8 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Sources from the F.B.I. have speculated that up to 50 people were involved in Tuesday's terrorist attacks. \nIn a press conference today, Secretary of State Colin Powell named Osama bin Laden as the prime suspect in coordinating the attacks. \nBush said in a statement, "We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them." \nThursday, he unofficially declared war on those responsible.\nFinally, a senior Pentagon official said The U.S. will launch sustained military strikes against those behind the terrorist attacks. All the while, the Taliban, which controls much of Afghanistan, has denied any responsibility for the attacks.\nAm I the only one who finds this a disturbing sequence of events?\nI admit there's a lack of information about who is responsible for the attacks, but some principles and definitions still remain clear in my mind.\n"War n. 1. open armed conflict between countries or between factions within the same country."\nI understand that America has a "War on Drugs," and I realize there is more than one definition for the word. But none of these definitions encompasses the idea of a country declaring war on individuals. \nGranted, no one knows if Osama bin Laden is still in Afghanistan, or if Afghanistan will cooperate with U.S. investigations or extraditions. No one knows if the United States will actually "go to war."\nFor those reasons, we can't speculate about what the repercussions would be if the world's greatest military powers chose to attack one of the world's poorest countries.\nWe can't speculate what would happen to the country that has been at war for over two decades and is facing a famine in the upcoming winter months after feeling the effects of a severe drought. \nWe can't speculate about what would happen to the 26 million people in Afghanistan, or the acting governments of the country that didn't attack the U.S.\nI can say that if the government sends troops to Afghanistan or any country that did not order these terrorist attacks, then that is wrong.\nWhy would I care if we held a country hostage to search for those responsible? Why don't I need this kind of revenge?\nBecause I'm an American, not a terrorist.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
I remember the conversation as if it were yesterday. \n I was catching up with my best friend Terry after returning from an extended stay in the tiny south African country of Malawi. I handed him a hand-carved wooden elephant I had purchased just before my flight out of Nairobi the day before and said "Damn it feels good to be back. I kissed the ground when I got off the plane in Washington. I would rather spend the rest of the summer with a group of Black Panthers who hate me than another minute with the Africans."\n"Why?" Terry asked.\n"Because they're Americans. They speak my language, they live in the same culture, and they understand where I'm coming from," I responded.\nTerry replied, "Hmmm. That's interesting. Because if you asked most black people if they are American, they would probably say no."\nThe comment stopped me cold, partly because of my own ignorance and partly because maybe he was right.\nI suppose the title of African-American doesn't help. Occurrences of racism, under-representation in government and generally poor representation in the media also contribute to black Americans' identity crisis. But Terry pointed out one thing in particular that clearly illustrates why black Americans might feel estranged from their culture, and it is readily apparent in February.\nBlack History Month is a symbol of what is wrong with our country. National identity is taught through stories and history that tell people who they are and where they come from. In the past, blacks were written out of the history books. Their contributions, their struggles, their lives and their deaths made meaningless by the dominant Euro-centric mentality in this country that intentionally overlooked them. \nIn 2002, we make amends with Black History Month, the Afro-American Studies Department, and other symbols of marginalization, but not that much has really changed. \nPerhaps white people really want to clean the slate, but the painful legacy of slavery and racism is too difficult and embarrassing to live up to. This line of thought carries over into other arguments such as the debate over reparations for slavery. Many people think that a discussion on this issue only continues the legacy of slavery, and if we were to sweep the issue under the carpet, racism would just go away. Others such as David Horowitz feel blacks should be happy just to live in America rather than in a mud hut in Africa. \nThe problem with both these arguments is that they deny blacks what is due to them. \n Regardless of whether we admit it, we are all Americans. Our cultures are as intermixed as our history allows them to be, and it is about time Americans so incorporate the history of blacks into that of whites that Black History Month is rendered useless.\n Why would a white person care so much about this? Maybe I'm just a dumb honkie with 'a lot black friends'.\n The truth is that I have only one, but he's my best friend. His name is Terry. And its always bothered me that I could never relate to him at times when issues of race came up. Maybe the two of us will never realize that we are the same. But maybe someday our kids will be friends too, and hopefully they won't have the same problems that we did.
