sinks and tubs of the metropolis a hundred or so miles away.
Getting ready to leave the park and venture northward.
Out of Central Park and heading north through Harlem.
We reach our snack stop - historic High Bridge Park in Manhattan. High Bridge is visible way below on the right.After some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and refreshing cold water, we got back on our steel steeds and headed back downtown. But the route now took us down the west side of Manhattan, along the Hudson on elegant Riverside Drive - beautiful! For a map of the route just CLICK HERE.
Cruising down Riverside Drive on our way back to the start point.All along our ride, from beginning to end, we shouted out to passers-by the purpose of our ride. We were greeted with applause, shouts of approval and V-signs of peace. That was a particularly rewarding part of the ride, know that people who voted for Obama under the slogan "Yes we can!" were now saying to Congress and the President - "Yes we must!" Must end these wars that are robbing us of the ability to fix our economy and meet the urgent needs of our citizens.
I'm looking forward to next year's ride. I hope that you'll join us next time! It's fun and very worthwhile.
And here we all are - at High Bridge. A small group with a very large spirit! What a great sight!To see all my photos just CLICK HERE.
A final comment: I'd like to share with you my feelings of deep gratitude. Therefore, this post is dedicated to all my friends and family who donated to my bike ride. I raised $1407.00 which goes to further the important work of NYC-United For Peace & Justice who are working so hard to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, to bring our troops home - safe and alive, and to direct those funds to be used for rebuilding our country instead of for warfare and occupation. Thank you all so much!
And, by the way, if you haven't yet donated it's not too late! Just CLICK HERE to give right now. It's painless and easy and you'll be doing a good thing for our country and for our planet.
Friday, May 15, 2009
The End Of America Comes To Flatbush
Some 60 Brooklynites filed into the cavernous auditorium of P.S. 139 in Flatbush to see an important new film, The End Of America. The film paints a detailed and chilling picture of the Bush gang's assault on our constitutional rights and liberties.
The story of the film showing in Brooklyn is a tale in and of itself. In the planning for the event the NYC Department of Education (DOE) refused to issue a permit citing the "controversial" nature of the film. (One may well ask what is controversial about our Constitution and the protections it offers our citizens.) However, a request for help, made to the NYCLU's Legal Director, Arthur Eisenberg, resulted in a quick retreat by the DOE and the permit was issued.
The film showing was initiated by a new group that is establishing itself in the Flatbush neighborhoods surrounding Cortelyou Road and Coney Island Avenue: Flatbush For Peace. Co-sponsors included a representation of the diverse neighborhood: the Council Of People's Organizations (COPO), which serves the South Asian community and the Haitian Enlightenment Literacy Project (HELP) as well as Brooklyn's large and active peace organization, Brooklyn For Peace.
Sam Koprak, active in organizing Flatbush For Peace, introduced the film. The End Of America claims that under Bush our country was headed for dictatorship and draws strong parallels with Nazi Germany by documenting the ten steps that have been used by authoritarian regimes throughout history to erode and eventually destroy civil liberties.
In the film, Wolf examines each of these ten steps, One comes away with a realization that democracy and human rights are frail things indeed and when methodically abused can quickly disappear. This is particularly true when you have a citizenry that is purposely kept uninformed and uneducated (think Fox News, CNN, the networks, our schools, etc.) about the history, the significance and the life and death struggles that ensued to win independence from the British monarchy and that forged our constitution and its enshrining of human rights and liberties.
Sam Koprak, of the newly-formed Flatbush For Peace, convenes the meeting at PS 139.
The ten points, documented in the film, are --
Naomi Wolf - ten easy steps to fascism.
Naomi Wolf taking questions after the film showing.
After the film, the author was joined by Arthur Eisenberg, Legal Director of the NYCLU, (who, as I mentioned earlier was instrumental in persuading the DOE to issue its permit for use of the school), to field questions from the audience. Eisenberg gave an informative history of the use of repression in our country during the Civil War and Word War I and then discussed the case of Jose Padilla. Padilla, a U.S. citizen, was declared an enemy combatant by Bush who cited his powers as Commander In Chief. This was a drastic departure from an established American legal precedent called the Milligan decision which decreed civilian supremacy over military authority. By using the Commander In Chief title to justify his action stripping citizen Padilla of his constitutional rights, Eisenberg said, Bush was declaring that his military authority allowed him to be above the law, thus setting a very dangerous precedent.
