Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Basra

Greetings, friends,
Although it doesn't seem realistic (and to my current paranoia almost seems like a trick) apparently Congressman John Conyers wants to know if George W. Bush should be impeached for his unprovoked attack on Iraq and wanton use of American troops. Send an e-mail yea or nay to:
mailto:john.conyers@mail.house.gov

We need to act fast...I'm hearing shocking stories from my European friends (especially French) about verbal (and even physical attacks) by "good Americans"...and this is in Los Angeles, which I like to think a rather sophisticated place (!)

Things are getting ugly...a boycott against American products in Germany:
Boycott of American Goods Over Iraq War Gains
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20030325/ts_nm/iraq_usa_boycotts_dc
which just brushes the surface of a new anti-Americanism in our old rival, as Germany attacks the "New World Odor":
http://www.EUobserver.com/index.phtml?aid=10675&sid=9
and many others agree:
Current Political Issues Endanger Transatlantic Friendship
http://www.faz.com/IN/INtemplates/efaz/docmain.asp?doc={16C14C68-061E-406E-839A-BFD6BEEB2FA8}&rub={F1B72E86-3783-11D4-A3AA-009027BA22E4}

The Russians are getting pissed off too...did Bush think the TV coverage of the war would preempt EVERYTHING??? The rest of the world is still in an uproar:
** Russia seeks UN ruling on Iraq **
Russia's deputy foreign minister calls for a meeting of the Security Council to examine the legality of the war with Iraq.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/2/hi/europe/2881013.stm

Even the lawyers are starting to weigh in...have you ever seen a war stopped by a lawsuit? Think of the hourly billings...
** Iraq occupation a legal minefield **
When the U.S. military reaches Baghdad and hostilities cease, it will become an occupying force, required to follow a system of international law and treaties, some of which could be applied for the first time in history.
http://www.msnbc.com/modules/exports/ct_email.asp?/news/889105.asp

Okay...I'm getting good reactions to these screeds...if you really like the horse's mouth, however, check out a running "blog" coming from the heart of our "enemy" (some kid in an Internet cafe in Baghdad):
Iraqi Uses Web to Chronicle a City Under the Bombs
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20030325/od_nm/iraq_blogger_dc

Just in case you thought librarians weren't involved in dissent, here's a message that was reposted on the California Library Association newsletter:
From: Backwage@aol.com
Subject: The Conflict
To: calix@listproc.sjsu.edu
Bakersfield, California: The Associated Press reports fierce battles along a ten-mile front as public librarians of the state began to clash with officials attempting to halt their progress toward Sacramento. At the junction of highways 5 and 99, several infantry companies of subject specialists were engaged in a fierce firefight with troops of Governor Davis' Third Division, composed mainly of political appointees. It is thought that Davis is holding his crack Republican Guards in reserve for the final series of battles which analysts predict will occur around the Capitol in the coming weeks.

Order of Battle: Facing the state's forces along the highway are elements of the First and Third Reference Brigade, the Children's 'Storybook' Assault Team and the AirMobile Catalogers. Initial reports from the field, though sketchy, indicate breakthroughs to the east of Bakersfield as the Librarians attempt to turn the flank of the State's army. Attacking at first light in neat columns and observing a strict rule of silence, the Reference Brigade was seen to overwhelm several units of State troops, though not without significant casualties. Notable losses in the first hours of the engagement were: Librarian-Lieutenant Clara Fein (Los Angeles PL), last seen leading a charge on a heavily defended bunker manned by elements of the Special Forces 'Prop 13 Column.' Fein, a veteran of many such battles and holder of the Silver Dictionary medal for reference gallantry, will leave a void not easily filled. Also lost were Captain Agnes Fillmere (Pasadena PL), captured when her tank ran out of fuel in a predawn engagement along Highway 5. Fillmere unhesitatingly offered to pay for diesel fuel out of her own pocket when her town's City Council refused to fund additional allotments, but discovered too late that nobody would cash her check in Bakersfield. Radio requests to the Friends of the Library could not be completed before the final assault, but Fein chose to go ahead, driving her tank alone to save weight. She will be mourned by all who knew her.

