A Second Opinion

By William Rivers Pitt and Matthew W. Condon

Boston-On September 10th, America was a nation at rest. The economy, while showing troubling signs of a slow-down, remained robust after several years of breathtaking strength. There were wars and rumors of wars across the globe, but little of that served to threaten or disquiet the average American. The populace was content to follow the vagaries of a political scandal surrounding Gary Condit, and the media was more than happy to oblige. If you were not a California congressman under suspicion, a shark on the attack, or a clone, your story did not see much daylight on the news.

On September 10th, politics was badly broken, yet no one appeared to notice. Ten months earlier the nation witnessed the fundamental right to vote go careening off the track. At the end of the day, it does not matter whom you think actually won the contest down in Florida in November of 2000. The fact that such a mess came about at all, and the fact that a President had to be chosen by the Judicial branch of the government instead of by the counting of votes in the ballot box, was a damaging blow to the bedrock core of our democracy. More damaging by far was the fact that 100 million Americans refused to vote at all in that election.

On September 10th, few people in America seemed to care. For years, we have known with absolute clarity that our voices and our votes carry ever diminishing weight along the halls of power. 100 million people did not participate in the last Presidential election, voting in their silence to disdain the widening distance between elected officials and the people they represent. Power spoke only to the few, to those who could pay for access with millions of dollars. The average American knew she was a cipher, a meaningless dot, of no significance when compared to the moneylenders in the temple. Americans did not rise up in outrage after the 2000 election because, simply, they knew that whoever won the contest would be beholden to those same wealthy interests that robbed the people of their voice. Of course there were differences between the candidates. But politics in Washington was still exactly the same, and the rules that barred the gates of influence against the people would still stand.

On September 10th, these disturbing facts were known to every single American citizen, and yet few believed they could do anything about it. Power was out of reach, and disinterested apathy became a refuge that offered succor in the face of such anxieties. We had our breads and circuses, many of us had jobs, and the safety and security of our nation appeared unassailable. Since there was no way people could change things, there was no sense getting worked up about it.

Continued on page 3

By John Lemberger

Oshkosh-The difference between justice and revenge has blurred in the American psyche. Ask the average person the difference and you will get a muddled answer. For the record, the former can be defined as the fair administration of law through a court system; the latter is the infliction of suffering in return for injury. On September 12, 2001, George W. Bush had a choice to make. He chose revenge and we are the worse for it. Nearly one year into Mr. Bush's war of revenge, the U.S. military has killed more innocent Afghan civilians than U.S. citizens lost on 9/11. Not surprisingly, our allies have deserted us. Osama bin Laden is still at large, and a whole new generation of terrorists has been created. All in a good day's work for Mr. Bush, but he isn't finished yet. Next he wants to extend his war of revenge into Iraq.

The argument is that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction that might be used against us. We cannot wait for such an eventuality. We must strike preemptively. By such logic we should have launched an all out nuclear attack on the U.S.S.R. as it was developing the atomic bomb in the 1950's.

Continued on page 2

Bush’s Two Front War

We should have taken out Communist China too. There were those who would have. Fortunately, statesmen and men of peace like Truman, Eisenhower and Kennedy prevailed. A half-century later the U.S.S.R. has disintegrated, and the Chinese are one of our largest trading partners. History has taught us that containment works.

There are many other reasons for not making war on Iraq. Experts from the King of Jordan to Henry Kissinger warn that war in the Middle East could easily lead to an Islamic revolution in Saudi Arabia, and a greater conflagration involving many countries dependent on Middle Eastern oil, in other words WWIII. But Mr. Bush is a man of war, and his war has a second front. The second front is being waged against poor and middle class American families. It began with Bush's massive tax cut for the upper class that is being paid for with the social security money earned by the labor of poor and middle class workers. Already the richest 5% of Americans own almost 75% of our country's private wealth. Bush's second front is meant to transfer even more or our national wealth into the pockets of "his class".

For those of you running around with those little American flags on top of your cars, here's something for you to really be proud of. Over 31 million Americans live in poverty. One in 6 American children live in poverty. That is the second highest percentage of children living in poverty in the industrialized world. Approximately 11 million American children have no health insurance. 26 million American children receive state subsidized lunches, which mean that these young Americans are starving. One-half million Americans are homeless. And poverty breeds violence. The number of American children killed or wounded by gunfire in recent years is horrendous. Between 1979 and 1996, more than 75,000 American children were killed with guns. Another 375,000 were wounded. That's 72,000 more deaths than occurred on 9/11. If this is not war, then what is?

