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Today's
Stories
February 19, 2004
Ralph Nader
Whither
the Nation?
February 18, 2004
William Wilgus
Bush:
AWOL and Dereliction of Duty
William Blum
Mush-Minded
Liberals
Dave Lindorff
Bush's China Syndrome
Greg Weiher
Why
is Kerry Getting a Pass?
Mike Griffin
Killing the Messenger: the AFL-CIO's Attack on Harry Kelber
Mark Hand
Kerry Tells Peace Movement to "Move On"
February 17, 2004
Mike Ferner
The
Countryside Murders in Iraq
Mokhiber / Weissman
Corporation
as Psychopath
Marjorie Cohn
DrakeGate:
a Victory for Free Speech
Kurt Nimmo
Bush's
Endgame: a Review of Chalmers Johnson's "Sorrows of Empire"
Greg Bates
Nader Ambush: a New Low for The
Nation
Ximena Ortiz
A Bush
Doctrine, of Sorts
Gary Leupp
Whatever Happened to Gen. Khazraji?
Sen. John Kerry
"The Cause of Israel is the Cause of America"
Steve Perry
Kerry
1, Drudge 0
February 16, 2004
James Johnston
Huddling
with the Cheeseheads in a NASCAR World
Sara Eltantawi
To
Wear the Hijab or Not
Bruce Anderson
Kevin
Cooper and the Midnight Needle
Elaine Cassel
Feds
on Campus: the Drake Subpoenas
Rahul Mahajan
Bush,
Is the Tide Finally Turning?
Kevin Cooper
The Ritual of Death
Stan Cox
Goodbye, Howard Dean
Larry David
My War
Steve Perry
Bush and the Guard: the Cover-Up's the Thing
Website of the Day
Prison Patriots: Help This Vital Film Get Made
February 14/15, 2004
Alexander Cockburn
Milk Bars, Hollywood and the
March of Empires
Jeffrey St. Clair
Oil Grab in the Arctic
William A. Cook
Faith-Based Fanatics
Stan Goff
Beloved
Haiti
Dave Marsh / Lee Ballinger
Rock, Rap & the Election
Hughes / Weiher
Tupac, the Patriot Act and Me
Michael Colby
Bush v. Kerry: the Power Elite's Dream Ballot
Mickey Z.
Michael Moore's Lesser Party: the General and the Lieutenant
Josh Frank
Dean's Demise No Big Loss for the Left
Peter Wolson
The Politics of Narcissism
William James Martin
Clean Break with the Road Map
Daniel Estulin
Religious Extremism in Africa
Standard Schaefer
The Privatization of Culture: an Interview with Michael Hudson
Dave Zirin
Maurice Clarett Gets Off the Plantation
Tracy McLellan
Oprah's Birthday Greedfest
Poets' Basement
Holt, LaMorticella, Guthrie, Subiet and Albert
Website of the Weekend
Progressives Scorecard: Where Do the Dems Rank on the Issues
That Matter?
February 13, 2004
Alan Maass
Kevin
Cooper's Fight to Live
Karyn Strickler
McCarthyism in the Sierra Club
Annie Higgins
On
a Street in America
Adam Federman
Democratic Snipers Target Nader
Mike Whitney
George W. Faces the Nation
Brian Cloughley
Our Imperial Leader Has Spoken
Website of the Day
Lying Action Figure Doll
February 12, 2004
Ray McGovern
George
Tenet's Spin Cycle
Robert Jensen
Bush's
Nuclear Hypocrisy
Saul Landau
Elegy to the Salton Sea
February
11, 2004
Cockburn
/ St. Clair
Hail, Kerry: Senator Facing-Both-Ways
Steve Perry
Bush
v. Bush?
February
10, 2004
Kurt
Nimmo
Inquisition in Iowa
Ron Jacobs
Politics and the Beatles: Don't
You Know You Can Count Me Out (In)
Elizabeth
Schulte
The Many Faces of John Kerry
Mickey
Z
Meet the Oxmans: "The Rich
Shouldn't Sleep at Night Either"
February
9, 2004
Michael
Donnelly
Will Skull and Bones Really Change
CEOs? Inside John Kerry's Closet
Chris Floyd
Smells Like Team Spirit: the Bush
B-Boys Replay Their Greatest Hits
Bill
Christison
What's Wrong with the CIA?
