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Why Blacks Keep Quiet About Obama
“Comedian Jon Stewart asked Obama, if elected, ‘Will you pull a bait and switch and enslave the white race?’ Kinda funny. Except that’s precisely the sentiment that underlies white race fear.” Read Kevin Gray’s compelling report in the new edition of our subscriber-only newsletter. PLUS Would the US politically exploit Myanmar’s killer cyclone? Would Laura Bush be the pitcher in this dirty game? You bet. Read Peter Lee’s savage dispatch. PLUS You breathe, you die. Jeffrey St Clair on L.A.’s Weapon of Mass Destruction. Get your copy today by subscribing online or calling 1-800-840-3683 Contributions to CounterPunch are tax-deductible. Click here to make a donation. If you find our site useful please: Subscribe Now! CounterPunch books and gear make great presents.Order CounterPunch By Email For Only $35 a Year !
Today's Stories June 6, 2008 Frank Barat Patrick Cockburn Gary Leupp June 5, 2008 Patrick Cockburn Sharon Smith Nikolas Kozloff Linn Washington, Jr. Omar Barghouti Scott Pellegrino John Walsh Dan Bacher DC Larson Robert Jensen Website of the Day June 4, 2008 Eric Walberg Gary Leupp Ralph Nader Dave Lindorff George Wuerthner Victor M. Rodriguez Remi Kanazi Stephane Luçon Farzana Versey Laray Polk Website of the Day June 3, 2008 Paul Craig Roberts / Mike Whitney Steve Early Manuel Otero George Bisharat Nikolas Kozloff Dan Bacher Website of the Day June 2, 2008 Uri Avnery Nikolas Kozloff Allan J. Lichtman Malini Johar Schueller Robert Weissman Peter Morici Manuel Garcia, Jr. John Ross Ahmad Al-Akhras Website of the Day May 31 / June 1, 2008 Alexander Cockburn Jeffrey St. Clair Gary Leupp Stan Cox Rannie Amiri P. Sainath Binoy Kampmark Robert Fantina Seth Sandronsky Corporate Crime Reporter Anthony DiMaggio Karl Grossman Matt Reichel Paul Myron Hillier Andy Worthington David Yearsley Daniel Cassidy Charles Thomson Gary Corseri Wajahat Ali Ron Jacobs Poets' Basement Website of the Day
May 30, 2008 Bassam Aramin Andrew Cockburn Saul Landau Nikolas Kozloff Robert Sandels Dave Lindorff Martha Rosenberg Harvey Wasserman Doug Giebel Shaun Harkin Website of the Day May 29, 2008 Jeffrey St. Clair Nikolas Kozloff Col. Dan Smith Karl Grossman William S. Lind Robert Weissman Dave Lindorff David Macaray Chris Genovali Laura Carlsen Website of the Day May 28, 2008 Wajahat Ali Ralph Nader Brian McKenna Corporate Crime Reporter Brian Cloughley Eric Walberg Michael Dickinson Ijaz Khan Website of the Day May 27, 2008 Alexander Cockburn Greg Kafoury Jean Bricmont Tim Wise Ricardo Alarcón Stephen Soldz Andy Worthington Alan Singer Richard Neville Susie Day May 26, 2008 Uri Avnery Bill Quigley Col. Dan Smith Cindy Sheehan Marjorie Cohn Fred Gardner Raymond J. Lawrence Harvey Wasserman Moncia Benderman David Rovics Website of the Day May 24 / 25, 2008 Alexander Cockburn Jeffrey St. Clair Barbara Rose Johnston Nikolas Kozloff Adriana Kojeve Robert Fantina Dave Lindorff David Yearsley Nelson P. Valdés Kathleen M. Barry John Ross Allison Kilkenny Fred Gardner Elizabeth Schulte Daniel Gross Christopher Brauchli Richard Rhames Daniel Cassidy Poets' Basement Website of the Weekend
May 23, 2008 Paul Craig Roberts Alan Farago Conn Hallinan Mark Engler George Wuerthner Kamran Matin Sandy Boyer / Robert Weitzel Cindy Sheehan Liaquat Ali Khan Website of the Day
May 22, 2008 Vijay Prashad Joanne Mariner Sharon Smith Jeff Birkenstein Brendan McQuade Peter Morici Niranjan Ramakrishnan Dave Zirin Ron Jacobs Stephen Lendman Website of the Day May 21, 2008 Jeffrey St. Clair Nikolas Kozloff Alan Farago Dave Lindorff David Model Eric Walberg Franklin Lamb Kenneth Couesbouc Website of the Day
May 20, 2008 Ralph Nader Uri Avnery Patrick Irelan Ray McGovern David Macaray Chris Genovali Ibrahim Fawal Christopher Ketcham Andy Worthington Martha Rosenberg Website of the Day May 19, 2008 Saul Landau Paul Craig Roberts Brian McKenna Patrick Cockburn B. R. Gowani Dr. Trudy Bond Cindy Sheehan John Mohawk Remi Kanazi Robert Day Website of the Day May 17 / 18, 2008 Alexander Cockburn Tim Wise Andy Worthington Robert Fantina Karim Makdisi Harry Browne John Ross Dave Lindorff Robert Weissman Laray Polk David Yearsley Ron Jacobs Paul Quinnett Sam Bahour Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor Dr. Susan Block Kim Nicolini Jeremy Scahill Jeffrey St. Clair Poets' Basement
