Cartoonists With Attitude

“A calm voice of reason during trying times.”

Today’s Dayton Daily News has a feature piece about SILK ROAD TO RUIN. Because the News requires registration, I’m posting it here:

Former Ohio resident paints Central Asia as political gold mine
By Vick Mickunas
Contributing Writer

Turn back the clock 30 years. A junior-high school student perused a National Geographic magazine in his mother’s backyard in Kettering.

He recalled that moment. “I pulled out a fold-out photograph of a pair of horsemen riding across the steppe. Jagged mountains filled the horizon. The photo had been taken in the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, which — as I remember it — the magazine described as ‘the most remote place on Earth.’ “

That day, a dream was born. The young man was Ted Rall. He graduated from Fairmont West High School in 1981. In 1996, Rall traced the legendary Silk Road across Asia for a magazine article. His dream had become a reality.

Today, Rall is a nationally renowned political cartoonist, columnist, war correspondent, media pundit, travel writer and the author of more than a dozen books. Based in New York City, he’s made numerous treks to the countries known as the “Stans” — Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

Central Asia seems remote to most Americans. Rall is convinced that we need to start paying more attention to it. He decided to write an in-depth political analysis of the region.

Those former Soviet republics may be obscure to most of us now, but Rall expects that to change soon. Why? Because the lands contain vast deposits of petroleum and natural gas. The Russians are interested. So are the Chinese.

Rall has written an eye-opening account, Silk Road to Ruin — Is Central Asia the New Middle East? The book details how the United States is making an effort to forge alliances with the leaders of these nations, most of whom are dictators.

We have competition. Rall sees a future where the “superpowers are vying for control of energy-rich areas.” He suggests that U.S. policy in Central Asia needs to change because “we need to have friendly relations with the people of these countries — not with the tyrants who are keeping them down.”

We squandered one opportunity with the collapse of the Soviet Union, he says.

Rall briefed me on the policy errors that took place. “These states became independent in late 1991. This was really Bill Clinton’s ballgame. U.S. policy toward the Stans was shaped by Clinton, and he blew it. It’s gone downhill since then.”

“Since 9/11, George Bush has really ramped up support for these heinous dictators. Both the Democratic and Republican parties have been equally, blissfully unaware, stupid and wrong when it came to Central Asia.”

Silk Road to Ruin is a masterful blend of history, policy, travelogue and insights. This reviewer found it vastly informative and entertaining. Rall serves up pithy essays that offer readers glimpses of the beauties and the dangers of these exotic lands. Rall’s maps, photos and distinctive graphic cartoons illustrate the text.

He’s a frequent guest on CNBC. “I’m a calm voice of reason during trying times,” he says. He’s also a gifted writer.

Ted Rall will give a multimedia presentation for Silk Road at Books & Co. at The Greene, 4453 Walnut St., Beavercreek, at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Silk Road to Ruin — Is Central Asia the New Middle East? by Ted Rall, NBM Publishing, 304 pages, $23.

Here’s a video that’s airing in South Dakota against anti-abortion Senator Bill Napoli. Well, he’s okay with abortion if you’re a religious virgin pregnant from a brutal savage rape (not if the rape wasn’t brutal or savage enough though).

And it’s really important to win the SD referendum to reverse the abortion ban he sponsored — if it’s left standing then 30 other states may ban them too.

A brief reminder about George Allen’s own contributions to dramatic culture:

Bear with me as I try to figure out this Jim Webb situation. Senator Allen and the mighty GOP cabal is making a big deal about several historical novels written by Jim Webb and endorsed by Senator McCain which depict the horrors of the Vietnam War. The horrors include sexual references and acts which many veterans observed in the war. This somehow proves Jim Webb’s lack of character.

Am I getting it so far?

Good. Let’s continue.

Senator Allen and many of his fellow right wing parrots never served in Vietnam or in any war for that matter and one of the only Republicans who did in fact serve in Vietnam is actually on the record claiming the book is a vivid depiction of the some of the war’s atrocities.

Got it. But wait…

Senator Allen, meanwhile, made a cameo appearance in the awful movie Gods and Generals (in the interest of fairness, Stephen Lang, who played Stonewall Jackson, was brilliant). Gods and Generals, apart from being a preachy love letter to the Confederacy with an editorial pace making it seem only about two minutes shorter than the actual war, contained repeated instances of the word “darkies” to describe African-Americans while glorifying the generals who engaged in what technically amounted to an organized military and political insurrection against the United States. Senator Allen is seen in the movie singing the Bonnie Blue Flag lyric, “Hurrah! Hurrah! For Southern rights, hurrah!” implying, in part, the right to own slaves. Senator Allen, when you boil it right down, portrayed a traitor against the United States. An insurgent, if you will.

Heh Hurrah. Indeed.

Lynne Cheney: awful, awful liar.

A powerful statement from Pat Tillman’s brother Kevin:

After Pat’s Birthday

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And here are some comments by a friend about the statement, at the end of which is an announcement for a teach-in this Monday 10/30 in NYC, for anyone in the area:

I had read excerpts of the statement which were very good, but taken as a whole it is much more powerful and really is a “must read” for everyone. (Though as you know, I don’t agree that elections are the solution, as I will touch on below.) His list of “somehow’s” is very reminiscent to me of the seven “your government” indictments at the start of the World Can’t Wait’s call to drive out the Bush regime — both are eloquent and sweeping indictments of the breadth of crimes and horrors that this crew is carrying out.*

Now I’m reading some of the sidebar articles and comments on the Tilman statement which are also very interesting. One thing they illustrates is how even at its peak, much of the support for Bush and the war were “a mile wide and an inch deep” because so much of it was based on lies. Yesterday’s “poster-child” becomes today’s passionate opponent, as happened with the Tillmans.