Dr. Susan
Block
Janet Jackson's Mammary Moment:
Boob Tube Super Bowl
February
7/8, 2004
Kathleen
Christison
Offending Valerie: Dealing with
Jewish Self-Absorption
Jeff Ballinger
No Sweat Shopping
Dave
Lindorff
Spray and Pray in Iraq: a Marine
in Transit
Alexander
Cockburn
McNamara: the Sequel
February
6, 2004
Ron
Jacobs
Are the Kurds in the Way?
Joanne
Mariner
Anita Bryant's Legacy
Saul
Landau
Happiness and Botox
Kurt Nimmo
Horror Non-fiction: A How-To Guide
from Perle and Frum
Niranjan
Ramakrishnan
The Real Intelligence Failure:
Our Own
February
5, 2004
Benjamin
Shepard
Turning NYC into a Patriot Act Free
Zone
Khury
Petersen-Smith
A Report from Occupied Iraq: "We Don't Want Army USA"
Mokhiber
/ Weissman
The 10 Worst Corporations of 2003
Teresa
Josette
The Exeuctioner's Pslam? Christian Nation? Yeah, Right
David Krieger
Why Dr. King's Message on Vietnam is Relevant to Iraq
Christopher
Brauchli
Monkey Business: Of Recess and Evolution in Georgia Schools
Norman
Solomon
The Deadly Lies of Reliable Sources
Cockburn
/ St. Clair
Presenting President Edwards!
February
4, 2004
Brian
McKinlay
Bush's Australian Deputy: Howard's
Last Round Up?
Mark
Gaffney
Ariel Sharon's Favorite Senator: Ron Wyden and Israel
Judith
Brown
Palestine and the Media
Frederick
B. Hudson
Moseley-Braun and the Butcher: Campaign for Justice or Big Oil's
Junta?
Kurt Nimmo
Bush's Independent Commission: Exonerating
the Spooks
M.
Junaid Alam
Philly School Workers Fight for Fair Contract
Fran Shor
Whose Boob Tube?
Kevin
Cooper
This is Not My Execution and I Will Not Claim It
February
3, 2004
Alan
Maass
The
Dems' New Mantra: What They Really Mean by "Electability"
Nick
Halfinger
How the Other Half Lives: Embedded
in Iraq
Rahul
Mahajan
Our True Intelligence Failure
Neve Gordon
The Only Democracy in the Middle East?
Laura
Carlsen
Mexico: Two Anniversaries; Two Futures
Terry
Lodge
An Open Letter to Michael Powell from the Boobs & Body Parts
Fairness Campaign
Hammond
Guthrie
Investigating the Meaningless
Website
of the Day
Waging Peace
February
2, 2004
Gary
Leupp
The Buddhist Nun in Tom Ridge's Jail
Justin
E.H. Smith
The Manners of Their Deaths: Capital Punishment in a Smoke-Free
Environment
Tom
Wright
The Prosecution of Captain Yee
Winslow
Wheeler
Inside the Bush Defense Budget
Lee Ballinger
Janet Jackson's Naked Truth
Leonard
Pitts, Jr
For Blacks, the Game of Justice is
Rigged
Jeffrey
St. Clair
The Hollow Candidate:
The Trouble with Howard Dean
Website
of the Day
Resistance:
In the Eye of the American Hegemon
Jan. 31 / Feb 1, 2004
Paul
de Rooij
For Whom the Death Tolls: Deliberate
Undercounting of Coalition Fatalities
Bernard
Chazelle
Bush's Desolate Imperium
Jack
Heyman
Bushfires on the Docks
Christopher
Reed
Broken Ballots
Michael
Donnelly
An Urgent Plea to Progressives: Don't Give in to Fear
Rob Eshelman
The Subtle War
Lee
Sustar
Palestine and the Anti-War Movement
George
Bisharat
Right of Return
Ray
McGovern
Nothing to Preempt
Brian Cloughley
Enron's Beady-Eyed Sharks
Conn
Hallinan
Nepal, Bush & Real WMDs
Kurt Nimmo
The Murderous Lies of the Neo-Cons
Phillip
Cryan
Media at the Monterrey Summit
Christopher
Brauchli
A Speech for Those Who Don't Read
John
Holt
War in the Great White North
Mickey
Z.