May 16, 2008 Stephen Soldz Jonathan Cook Paul Craig Roberts Christopher Brauchli James L. Secor Franklin Lamb Linn Washington, Jr. Dave Lindorff
May 15, 2008 Stan Cox Jeff Halper Greg Moses John Ross Ron Jacobs Binoy Kampmark Eve Spangler Martha Rosenberg Website of the Day May 14, 2008 Ismael Hossein-Zadeh Reza Fiyouzat Felice Pace Hamdan A. Yousuf / Dania S. Ahmed Robert Weitzel Ralph Nader Dave Lindorff Missy Comley Beattie Neve Gordon Dr. Susan Block Website of the Day May 13, 2008 David Rosen Alan Farago Saul Landau Saree Makdisi Paul Craig Roberts Andy Worthington Brother Bede Vincent Linda Mamoun David Macaray Website of the Day
May 12, 2008 St. Clair / Frank Ziga Vodovnik Gary Leupp Frankln Lamb Suzanne Baroud Martha Rosenberg Dave Zirin Carl Finamore Peter Morici Richard Rhames Website of the Day May 10 / 11, 2008 Alexander Cockburn Franklin Lamb Ciara Gilmartin Diane Farsetta Kent Paterson Alan Farago Rannie Amiri Patrick Irelan Robert Fantina Nikolas Kozloff George Ciccariello-Maher David Yearsley Ron Jacobs John Holt David Michael Green Ben Terrall Kim Nicolini Jeffrey St. Clair Poets' Basement
May 9, 2008 Franklin Lamb Andy Worthington Benjamin Dangl Mark A. Huddle David Macaray Dave Lindorff C.G. Estabrook Matt Kosko Robert Weissman Michael Dickinson Website of the Day May 8, 2008 Sharon Smith Saul Landau Laura Carlsen Binoy Kampmark Kenneth Couesbouc Liaquat Ali Khan Franklin Lamb Sen. Russ Feingold George Wuerthner Richard W. Behan Adam Federman Website of the Day
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June 6, 2008
Impeachment or Safe Exit? How Will Musharraf Go?By AYESHA IJAZ KHAN Last week word on the street in Islamabad had it that Musharraf’s departure was imminent. Newspapers reported that as a plane awaited boarding at Chaklala Airbase, frantic packing was underway at the Army House in Rawalpindi, intended to be the residence of the Chief of Army Staff, but occupied still and most illegally by Musharraf. Excited Pakistanis began speculating about the destination of the mysterious aircraft. It has been widely believed in Pakistan for some time now that Musharraf has already bought and furnished a “second home”, although there are significant differences of opinion on the location of that home. Some believe he will retire to a villa on the Bosphorous in Turkey, others speculate about an island off the coast of Malaysia, and still others state with near certainty that his next abode will be Boston, safely tucked away in the arms of his staunch ally, the United States of America. That Musharraf will have to resign from the office of President is nearly certain. But when and how are still widely open to debate. Those who know him well snicker and tell us that “he will drag his feet” even though he is perhaps the most unpopular man in Pakistan today. Last week, when the rumour mill went into overdrive, it was also commented that Musharraf tried to replace General Kiyani as Chief of Army Staff. Under Pakistan’s Constitution, it is the President who appoints the army chief. But Kiyani nipped Musharraf’s plans in the bud, if he did indeed have any plans of this sort, by replacing the Commander of the Triple One Brigade, taking the post away from a Musharraf loyalist and appointing his own man to this very sensitive office. The Triple One Brigade is officially responsible for security of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, but has historically been brought into play to execute coups against elected governments. Thus, the general impression in Pakistan was that if Musharraf was thinking along the lines of yet another “martial law”, Kiyani quickly acted to foil his plans. General Kiyani has had the reputation of a professional soldier and was appointed as the chief by Musharraf himself late last year when Musharraf finally shed the army uniform, in response to tremendous pressure domestically and internationally. General Kiyani has since earned esteem in the eyes of Pakistanis