Then on the other hand, when you read the comments you also see that there is that hard-core christian fundamentalist section that not only won’t back up, but becomes more fanatical and aggressive with each setback and each lie exposed. They are probably only 20-25% of the people, but because they are emeshed in a hermetically sealed world-view that innoculates them against critical thought, and because they have the backing of the core of the ruling class (the Bush regime and their powerful backers), the government and its armed forces, large chunks of the media, etc., they cannot be dismissed or underestimated. This combination of civilian and paramilitary reactionary fanatics and thugs backed and led by a powerful state apparatus was exactly the formula by which Hitler rapidly and radically transformed the face and
even the culture of Germany, and unleashed monstrous crimes on the whole world.

The World Can’t Wait Call also states: “People who steal elections and believe they are on a Mission from God will not go without a fight”. (Or as another friend just put it “they will not be deterred by anything so trite as elections.”) And it also says, referencing the Democratic Party, that “this whole idea of putting our hopes and energies into ‘leaders’ who telll us to seek common ground with fascists and religious fanatics is proving every day to be a disaster and actually serves to demobilize people.

“But silence and paralysis are NOT acceptable. That which you will not resist and mobilize to stop, you will learn — or be forced — to accept. There is no escaping it: the whole disastorous course of this Bush regime must be STOPPED. And we must take the responsibility to do it.”

Anyway, I don’t want to type the whole thing, but it is really worth reading and reflecting on this prescient statement; it was written just over a year ago, but every word rings more powerfully true now than it did then. (Go to www.worldcantwait.org for the full statement.)

In that light I want to let you know that World Can’t Wait is holding a teach-in:

“It’s Worse Than You Think: Where the Bush Regime is Taking the World and Why They Must Be Stopped”

Monday 10/30
St. John’s the Divine, Synod Hall
Amsterdam and 111th Street, NYC

Speakers will include:
* Bill Goodman, legal Director of the Center for Constitutional Rights and the lead lawyer for the Guantanamo prisoners
* Chris Hedges, 20 year war correspondent and author of “War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning”
* Dr. Les Roberts, co-author of the recent John Hopkins University/Lancet report that revealed that the Iraqi civilian death toll is 655,000, not 30,000 as Bush says

For more info go to www.worldcantwait.org.

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* The “Your Government” Indictments start:

“YOUR GOVERNMENT, on the basis of outrageious lies, is waging a murderous and utterly illegitimate war in Iraq, with other countries in their sights.

YOUR GOVERNMENT, is openly torturing people, and justifying it…”

… and goes on to cite illegal detention, growing moves to theocracy, suppression of science and critical thinking, attacks on abortion and reproductive rights, and the overal promotion of “a culture of greed, bigotry, intolerance and ignorance.”

Another message from Miami activist Max Rameau:

Greetings:

In response to a critical crisis of affordable housing for low-income and the homeless, particularly in the Black community, On October 23, 2006 at 3:00pm, a group of organizations and individuals took control of city and county owned land for the benefit of the people.

The ‘Take Back the Land’ movement is appealing to all people of conscience for your direct support.

The group, convened by the Center for Pan-African Development, took control of vacant land on the corner of 62nd St. and NW 17th Ave. in the Liberty City section of Miami, FL, with no permits, permissions or agreements to use the land. After a brief standoff with Miami police, officials recognized our right to public land and left us alone.

Today, the land, which stood vacant for 9 years after the demolition of a low income apartment complex, feeds people every night and houses the homeless in tents and makeshift structures built from wood and by the hands of all volunteer labor. We took control of the land because the government has been actively making matters worse, not better. Therefore, we are forced to provide for our community in a way the government is unable or unwilling to do themselves.

The powers-that-be are not pleased that a bunch of poor people and activists have taken over the land they want to develop for the benefit of the rich.

We know they are planning the best way to force us off the property. We, therefore, are asking for your support in two ways:

1. Send a Letter of Support. Sign our online petition of support, or send one of your own, to the Center for Pan-African Development, Carlos Alvarez, Mayor of Miami-Dade County and Manny Diaz, Mayor of the City of Miami. We only have one demand: Leave us alone. The government has broken enough promises and stolen enough money that we do not want their “help,” we only want them to leave us alone as we help our people.

2. Make a Donation. We are building structures, providing food, some clothing and housing to people at no charge to them with an all volunteer workforce (including the homeless and local residents). There is no other way to put this: we need your financial contribution to continue. Please, make a Paypal contribution to the cause, or mail a check direct to us:

Center for Pan-African Development
PO Box 510232
Miami, FL 33127

Social movements emerge, survive, thrive and advance through the work of the community and the support of people of good conscience. We need your help now. Thank you in advance.

Forward,

Max Rameau
Center for Pan-African Development

Blog

To make a donation

To sign onto our petition of support

To send your own message in support of the ‘Take Back the Land’ shanty town to:

City of Miami Mayor Manny Diaz
*E-mail*: mannydiaz@ci.miami.fl.us
*Telephone*: 305-250-5300

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez
E-mail: mayor@miamidade.gov
Telephone: 305-375-5071

Heard Al Franken just talking about this now. Makes perfect sense. I mean, people with cancer are all weak and bald from their chemo. It’s obvious that Armstrong wasn’t actually undergoing cancer therapy when he won all those Tour de France races.

And I agree with Franken- it’s absolutely shameful that the GOP would let Armstrong do Republican fundraisers and exploit him like that. Kudos to Al Franken for have the courage to actually say what other people have been thinking.

I am, of course, lying. I completely made all of that up. But I don’t really see the problem since obviously Republicans wouldn’t have any reason to be outraged by any of it.