Commentary Update for January 20, 2003: King Day, On the War Front, The Corporate/Government Nexus, On the Reform Front, Lasee on Tax Study, Marconi, Kunstler's January Eyesore
Commentary wishes everyone a happy Martin Luther King Day, and urges those in the Fox Valley region to attend today's King March sponsored by the Fox Valley Peace Coalition. Peace activists across the nation are using King Day as an opportunity to protest the impending Iraq war. King in 1967 came out against the Vietnam War in a powerful speech at Riverside Baptist Chuch in April of 1967. The text of the speech is available here and if you have realplayer you can hear the speech. The best article I have ever seen about King is Jeff Cohen and Norman Solomon's "The Martin Luther King You Don't See On TV." Check it out.
In Other News:
On The War Front: A friend forwarded me links to video trailers that
will soon shown in movie theatres highlighting the Nave/Marine Corp: High Speed
Broadband <http://www.usmc.mil/videos/ef.asf>
Low Speed Modem
<http://www.usmc.mil/videos/ef_lo.asf>.
Meanwhile, thousands of Gulf War Vets are going
forward with a lawsuit against Iraq's corporate chemical suppliers. I heard
that quite a few vets showed up at this past
weekend's DC rally against the war.
The Corporate/Government Nexus: The New York Times this past Saturday finally got to covering a story that has been around for more than a year about Nicaraguan banana farmers trying to sue Dow Chemical, Shell, Dole, and Occidental for their knowing use of the sterility causing chemical DBCP well after the EPA banned it in the US in 1977. What I find disgusting is that the chemical companies are getting active support from representatives of the Reagan, Clinton, and two Bush administrations in their attempt to get the Nicaraguans to suspend legal actions. Those of you who are still convinced that there are major differences between the Republicans and Democrats should reconsider that thought next time you munch on a banana.
If the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) goes into effect, plantation and other workers will most likely face more difficulties. Unfortunately, FTAA talks are being done in secret so no one is really sure what "reforms" are being planned. Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting recently carried a report on the media censorship of FTAA.
Finally, northeast Wisconsin's paper companies have always had a cozy relationship with the state's elected officials, resulting in numerous "free breaks" described in Curt Andersen's most recent column.
On the Reform Front: Many newspapers across the state have published Mike McCabe's op-ed summarizing the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign's revelation of the "graft tax." If you have realplayer you can listen to a Wisconsin Public Radio discussion of the tax. The WDC also includes an activist section on their website.
The Assembly Judiciary Committee is considering a bill that would formally end "pay to play" in Wisconsin government. Jay Heck of Common Cause gave this testimony before the committee.
We all know that former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson, the man who mastered the art of money politics better than any Wisonsin politician since Philetus Sawyer (look him up), has has for some reason been let off the hook in the ongoing corruption investigations. Now we find out that Tommy has donated a major chunk of his campaign war chest to a group headed by Wisconsin's answer to Dick Morris and Karl Rove, kingmaker James Klauser. As noted by Spivak and Bice in the Journal Sentinel, Klauser's Thompson funded "New American Policy Institute" seeks to "enhance public understanding of federalism." Thank you Philetus Thompson for your conscientious attempts to educate the ignorant.
Baby You're A Rich Man: Last week I presented the ITEP study showing that Wisconsin, like most states, has a regressive tax system in which the top 1% end up paying far less in taxes as a percentage of income than the middle class and poor. Wisconsin Republican Representative Frank Lasee took exception to the study in his weekly newsletter. Representative Lasee believes that if we are not careful with those 6,000 folks who make up the top 1% in our state and are responsible for 10% of the tax dollars collected, they will leave the state. I guess they could always go to Florida, where the top 1% pay only 2.7% compared to Wisconsin's 5.9%. But Florida might be too risky for these civic minded types. I mean, let's a say some radical politician wanted the rich to pay 3%. Voting in Florida being what it is, the rich rebels might end up voting for a Socialist by mistake!
The Health Care Mess: Yesterday Alex Hummel of the Northwestern reported on the health care situation in Oshkosh. This Slowpoke cartoon pretty much sums up my feeling about what's ailing health care in America.
He Was No Tony Soprano, But . . . Guglielmo Marconi was celebrated this weekend on the 100th anniversary of his achievements related to wireless communication. Here's the text of President Theodore Roosevelt's message to England's King Edward VII, transmitted by Marconi on Jan. 18, 1903.
Kunstler's Eyesore of the Month: Finally, James Howard Kunstler's January Eyesore of the Month.