for attempting to keep the army away from politics and resuscitating its deeply damaged image in the eyes of average Pakistanis. He let the February elections take their course and did not engage the army or intelligence agencies to help either side, as has been the norm in several previous elections. For this, the people are grateful to him, and he, in turn, appears deeply mindful of public opinion, contrary to the increasingly bitter Mr. Musharraf. Once lauded as the man who encouraged press freedoms, took a stand against corrupt politicians and made Pakistan business-friendly by streamlining bureaucratic red tape, Musharraf has sadly and conclusively destroyed his legacy. Today he is simply mocked as an intolerant power hungry despot who will make illicit deals with those he previously rebuked as corrupt, who will not think twice to silence and attack either an independent media or an independent judiciary, and worst of all, who will allow mass murder and abduction of Pakistani citizens if it is mandated by the Bush administration. “He is America’s man in Pakistan,” said General (Retired) Jamshed (former Corps Commander of Rawalpindi and a staunch army man who had served under Musharraf) in a widely-publicized television interview, “but he is their only man in Pakistan.” It appears that such damning remarks about Mr. Musharraf are no longer reserved for Nawaz Sharif, a coalition partner in the ruling government but a political opponent who despises Musharraf for having overthrown his government in 1999; or Iftikhar Chaudhry, the deposed Chief Justice removed by Musharraf last year but revered by fellow judges and lawyers who have vowed to continue their secular struggle for the supremacy of the Constitution and the independence of the judiciary; or Amina Janjua, a demure hijab-clad housewife and unlikely candidate for a vociferous protestor but whose husband was disappeared two years ago and she is now the foremost campaigner of missing persons in Pakistan. Musharraf’s graph has become so inverted that a significant number of armed forces personnel have also turned against him. Two hundred and fifty thousand ex-servicemen have extended whole-hearted support to the lawyers’ movement which is poised to commence a Long March to the Army House on June 10, protesting the illegal ouster of Iftikhar Chaudhry and sixty other judges last November 3rd. Their second demand is even more ambitious. They want to see Musharraf impeached. General (Retired) Jamshed, in his very bold television interview, insisted that Musharraf must be tried for Kargil (Musharraf’s adventure as Chief of Army Staff on the Indo-Pak border in 1999 when Nawaz Sharif claimed that he was never informed as Prime Minister), for Waziristan, and for all other heinous incidents which led to loss of Paksitani life. If an independent judiciary is restored and impeachment proceedings begun, it will be more than a first for Pakistan. Cynics discount the possibility immediately. Almost everyone agrees that Musharraf has little time left but the new elite, who have gained during Musharraf’s time, whether it was in the stock market bubble or favourable privatization deals, insist that a safe exit is far more realistic. Besides, they point out that America, and by extension, Mr. Zardari (Bhutto’s widower and de facto leader of the ruling party), who has benefited greatly from American pressure on Musharraf to withdraw corruption cases against him, would not be comfortable any other way. Which side will triumph remains to be seen. Will Article 6 of Pakistan’s Constitution, under which any person guilty of abrogating or subverting the Constitution is guilty of high treason, be invoked, warding off any future military takeover and warning simultaneously other vested interests, including ruling politicians, that there could be real accountability? Or, will Article 6 continue to lie dormant, and perhaps this time next year Musharraf will be found sunbathing along the shores of a treasure island? Ayesha Ijaz Khan is a London-based lawyer and political commentator and can be contacted via her website www.ayeshaijazkhan.com
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