Clueless in America: When Mikey Met Wesley
Mark
Scaramella
The High Cost of Throwing Away the Key
Tariq Ali
Farewell, Munif
Ben
Tripp
Waiter! The Reality Check, Please
Poets'
Basement
LaMorticella, Guthrie, Thomas and Albert
January 30, 2004
Saul
Landau
Cuba High on Neo-Con Hit List
Michael
Donnelly
Bush's Second Front: The War in
the Woods
Elaine
Cassel
Worse Than Jacko: Child Abuse at Gitmo
David Vest
More Halliburton News, Brought to You by Halliburton
Mike
Whitney
The Kay Report: Still Defending Aggression
David
Miller
The Hutton Whitewash
Sam
Husseini
How Many People Must Die Because of This "Mistake",
Senator Kerry?
January 29, 2004
Patricia
Nelson Limerick
John Ehrlichman, Environmentalist
Ron
Jacobs
Homeland Security and "Legalized"
Immigration
Rahul Mahajan
New Hampshire v. Iraq
Greg
Weiher
Bush Calls for Preemptive Strike on
Moon and Mars
Norman
Solomon
The State of the Media Union
Cockburn
/ St. Clair
Does NH Mean Anything?
January
28, 2004
Kathy
Kelly
Bearing Witness Against Teachers of
Torture and Assassination
Hot Stories
Alexander Cockburn
Behold,
the Head of a Neo-Con!
Subcomandante Marcos
The
Death Train of the WTO
Norman Finkelstein
Hitchens
as Model Apostate
Steve Niva
Israel's
Assassination Policy: the Trigger for Suicide Bombings?
Dardagan,
Slobodo and Williams
CounterPunch Exclusive:
20,000 Wounded Iraqi Civilians
Steve
J.B.
Prison Bitch
Sheldon
Rampton and John Stauber
True Lies: the Use of Propaganda
in the Iraq War
Wendell
Berry
Small Destructions Add Up
CounterPunch
Wire
WMD: Who Said What When
Cindy
Corrie
A Mother's Day Talk: the Daughter
I Can't Hear From
Gore Vidal
The
Erosion of the American Dream
Francis Boyle
Impeach
Bush: A Draft Resolution
Click Here
for More Stories.
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February
18, 2004
"Don't Run, Don't
Run, Don't Run, Don't Run..."
Whither
The Nation?
By RALPH NADER
The following letter is a response
to "An Open Letter to Ralph Nader," which appeared
in the February 16 issue of The Nation.
As I reread slowly your open letter, which kindly
started and closed with your demand "Don't run," memories
of past Nation magazine writing, going back to the days of Carey
McWilliams and earlier, came to mind. I share them with you.
Long ago the The Nation stood steadfastly for more voices and
choices inside the electoral arenas which today are more dominated
than ever by the two-party duopoly trending toward one-party
districts:
"Don't run."
The Nation's pages embrace large areas
of agreement with the undersigned on policy matters and political
reforms, especially the abusive power of Big Business over elections,
the government and the economy:
"Don't run."
The Nation has been sharply critical
of the Democratic Party's stagnation, the corporatist Democratic
Leadership Council and its domination by Big Money. This is the
same Party that has just ganged up on its insurgents and reasserted
its established forces:
"Don't run."
The Nation has urgently reported on a
tawdry electoral system-ridden with fraud and manipulation-that
discourages earnest people from running clean campaigns about
authentic necessities of the American people and the rest of
the world:
"Don't run."
The Nation first informed me as a young
man about the deliberate barriers-statutory, monetary, media
and others-to third parties and independent candidates for a
chance to compete, bring out more votes and generate more civic
and political energies. This led me to write my first article
on these exclusions against smaller candidacies in the late 1950s:
"Don't run."
The Nation has often encouraged the longer
run effect of small candidacies (civil rights, economic populism,
women's suffrage, labor and farmer parties), which have pushed
the agendas of the major parties and sown the seeds for future
adoption:
"Don't run."
The Nation has dutifully recorded the
hapless state of the Democratic Party, which for the past ten
years has registered more and more losses at the federal, state
and local levels. The Party even managed to "lose"
the presidency in 2000, which it actually won, even with all
other "what ifs" considered, both before (Katherine
Harris' voter purge), during (the deceptive ballots) and afterward
(recount blunders by the Party):
"Don't run."
The Nation has editorialized about the
spineless Democrats who could have stopped the two giant tax
cuts for the wealthy, the unconstitutional war resolution, the
Patriot(less) Act and John Ashcroft's nomination (to mention
a few surrenders). Yet you have not pointed any external ways
to stiffen the resolve or jolt the passivity of Jefferson's party,
which lately has become very good at electing very bad Republicans
all by itself:
"Don't run."
