Cousin Crow: Goin' South

PEJ News - C. L. Cook - As family, I have to say it: "Cousin, you've got a problem."

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foghorn_Leghorn

Cousin Crow: Goin' South

C. L. Cook

PEJ News
Novermber 19, 2005

The black birds come a-perch on the eaves, turning an ear to my Tom Waits tape. Peering, ever cautious, my feathered relatives cock a head and look, in what I swear is an askance attitude, seemingly questioning Ape's sanity.



Likewise, perched on the 49th parallel, I peer at you, your northern cousin America, and wonder at your state of mind.

Tom sings: "We've just got to keep the Devil down in the hole."

Look: I know your skin thin, and don't get me wrong, I'm not being critical unnecessarily, but I think there's something you're missing here. I've been more or less quiet; the Cuba, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Chile, Salvador, Timor, Nicaragua, Grenada, Panama, Haiti, Iraq, Yugoslavia, etc. thing has been a bit much, but now as you lap yourself with Iraq II, I feel something has to be said.

Please, stop.



Chris Cook is a contributing editor to PEJ.org. He also hosts Gorilla Radio, broad/webcast from CFUV Radio, at the University of Victoria, Canada. Check out the GR Blog here.

History Not Dead, Just Smells Bad

PEJ News - C. L. Cook - A Hooded man, standing on a box, arms splayed crucifix-style, wires dangling from his extremities... Here we are. Nearly five years into it; five astonishing years, a cascade of unprecedented malfeasance and moral turpitude. Five years that's left America's facade cracked. The 'Bastion of Democracy,' survivor of revolution, depressions, World and Cold Wars, now stands guilty before the world a pariah; a committer of crimes so stark they dare'nt be mentioned for fear of the global repercussions. But, their's no escape for one of the history-denying authors of the current disaster threatening humanity, History's grim ghosts gather round him like a shroud.

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History Not Dead, Just Smells Bad
C. L. Cook

PEJ News
November 16, 2005

Reagan's Evil Empire had fallen. Many uttered platitudes to the "peace dividend." George Bush I talked of a new world order of compassion and cooperation, while the then-unknown men inhabiting the periphery espoused the belief that "history is dead," a eupemistic allusion to America's singular Ascension and its proper place at the head of the global table. There in George the First's court, the nascent Dick Cheney plied and plotted his way to the apex of power.

At least, that's the platter he's being presented to the public upon; served up, as a last supper in hopes to assuage a suddenly slavering press, hungry for corruption and eyeing a Pennsylvania Avenue main course, a meal almost certain. Do a Google on "Cheney" tonight and you'll see the first steps of Dick Cheney's political Danse Macabre.


Smoke Screens

Of course, in Mr. Cheney's case, the evidence of an unrestrained campaign of murder, torture, and ignominious disregard for humanity is unprecedented, if not for its blatant barbarity, for its sheer scale. The current Outrage de Jour over Whiskey Pete, aka Willy Pete, and properly, White Phosperous (WP) is at this hour being debated and defined and considered in legal frameworks on T.V. A little lost is the fact, admitted by the military itself, the use of this grotesque chemical weapon against towns in Iraq, is a crime recognized as such and clearly defined in international jurisprudence.

Hundreds of thousands dead. Cultural devastation and environmental destruction whose effects will be felt forever, and the employment of weapons no tyrant in the world's history possessed: These are the sins of the great fiasco writ opaquely; the details within this vague campaign contain litanies of casual moral digressions, any single case examination of which would surely sicken most good tax-paying Americans.

Cheney's overdue debut on the sarificial altar will provide weeks of diversion; time George II must be finding running short, as scandal and litigation multiply, engulfing many of his closest associates. If Bush can no longer assure his collaborators the presidency will survive long enough to dish out pardons, he knows canaries will sing and he'll sink. Another Nixon.

