“Civil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience. Our problem is the numbers of people all over the world who have obeyed the dictates of the leaders of their government and have gone to war, and millions have been killed because of this obedience…Our problem is that people are obedient all over the world in the face of poverty and starvation and stupidity, and war, and cruelty. Our problem is that people are obedient while the jails are full of petty thieves…[and] the grand thieves are running the country. That’s our problem.” — Howard Zinn
Writings by Ed Kinane
"STRATEGY" AIN'T ALL IT'S CRACKED UP TO BE
Activists sometimes chide each other for not “thinking strategically” — by which I suppose we mean we’re not planning for three or five years down the pike. Or often “strategy” is an inflated way of referring to tactics — a more modest concept having to do with the near future and with limited goals .Within the movement, “strategy” enjoys a kind of cachet, a kind of borrowed glory. But I’m skeptical of its value or relevance. Let me explain.
Who Is "Disorderly"?
May 9, 2008
Trial Statement, City Court, Syracuse, New York
Friends, members of the court, Judge Cecile,
As I am defending myself, my defense will be unencumbered with legal jargon and technicalities.
Given that the prosecution has failed to prove its case against me, at this juncture it might be appropriate to rest my case. But, quite frankly, my aim here goes beyond merely winning an acquittal.
Since intent is pivotal to the charge of “disorderly conduct,” I must explain why early on the afternoon of March 19 I was in one of Syracuse’s busiest streets, in one of Syracuse’s most public places – at a demonstration attended by hundreds, a demonstration featured on the front page – above the fold – of the March 20 Syracuse Post-Standard.
Beyond the Rhetoric of Withdrawal: Our Unknown Air War Over Iraq
August 23, 2007
A key element of the drawdown plans, not mentioned in the President’s public statements, is that the departing American troops will be replaced by American airpower.
….
The American air war inside Iraq is perhaps the most significant – and underreported – aspect of the fight against the insurgency.
-– Seymour M. Hersh, “Up in the Air,” Nov. 29, 2005, New Yorker
There’s an air war over Iraq. It’s invisible (here). It’s deadly (there).
Visiting Iran
May 1, 2007
The Islamic Republic of Iran is really, really, really and again really very different from what you hear in the West.
—S. Rahim Mashaee, VP of Iran speaking to the delegation
A few weeks ago (February 28 to March 13) I had the rare opportunity of visiting Iran. I say “rare” because few US activists - and few policymakers - know that controversial and fascinating nation firsthand. Despite being urged to do so by key Republicans, Mr. Bush refuses even diplomatic relations with Iran.
Nine Windows on Iran
January 24, 2007
Will the US attack Iran?
The question is obscene. But when the U.S. government is so bellicose and when its target sits on one of the world’s larger oil reserves, we need to prepare ourselves for the unthinkable. One way to do that is to be much better informed.
Bush, Inc. may know its weapon systems. But it seems oblivious to the history, culture and people of Iran (formerly Persia). It’s oblivious to the human factors that will likely upset its grandiose schemes.
Aware of my own vast ignorance, I’ve been reading up on Iran. In the following I want to mention some books that other Voices folks might also find fascinating. Each provides a unique window on Iran.
Killing the Golden Goose: A Look at The Iraq Study Group Report
January 17, 2007
The situation in Iraq is grave and deteriorating. With these terse yet understated words the Iraq Study Group begins its Report. The Group is a ten-person consensus committee headed by former Congressman Lee H. Hamilton and former Secretary of State James A. Baker III. Its Report was released to the world on December 6.
The Report is a quick read — its 79 recommendations are introduced and presented in about 100 pages. If Mr. Bush were to read it, he’d find little new information about Iraq. Rather he would find a counter-assessment of the war — one he wouldn’t hear from the yes men and chickenhawks and ideologues with whom he surrounds himself. The Report would reveal the thinking and anxieties of the U.S. foreign policy establishment. It would reflect their disenchantment with the President’s Iraq “strategy.”