The Nation believes this cycle is different
and that the Democrats have aroused themselves. This view is
not the reality we experience regularly in Washington. Witness
the latest collapse of the party's opposition to the subsidy-ridden
wrongheaded energy and Medicare drug-benefit legislation--two
core party issues:
"Don't run."
The Nation's venerable reputation has
been anything but conceding the practical politics of servility
which brings us worse servility and weaker democracy every four
years:
"Don't run."
The Nation has intensely disliked being
held hostage to antiquated electoral rules, from the Electoral
College to the winner-take-all system that discounts tens of
millions of votes. Such a stand would seem to call for candidates
on the inside to highlight and help build the public constituency
for change over time:
"Don't run."
It doesn't seem that The Nation would
disagree with the conclusions of George Scialabba, who wrote
last year in The Boston Review, "Two-party dominance allows
disproportionate influence to swing voters, single-issue constituencies,
and campaign contributors; it promotes negative, contentless
campaigns; it rewards grossly inequitable redistricting schemes,
and it penalizes those who disagree with both parties but fear
to 'waste' their votes (which is why Nader probably lost many
more voters to Gore than Gore lost to Nader)":
"Don't run."
The Nation's open letter does not go
far enough in predicting where my votes would come from, beyond
correctly inferring that there would be few liberal Democratic
supporters. The out-of-power party always returns to the fold,
while the in-power party sees its edges looking for alternatives.
Much more than New Hampshire in 2000, where I received more Republican
than Democratic votes, any candidacy would be directed toward
Independents, Greens, third-party supporters, true progressives,
and conservative and liberal Republicans, who are becoming furious
with George W. Bush's policies, such as massive deficits, publicized
corporate crimes, subsidies and pornography, civil liberties
encroachments, sovereignty-suppressing trade agreements and outsourcing.
And, of course, any candidacy would seek to do what we all must
strive for-getting out more nonvoters who are now almost the
majority of eligible voters:
"Don't run."
The Nation wants badly to defeat the
selected President Bush but thinks there is only one pathway
to doing so. This approach excludes a second front of voters
against the regime, which could raise fresh subjects, motivating
language and the vulnerabilities of corporate scandals and blocked
reforms that the Democrats are too cautious, too indentured to
their paymasters to launch-but are free to adopt if they see
these succeed:
"Don't run."
The Nation has rarely been a hostage
to prevailing dogma and electoral straitjackets. Its pages have
articulated many "minorities of one" over its wondrous
tenure and has watched many of its viewpoints today become the
commonplace of tomorrow.
I have not known The Nation to so walk
away from those engaging in a difficult struggle it champions
on the merits, in a climate of conventional groupthink-much less
with a precipitous prognosis of a distant outcome governed by
a multitude of variables. Discussions and critiques from a distance,
after all, are a dime a dozen in an election year. O apotheosis
for the exercise of dissent inside and outside the electoral
commons since 1865:
"Don't walk."
Ralph Nader
can be reached through www.naderexplore04.org.
Weekend
Edition Features for February 14 / 15, 2004
Alexander Cockburn
Milk Bars, Hollywood and the
March of Empires
Jeffrey St. Clair
Oil Grab in the Arctic
William A. Cook
Faith-Based Fanatics
Stan Goff
Beloved
Haiti
Dave Marsh / Lee Ballinger
Rock, Rap & the Election
Hughes / Weiher
Tupac, the Patriot Act and Me
Michael Colby
Bush v. Kerry: the Power Elite's Dream Ballot
Mickey Z.
Michael Moore's Lesser Party: the General and the Lieutenant
Josh Frank
Dean's Demise No Big Loss for the Left
Peter Wolson
The Politics of Narcissism
William James Martin
Clean Break with the Road Map
Daniel Estulin
Religious Extremism in Africa
Standard Schaefer
The Privatization of Culture: an Interview with Michael Hudson
Dave Zirin
Maurice Clarett Gets Off the Plantation
Tracy McLellan
Oprah's Birthday Greedfest
Poets' Basement
Holt, LaMorticella, Guthrie, Subiet and Albert
Website of the Weekend
Progressives Scorecard: Where Do the Dems Rank on the Issues
That Matter?
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