Every dollar spent on this useless, immoral war takes money away from other much-needed social programs. War expenditures will make impossible any national health care plan, any Medicare prescription drug plan, any decent care for the elderly, any decent housing for the poor, and any renovation of our country's infra-structure like roads and schools. Trillions of taxpayer dollars will be needed for a national missile defense system, smart bombs and their delivery systems, and weapons for our Special Operations war-fighters, who will fight and die in far away countries. Trillions more dollars will be needed for a military and intelligence establishment to protect and defend the American Homeland from a new generation of terrorists born of Mr. Bush's war of revenge.

There are those who say that George W. Bush is out to settle a score with Saddam left over from his father's presidency. Whose children will he send to do it? Surely not his own. More likely he will send the sons and daughters of the poor and middle classes. His own military record speaks for itself. It is well past time for good, patriotic Americans to demand justice instead of revenge. It is time to send good, patriot American men and women of peace to Congress to stop this unelected president and his war of revenge.

“Anyone who wants to combat lies and ignorance today and to write the truth has at least five difficulties to overcome. He must have the courage to write the truth although it is suppressed everywhere, the cleverness to recognize it although it is veiled everywhere, the art to make it usable as a weapon; the judgment to select those in whose hands it may become effective; the cunning to spread it among these. These difficulties are great for those who write under fascism…indeed even for those who write in the countries of civic freedom.”—Bertolt Brecht

A Second Opinion has been formed in Oshkosh, to give you fact-based opinions about current events.

John S. Lemberger, Managing Editor

We the People

And then, from a brilliant blue sky, change and fear were thrust upon us by murderers.

It has been said often that the attacks of September 11th changed everything. To a great degree, this is true. 9/11 brought the continental core of America into contact with the bloodshed and strife that has afflicted the rest of the world for generations. For decades, we were swaddled in a protective blanket provided by two oceans, thousands of nuclear missiles, and an army of surpassing might. This blanket was stripped away when the Towers fell. . 9/11 brought us into immediate conflict with scores of nation-states across the planet, heralding the fearsome specter of war without end against an ever-shifting and faceless enemy. 9/11 caused us to question the essence of our freedoms, as it was those very freedoms the killers exploited in order to attack us.

To say that 9/11 changed everything, however, is to speak a lie. All of the dismal truths that afflicted our society before the attacks are still here, untouched and unmolested. Power is still held by a wealthy few who spend their money influencing politicians that are all too willing to listen to the jingle of coins, instead of the concerns of the people they are supposed to represent. American policy continues to be bent around the concerns of this fortunate minority – one need look only to the economic "stimulus package" foisted by the Bush administration to purportedly offset the damage 9/11 did to our economy, a package that manifestly enriched the already-rich with tax give-aways paid for with our collected revenues, to see this as an unassailable truth.

The news and information services, originally crafted to ensure that this democracy and the people who own it are informed in their decisions, instead work to make sure that the people remain passive, uninspired, frozen in apathy, and distracted by nonsense. We still know almost nothing about why 9/11 happened in the first place. We are told little about the laws being put in place in the aftermath, laws that restrict and destroy much of what made this country unique in the world. We watch our money evaporate in a free-falling economy, but are bereft of explanations or information on how this calamity can be repaired.

There is one great change that has taken hold across the land, a difference that must be harnessed if we the people are to fulfill our responsibilities to this democracy. All across this great nation, citizens have been awakened to the awful reality that our actions as a country, our failure to seek justice, and our failure to demand a voice along the halls of government, makes us the target of murderers. For a generation, our leaders have moved across the globe with heavy hands and an eye for profit. Often, they did these things for the betterment of the moneylenders who paid for the privilege of influence, and not for the betterment of the people.