Arthur Eisenberg, Legal Director of the NYCLU, gave a chilling description of the government's abuse of U.S. citizen, José Padilla.
The meeting ended after 9:00 pm and we came away with a new appreciation of the dangers that had been brought to our country by eight long years of Bush's contempt for democracy and the rule of law. There was, I thought, a new determination to ensure that these actions be rolled back and a further awareness that unless those responsible for the heinous crimes committed, such as torture, kidnapping and wiretapping, be brought to justice. How else would we be able to prevent them from being enacted all over again in the future? Some in the present administration have asked us "not to look backward but to concentrate on the future." To which we must answer that we cannot go forward in peace and freedom without learning from and dealing with the past. After the Nazi crimes of the 30's and 40's, U.S. policy and indeed, all of human kind, decreed that those responsible for crimes against humanity must be brought to justice and punished. Why have we abandoned that outlook now?
Naomi Wolf's book is available for purchase here.
Naomi Wolf's website can be visted here.
And the film on DVD can be purchased here.
Naomi Wolf's book - The End Of America.
To see a SLIDE SHOW of all my photos from last night's event click here.
Or for a PHOTO GALLERY instead, click here.
The story of the film showing in Brooklyn is a tale in and of itself. In the planning for the event the NYC Department of Education (DOE) refused to issue a permit citing the "controversial" nature of the film. (One may well ask what is controversial about our Constitution and the protections it offers our citizens.) However, a request for help, made to the NYCLU's Legal Director, Arthur Eisenberg, resulted in a quick retreat by the DOE and the permit was issued.The film showing was initiated by a new group that is establishing itself in the Flatbush neighborhoods surrounding Cortelyou Road and Coney Island Avenue: Flatbush For Peace. Co-sponsors included a representation of the diverse neighborhood: the Council Of People's Organizations (COPO), which serves the South Asian community and the Haitian Enlightenment Literacy Project (HELP) as well as Brooklyn's large and active peace organization, Brooklyn For Peace.
Sam Koprak, active in organizing Flatbush For Peace, introduced the film. The End Of America claims that under Bush our country was headed for dictatorship and draws strong parallels with Nazi Germany by documenting the ten steps that have been used by authoritarian regimes throughout history to erode and eventually destroy civil liberties.
In the film, Wolf examines each of these ten steps, One comes away with a realization that democracy and human rights are frail things indeed and when methodically abused can quickly disappear. This is particularly true when you have a citizenry that is purposely kept uninformed and uneducated (think Fox News, CNN, the networks, our schools, etc.) about the history, the significance and the life and death struggles that ensued to win independence from the British monarchy and that forged our constitution and its enshrining of human rights and liberties.
Sam Koprak, of the newly-formed Flatbush For Peace, convenes the meeting at PS 139.The ten points, documented in the film, are --
1. Invoke a terrifying internal and external enemy.Within each of these points, Wolf discusses the similarities between events that transpired in Nazi Germany and elsewhere with what Bush and Cheney were conniving at here. Thus is her book and the film an urgent wake-up call to those who cherish and would maintain our hard-fought civil liberties.
2. Create a prison system outside the rule of law.
3. Set up an internal surveillance system.
4. Develop a thug caste.
5. Harass citizens' groups.
6. Engage in arbitrary detention and release.
7. Target key individuals.
8. Control the press.
9. Equate dissent with treason.
10.Suspend the rule of law.
Naomi Wolf - ten easy steps to fascism.Naomi Wolf taking questions after the film showing.After the film, the author was joined by Arthur Eisenberg, Legal Director of the NYCLU, (who, as I mentioned earlier was instrumental in persuading the DOE to issue its permit for use of the school), to field questions from the audience. Eisenberg gave an informative history of the use of repression in our country during the Civil War and Word War I and then discussed the case of Jose Padilla. Padilla, a U.S. citizen, was declared an enemy combatant by Bush who cited his powers as Commander In Chief. This was a drastic departure from an established American legal precedent called the Milligan decision which decreed civilian supremacy over military authority. By using the Commander In Chief title to justify his action stripping citizen Padilla of his constitutional rights, Eisenberg said, Bush was declaring that his military authority allowed him to be above the law, thus setting a very dangerous precedent.