(11/08/01 5:09am)
Blood, sweat and flying bodies are a given when the Suicide Machines come to town. But when they came to play the Emerson Theater in Indianapolis Saturday, perhaps the band didn't expect the bodies to be flying at them.\nPeople could be seen floating on the raised hands of the crowd all night. Yet just three songs into their energetic ska-core set, Dan Lukacinsky, the guitarist, almost became a casualty of a stray crowd surfer. Luckily, he only suffered a mic stand to the head, and the show continued on, even as a stream of blood poured down from Lukacinsky's eye.\nTo those people accustomed to artists canceling shows for such minor inconveniences like the flu, this might appear a heroic and mighty deed. For the Suicide Machines, it was just par for the course.\nPlaying at central Indiana's self-proclaimed "largest, all original, all-ages music venue" is definitely a highlight for this Detroit-based punk band and for the crowd that caught its incredible live show. In a venue with no place to hide and a stage with no barricade, the setting is no less than intimate.\n"This is my favorite place to play in Indy," vocalist Jason Navarro said.\nLike previous Suicide Machines tours, the band was supported by a very eclectic set of opening acts. "Very Metal" and "Ensign" brought perhaps an unhealthy amount of old-school grind metal to the show. But New Jersey-based "Bigwig" threatened to steal the show. Before their set, they were an unknown punk band, but two minutes into their set they had the entire place jumping off the walls.\nNo band in attendance could top the Suicide Machines as they had more than 500 sweat-drenched bodies jumping up in down in unison, singing every word. The constant threat of kicking crowd surfers and a non-stop circular mosh pit only made the crowd more enthused as they were encouraged to get up on stage and sing along. \nThe Emerson was a great venue for this kind of show because it attracts a wide variety of people. Even if people hadn't memorized all the songs, they could still have an enjoyable time.\nThe Suicide Machines are touring in support of their fourth release on Hollywood Records, Steal this Record. A record that sounds more like New York City hardcore than the classic punk and ska mix that the band's fan base was built on.\nThe band openly embraces change and shuns classification and this may stem from constantly being misunderstood. The band name does not conjure up images of puppy dogs playing in grassy fields, but for a band with a message from the hometown of Dr. Jack Kevorkian, it has a more tongue-in-cheek significance. \nThe punk community, which is largely devoted to independence, has criticized the band for signing with a major label owned by the ultimate purveyor of misguided American values, the Disney Corporation.\nThese are all common misconceptions, and the Suicide Machines are always redeemed through their consistently amazing live shows in which energy and melody unite to move everyone in attendance. This is what the band lives for, and even after 10 years on the road, they would never consider quitting.\n"I just love playing music; for us it is just a way of life," Navarro said.\nSo the next time you see Michael Eisner in the pit after stagediving to his favorite Suicide Machines song, you won't have to tell him that this band still has the punk rock vision.
(10/23/01 3:49am)
Obviously we need to review the Constitution's Fifth Amendment:\n"No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury."\nThis is the same amendment that protects citizens from law enforcement abuses by preventing people from being compelled to testify against themselves, from being tried twice for the same crime, and from being "deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law."\nThe amendment forms a crucial part of the core of all Americans' civil liberties. What people may forget is these are individuals' rights, and they are designed for their protection.\nThe eight men from Evansville who were detained by the FBI last week had the right to wave their right to a Grand Jury. That means they would have, most likely, been openly accused of terrorism.\nInstead, they have been allowed to go home with their reputations untarnished. I know they have no problems with their constitutional rights.\nIn this case, the problem lies with journalists. The same journalists who claim that they need information about the case so they can protect these individuals' rights are the same ones who have used speculation to subtly accuse these men of terrorism.\nIn no public government documents have these men been accused of terrorist activity, yet time after time, the newspaper articles used unnamed and indirectly related sources to speculate as to whether these men were involved in terrorist activity.\nThis type of journalism is not an unbiased presentation of the facts, but a skewed array of opinions that is wholly unworthy of a news page.\nI find this extremely disturbing. What I find more disturbing is the argument that in Grand Jury cases, the public's need for information outweighs the rights of the individual. It is just a little too close to communist ideology for me.\nThe constitution was designed to protect us. Maybe now we should question whether or not our journalists should be doing the same thing.
(11/03/00 7:40am)
Borders and Boundaries marks Less Than Jake's 77th release and fifth full-length album of original material. It is quite an accomplishment for a band that has only been around for eight years and has released most of its material on independent labels. The band's latest album might be an example of how all this time and non-stop touring has taken it toll.
(11/03/00 5:00am)
Borders and Boundaries marks Less Than Jake's 77th release and fifth full-length album of original material. It is quite an accomplishment for a band that has only been around for eight years and has released most of its material on independent labels. The band's latest album might be an example of how all this time and non-stop touring has taken it toll.