Our involvement in the chaotic and violent politics of the Middle East stands as a prime example. We have propped up murderous regimes in nations such as Iraq, Iran, and Saudi Arabia to ensure the free flow of petroleum. In doing so, we have created an army of enemies whose anger is augmented by the economic disparities created by our involvement there. The attacks of 9/11 came as a direct result of this. Rather than seek ways to remove ourselves from this bloody equation, we dive ever deeper into the quagmire because those who control the agenda of our government profit wildly by our addiction to oil. As the global supply of this resource dwindles, the violence surrounding it will escalate, until the day comes when 9/11 is remembered as a small, inconsequential attack because events will have come that dwarf it in significance.

This is the writing on the wall for all to see, and 9/11 made it all the more evident. The American people have come to realize these dangerous facts vividly, increasing our anxiety and fear. Yet because we believe we have no voice, there seems to be little we can do. We are strapped to the wagon as it rolls towards the precipice; we know it, we fear it, but we cannot see a way to undo the ropes that have lashed us to an inevitable doom.

Next week, the Manifesto

Oshkosh-Introduced species are responsible for 39% of all known cases of extinction Extinctions can be caused by competition from, predation by, or disease and parasitism from the introduced species. Of these, competition is especially dangerous. For example, when Cichla ocellaris was introduced into Gatun Lake, Panama from the Amazon, six of the eight most common fish species in the lake were eliminated in only five years. This phenomenon has also been demonstrated closer to home. When the Great Lakes were linked to the Atlantic Ocean, the Alewife displaced much of the native fish fauna. Zebra Mussels have also caused havoc in Wisconsin, competing with and threatening native invertebrates. 24 of the 26 well studied freshwater exotics in California are known to have a negative impact on native fish species.

The five most talked about and problematic species that would enter Lake Winnebago through the Fox Locks are the Alewife, Sea Lamprey, several species of goby (we discuss the Round Goby as an example), Spiny Water Flea, and White Perch. These are only five of dozens of potential invaders.

When the Great Lakes were opened to the Atlantic Ocean through the construction of locks and canals, the marine Sea Lamprey began making its way to the lakes. Although it took nearly a century for the Sea Lamprey to reach the Great Lakes, once there, it had a tremendous effect on the Lake Trout populations. The impact of the Sea Lamprey on the Great Lakes fisheries may serve as a model and a warning for Lake Winnebago if the Fox Locks are opened.

The Sea Lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) is a predaceous, fish—similar to an eel—that is native to coastal regions on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Sea Lampreys are parasites as adults and make holes in the sides of their prey to feed. They can stay attached to the victim for hours, days, or weeks. Now found in all the Great Lakes, Sea Lampreys attach to fish with a raspy disc-shaped mouth full of very sharp teeth to. Once they are attached, they feed on the blood and body fluids of the fish. Because the Sea Lamprey is a predator and parasite, it can kill 10 to 40 pounds of fish (or more) in its lifetime. Multiply that by 22,000 lampreys found in just one river and the number of fish deaths resulting is astounding. Only one of seven fish preyed upon by a Sea Lamprey will survive. Fish that do survive will be seriously damaged.

The Sea Lamprey has had an enormous negative impact on the Great Lakes ecosystem. Because Sea Lampreys did not evolve together with naturally occurring Great Lakes fish species, their aggressive, predaceous behavior has given them a strong advantage over the native fish present in the lakes. Sea Lampreys will prey upon all species of large fish found in the Great Lakes. Species such as Lake Trout, Salmon, Rainbow Trout (Steelhead), Whitefish, Chubs, Burbot, Walleye and Catfish are attacked and often killed. As a result, the Sea Lamprey would be a direct predator of the kinds of fish found in the Lake Winnebago system. According to past evidence from other Great Lakes, this predator/parasite would cause populations of fish such as the Sturgeon, Walleye, and Northern Pike to decline significantly in the Lake Winnebago system. This is because the Sea Lamprey prefers smooth skinned fish species over rough skinned fish species.

This information leads most experts to believe that if Sea Lampreys enter the Lake Winnebago System, native fish populations would seriously decline due to predation and parasitism by the Sea Lamprey. Native species will suffer because they have no prior experience with the exotic Sea Lamprey. In the presence of an abundance of food and favorable environment, the Sea Lamprey will rapidly increase in population and will be hard or impossible to eliminate once established

Next week: White Perch and Others

Next week, the Manifesto

Edited by John S .Lemberger