Arthur Eisenberg, Legal Director of the NYCLU, gave a chilling description of the government's abuse of U.S. citizen, José Padilla.The meeting ended after 9:00 pm and we came away with a new appreciation of the dangers that had been brought to our country by eight long years of Bush's contempt for democracy and the rule of law. There was, I thought, a new determination to ensure that these actions be rolled back and a further awareness that unless those responsible for the heinous crimes committed, such as torture, kidnapping and wiretapping, be brought to justice. How else would we be able to prevent them from being enacted all over again in the future? Some in the present administration have asked us "not to look backward but to concentrate on the future." To which we must answer that we cannot go forward in peace and freedom without learning from and dealing with the past. After the Nazi crimes of the 30's and 40's, U.S. policy and indeed, all of human kind, decreed that those responsible for crimes against humanity must be brought to justice and punished. Why have we abandoned that outlook now?
Naomi Wolf's book is available for purchase here.
Naomi Wolf's website can be visted here.
And the film on DVD can be purchased here.
Naomi Wolf's book - The End Of America.To see a SLIDE SHOW of all my photos from last night's event click here.
Or for a PHOTO GALLERY instead, click here.
Saturday, April 04, 2009
Marching Against The War and Against Spending For War
New York City - Apr 5, 2009
Given the seriousness of the times we live in it should have been a million people in the streets of my city yesterday demanding change.
Why a million marching? Because we're witness to bailouts for banker/criminals but no bailouts for the people who are losing their homes by the thousands a day. Because obscene multi-million dollar bonuses are handed to the very crooks who brought us what might be the new Great Depression but nothing for the almost 700,000 newly-jobless in March.
And while we're at it, here's a sobering statistic: since Reagan inhabited the White House there have been some seven million industrial jobs scrapped. Disappeared. Shipped abroad where super-profits can be made while factories are closed in our home towns and cities. The latest crisis is the net result, the end game, of that stinking an decadent process of de-industrialization brought to us by those great patriots: the U.S. Senate and Congress, our past presidents and the corporate bosses who run this country. Free Trade has been their mantra as they foisted their NAFTAs and other get-rich-quick trade deals on Americans and then shipped the jobs to low wage countries leaving a vast and rusty wasteland in their wake. The Great American Dream has become a nightmare as decent, union jobs that gave dignity and a decent standard of living to millions of American families have been lost forever.
So it should have been millions marching in the streets of our cities today as they are marching around the world to protest the great unfairness that haunts society: unfairness in that the very ones who brought us to this crisis seem to be the ones who are being rewarded even as they are blamed for the stinking mess they've created! Something is drastically wrong with this picture. And that must be set right in the months ahead.
Our new President has inherited this terrible mess which has been made so much more terribly worse over the last eight years by the bandits and thieves that ran our country into the ground. It wasn't just greed on Wall Street as much as it was greed coupled with a Bush-wacking government that intentionally looked the other way, or even lent a helping hands to the bankers, as the crimes were being perpetrated.
Grover Norquist, one of the leading ideologues of the Neo-Con movement and a prime architect of the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy once said:
Then they launched an illegal war based on outright lies so the oil companies could occupy and control a country known to possess the second largest oil reserves in the world. Over 4,000 young soldiers have lost their lives in that illegal adventure. Countless Iraqi citizens were wounded, made homeless or killed and their country destroyed. While the war raged, the Bush and Cheney crony corporations such as Halliburton and Blackwater (and dozens more) emptied our Treasury with no-bid contracts handed out without oversight or control, profiting on the blood of our troops and of the tragic and poor citizens of Iraq.
Just as the corporate bandits have not been punished so has the Bush administration been allowed to retire without any restitution for the terrible crimes they committed: they sullied and dragged our Constitution into the mud of illegal arrests and detentions, rendition (kidnapping) and torture.
.
This is the terrible legacy of the Bush years. And this destructive regime was finally retired by the American people in November of last year. President Obama has promised to reverse these crimes and, to a large extent, he has begun to do exactly that. But the forces that brought us to ruination are still alive and well. Though defeated in November, they are wealthy and strong - many still inhabit the halls of Congress and live in the corporate board rooms throughout our country and will do their best to restore the previous direction taken under Bush. We need to counter them with the loud voice of protest and continued demands for changes not yet fulfilled.
Yesterday, thousands marched in New York. They were in high spirits and filled with high expectations that the "Yes, we can" hopes of yesterday's elections will be turned into a "Yes we did!" reality in the months and years ahead.
Brooklyn For Peace was well represented.
Thousands marched on Wall Street - the symbol of all that's wrong in our country.
Were you there? You can still do your part by calling your Congress member at (800) 828-0498 and the White House at(202) 456-1111.