Those who know me well know my old affection for the Oscars. This year was a lousy handicap for me (12 out of 24) but all the surprises were, in my opinion, good ones. As most of you know, there was plenty of action:
No Blood for Oscar! By Sharon Waxman
HOLLYWOOD, March 23 The musical extravaganza "Chicago" won Best Picture and five other Oscars at the 75th Academy Awards tonight, but the antiwar statements of a few Oscar winners also made a memorable stir.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A16147-2003Mar23.html
and:
Political Oscar Speeches Vary in Tone
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/ap/20030325/ap_en_mo/oscars_war_fallout
which could have been inferred from the Spirit Awards the previous evening:
"Heaven" at the Antiwar Spirits
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/eo/20030323/en_movies_eo/11491

And while we were enjoying the Oscars, they were giving out another kind of prize in Madrid (and I'll find out myself in two weeks, ole!)(thanks, Jose):
http://madrid.indymedia.org

It's almost comforting to know that even with a new horror of war, the old motivations never change:
Pass the Guns, Hold the Butter By Cynthia L. Webb
As the U.S.-led campaign to disarm Iraq continues, the Pentagon's hungry war machine is gobbling up supplies from defense contractors and other firms across the country.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18579-2003Mar24.html
and:
** The Arrogant Empire **
America's unprecedented power scares the world, and the Bush administration has only made it worse. How we got here--and what we can do about it now
http://www.msnbc.com/modules/exports/ct_email.asp?/news/885222.asp
and worst of all:
> Crusaders Readying for 2004 Invasion? US Bombs Iran
> By JOHN STANTON
> While the slaughter continues in Iraq, the United States has its sights set on the real prize: the Islamic Republic of Iran.
http://www.counterpunch.org/stanton03252003.html

The revival of a great world empire needs various military governors...sort of like the Roman Pro-Consul. We've got one on the way to Iraq even as I write:
** US civilian head for Iraq took paid trip to Israel **
The retired U.S. general named as civilian governor of occupied Iraq has visited Israel at the expense of a lobbying group which says the United States needs Israel to project U.S. force in the Middle East.
http://www.msnbc.com/modules/exports/ct_email.asp?http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/reuters03-25-135112.asp?reg=MIDEAST

And everybody wants to get their kicks in (thanks, Claudia):
US drug czar tied to atrocities in Gulf War By Bill Vann 1 June 2000
Barry McCaffrey, the director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy and point-man for the escalating US military intervention in Colombia, was responsible for a military operation at the close of the 1991 Persian Gulf War that claimed the lives of thousands of fleeing Iraqi soldiers, prisoners of war, civilians and even children, according to a recent article in the New Yorker magazine.
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2000/jun2000/iraq-j01.shtml

And finally, for my rock & roller friends,
WWW.PROTEST-RECORDS.COM (as curated by Thurston Moore and Chris Habib) exists for musicians, poets and artists to express LOVE + LIBERTY in the face of greed, sexism, racism, hate-crime and war

FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT
All songs on this site are free to share, not to sell

Available now as of 3-24-03:
001. Steven Taylor - "Go Down, Congress"
002. Anne Waldman - "Rogue State"
003. Stephan Smith - "Business"
004. Cat Power - "Rockets"

soon come:
tracks by Eugene Chadbourne, The Fugs, Christian Marclay, the evens (ian mackaye and amy farina), Kali Fasteau a.o.

http://www.protest-records.com

Don't forget the dash (-) in protest-records or you'll be directed to a different site.

Look for some history in the next message...if you're going to conquer the cradle of civilization (Basra, near coastal Iraq, is the assumed location of the Garden of Eden), you should know whereof you speak. Hold your children, call your parents, give somebody a kiss and pop the champagne (French),