History seems now, like a spurned partner turning all its irony on they who would deny it. Cheney will be first to fall, but he's no Agnew. Something about Dick's weak heart and subterranean proclivities, brings more to mind erstwhile CIA head during, William Casey the corpse of convenience when Iran-Contra closed in on another Bush presidency.



Chris Cook is a contributing editor to PEJ News. He also host Gorilla Radio, a weekly public affairs program, broad/webcast from the University of Victoria, Canada. You can check out the GR Blog here.

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Gorilla Radio for Monday, November 14th, 2005

Gorilla Radio for Monday, November 14th, 2005

Italian economist and writer, Loretta Napoleoni on "Islams Zorro" Abu Musab al Zarqawi, reputed leader of th 'al Qaeda in Iraq' terror organization.

Jon Elmer from Occupied Palestine

And, Janine Bandcroft bringing us up to speed on goings on in and around Victoria this week.


Chris Cook hosts Gorilla Radio, airing live every Monday, 5-6pm Pacific Time. In Victoria at 101.9FM, 104.3 cable, and on the internet at: http://cfuv.uvic.ca He also serves as a contributing editor at the progressive web news site: http://www.pej.org.

You can check out the GR blog at: http://GorillaRadioBlog.blogspot.com

Gorilla Radio for Monday,
November 14th, 2005
Chris Cook

PEJ News
November 13, 2005


Last week’s hotel bombings in Amman, Jordan has again focussed international attention on reputed terror king-pin, Abu Musab al Zarqawi and his elusive organization, the so-called al Qaeda in Iraq.

Loretta Napoleoni is an Italian economist and writer specializing in terrorist financing. She’s the author of several books, including ‘Terror Incorporated: Tracing the Dollars Behind the Terror Networks,’ and the recently released, ‘Insurgent Iraq: Al Zarqawi and the New Generation.’

Loretta Napoleoni in the first half.

And; over-shadowed by the Iraq occupation, the situation in Occupied Palestine continues to fester. Despite Israel’s much touted withdrawal of settlements from the Gaza Strip, life is not getting any easier for Palestinians, who are yet prisoners in their own land with little hope on the horizon for the long-awaited establishment of a sovereign state.

Jon Elmer is a Canadian journalist and founder of the news website, ‘From Occupied Palestine.org’

Jon Elmer from Palestine in the second half.

And; Janine Bandcroft will be here at the bottom of the hour to bring us up to speed on all that’s good to do in and around Victoria this week.

But first, Loretta Napoleoni and the Islamic Zorro, Abu Musab al Zarqawi.



G-Radio is dedicated to social justice, the environment, community, and providing a forum for people and issues not covered in the mainstream media.

Some past guests include: M. Junaid Alam, Joel Bakan, Maude Barlow, David Barsamian, William Blum, Luciana Bohne, Vincent Bugliosi, Helen Caldicott, Noam Chomsky, Michel Chossudovsky, Diane Christian, Juan Cole, David Cromwell, Jon Elmer, Reese Erlich, Anthony Fenton, Jim Fetzer, Laura Flanders, Chris Floyd, Susan George, Stan Goff, Robert Greenwald, Denis Halliday, Chris Hedges, Sander Hicks, Julia Butterfly Hill, Robert Jensen, Dahr Jamail, Diana Johnstone, Kathy Kelly, Naomi Klein, Anthony Lappe, Frances Moore Lappe, Dave Lindorff, Jim Lobe, Jennifer Loewenstein, Wayne Madsen, Stephen Marshall, Linda McQuaig, George Monbiot, Loretta Napoleoni, John Nichols, Kurt Nimmo, Greg Palast, Michael Parenti, William Rivers Pitt, Sheldon Rampton, Paul Craig Roberts, Paul de Rooij, John Ross, Danny Schechter, Vandana Shiva, Norman Solomon, Starhawk, Grant Wakefield, Paul Watson, Bernard Weiner, Mickey Z., Dave Zirin, and many others.

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