President Obama has said that he wants to hear from the American people who elected him. So it is entirely appropriate, indeed necessary, to tell him:
The good folks from Fort Greene Peace were there.
If you want to see a slideshow of
all of yesterday's photos, just CLICK HERE.
Given the seriousness of the times we live in it should have been a million people in the streets of my city yesterday demanding change.Why a million marching? Because we're witness to bailouts for banker/criminals but no bailouts for the people who are losing their homes by the thousands a day. Because obscene multi-million dollar bonuses are handed to the very crooks who brought us what might be the new Great Depression but nothing for the almost 700,000 newly-jobless in March.
And while we're at it, here's a sobering statistic: since Reagan inhabited the White House there have been some seven million industrial jobs scrapped. Disappeared. Shipped abroad where super-profits can be made while factories are closed in our home towns and cities. The latest crisis is the net result, the end game, of that stinking an decadent process of de-industrialization brought to us by those great patriots: the U.S. Senate and Congress, our past presidents and the corporate bosses who run this country. Free Trade has been their mantra as they foisted their NAFTAs and other get-rich-quick trade deals on Americans and then shipped the jobs to low wage countries leaving a vast and rusty wasteland in their wake. The Great American Dream has become a nightmare as decent, union jobs that gave dignity and a decent standard of living to millions of American families have been lost forever.
So it should have been millions marching in the streets of our cities today as they are marching around the world to protest the great unfairness that haunts society: unfairness in that the very ones who brought us to this crisis seem to be the ones who are being rewarded even as they are blamed for the stinking mess they've created! Something is drastically wrong with this picture. And that must be set right in the months ahead.
Our new President has inherited this terrible mess which has been made so much more terribly worse over the last eight years by the bandits and thieves that ran our country into the ground. It wasn't just greed on Wall Street as much as it was greed coupled with a Bush-wacking government that intentionally looked the other way, or even lent a helping hands to the bankers, as the crimes were being perpetrated.
Grover Norquist, one of the leading ideologues of the Neo-Con movement and a prime architect of the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy once said:
"I don't want to abolish government. I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub."And that was precisely what Bush and his gang did for eight years. They packed government agencies and departments with corporate lackeys who then proceeded to eviscerate regulations and undo laws designed to safeguard Americans in every aspect of their lives: the protection of our environment and nature, the safety of our food and medicines, the right of American workers to a safe workplace, the maintenance of our health standards, the right of women to control their bodies and the maintenance of our democracy and constitutional liberties.
Then they launched an illegal war based on outright lies so the oil companies could occupy and control a country known to possess the second largest oil reserves in the world. Over 4,000 young soldiers have lost their lives in that illegal adventure. Countless Iraqi citizens were wounded, made homeless or killed and their country destroyed. While the war raged, the Bush and Cheney crony corporations such as Halliburton and Blackwater (and dozens more) emptied our Treasury with no-bid contracts handed out without oversight or control, profiting on the blood of our troops and of the tragic and poor citizens of Iraq.
Just as the corporate bandits have not been punished so has the Bush administration been allowed to retire without any restitution for the terrible crimes they committed: they sullied and dragged our Constitution into the mud of illegal arrests and detentions, rendition (kidnapping) and torture.
.
This is the terrible legacy of the Bush years. And this destructive regime was finally retired by the American people in November of last year. President Obama has promised to reverse these crimes and, to a large extent, he has begun to do exactly that. But the forces that brought us to ruination are still alive and well. Though defeated in November, they are wealthy and strong - many still inhabit the halls of Congress and live in the corporate board rooms throughout our country and will do their best to restore the previous direction taken under Bush. We need to counter them with the loud voice of protest and continued demands for changes not yet fulfilled.
Yesterday, thousands marched in New York. They were in high spirits and filled with high expectations that the "Yes, we can" hopes of yesterday's elections will be turned into a "Yes we did!" reality in the months and years ahead.
Brooklyn For Peace was well represented.
Thousands marched on Wall Street - the symbol of all that's wrong in our country.Were you there? You can still do your part by calling your Congress member at (800) 828-0498 and the White House at(202) 456-1111.
President Obama has said that he wants to hear from the American people who elected him. So it is entirely appropriate, indeed necessary, to tell him:
"End the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Bring all our troops home now - safe and alive.
Negotiate don't escalate!
Cut the Pentagon war budget in order to fix the economy and build a new society based on peace not war, human needs not greed."
The good folks from Fort Greene Peace were there.If you want to see a slideshow of
all of yesterday's photos, just CLICK HERE.