(10/02/00 3:48am)
Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori is back home after meeting with Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. His trip to Washington followed rumors of a plot to stage a coup that began circulating through Peru's Congress.\nHe was in Washington to meet with the Organization of American States General Cesar Gaviria. Fujimori met with Albright Friday, when she applauded his decision to call for early elections. Albright urged him to make all the arrangements for the early inaugurations of a new government, according to the State Department's press briefing. She reiterated the United States' support of democracy and democratic reform in Peru. \nFujimori didn't express any worries about his political future in the short term during the meetings, the briefing said. Richard Boucher, spokesman for Albright, said the conversation was about how to make sure the OAS process is implemented fully, and that next year's elections are free, fair and credible.\nDemonstrations have continued in the streets of Lima since Fujimori announced Sept. 16 that new elections would be held in six months, the State Department's Web site said. The announcement was made in the wake of a scandal surrounding a videotape allegedly showing former chief of Peru's National Intelligence Service, Vladimiro Montesinos, bribing an opposition lawmaker. According to The Associated Press, Montesinos has been granted asylum in Panama.\n"There is a chance for democracy," said Charles Walker, an associated professor of history at the University of California at Davis, who has written several books on Peru. "The United States needs to put as much pressure possible on Peru and call for early elections. I don't think it's possible for a (coup) to happen."\nRichard Stryker, the executive associate dean of International Programs and an associate political science professor, said the transition will be difficult. The question of who will replace Fujimori is also still in doubt. \n"Former presidential candidate Alejandro Toledo was an impressive candidate," he said. "It is going to be difficult for any candidate to come in. Military backing is important," he said.\nHe also said winning Peruvian military support might prove difficult in an army where all the generals are rumored to be hand-picked by Montesinos. \n"There are a lot of military people who are hard line and oppressive. However, it is very racially divided," Stryker said.\nThe State Department issued a travel warning Sept. 22, stating that current events "have the potential to disrupt normal functions throughout Peru and to be used by political parties to stage additional marches and demonstrations. While marches and demonstrations in recent months have been largely peaceful, they have the potential to to turn violent."\nRumors of a coup have been circulating throughout the South American country. Peruvian Congressman Miguel Mendoza announced he was quitting Fujimori's Peru 2000 party last week. \n"I am denouncing that a group of congressman from Peru 2000 have been pressured to sign letters of resignation, prepared in the army's high command, to form a congressional group in favor of Vladimiro Montesinos," he said. \nHe added the purpose "would be to promote disorder within Congress and throughout the country to unleash generalized chaos and carry out a coup d'etat within 20 days"
(09/26/00 5:26am)
During the past five years, Mark and Rhoda Berenson have been spreading the word about their daughter, Lori Berenson, 30. \nBerenson was arrested in 1995 in Peru after she was accused of being a ringleader in the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement, a pro-Cuban terrorist group, according to the parents' Web site. \nLast month Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori announced new elections, and the nation's highest military court overturned Berenson's sentence. The court ordered a new civilian trial, underscoring the political currents affecting the case.\nThe Rev. Jesse Jackson met with Fujimori earlier in New York City on Berenson's behalf, according to the New York Times. He urged Fujimori to release her and pledged to meet with her. A week later, the Berenson family reported that Berenson had completed 14 hours of testimony. \nThe Associated Press reported Sept. 16 that Fujimori announced new elections will be held in six months and that he won't run. The announcement was made after a videotape began circulating around Lima showing Vladimiro Montesinos-- Fujimori's right hand man and the chief of Peru's National Intelligence Agency -- allegedly bribing an opposition lawmaker. \nFujimori sent a plan to Congress last week to disband the spy agency and, according to Associated Press reports, Montesinos fled the country the following day. \nWhat the future holds for Berenson is still unclear, but some believe her case has been a political one from the start. According to her father, Fujimori gained support in this year's election by calling Berenson a murderous American terrorist. Fujimori went on national television in 1995 waving Berenson's passport after her arrest. \nThe strategy appears to be working in Peru with people talking about the case. Jessica Abel, a senior studying abroad in Peru during the semester said, "A cab driver a couple of weeks ago seemed to think she (Berenson) is very guilty as charged. 'They found guns in her house,' he told me. This is the sentiment I have found. People seem to think she is guilty."\nThe U.S. Congress has also been paying attention. \n"Two hundred and fifty of the (435) Congressional Representatives support Lori's release either by withholding all but humanitarian aid to Peru or by urging President Clinton to use all his powers to secure Lori's release," Mark Berenson said. \n"Lori can't receive a fair trial in Peru. For Peru, the most important thing is getting this trial over with in 30-50 days," he said.\nThe resignation of Montesinos and the call for new and fair elections have brought continuous demonstrations to the streets of Lima. \n"People rejoiced in the streets for three days straight after 'El Chino's' announcement on Saturday night. People are very happy. They have been demanding change for a long time and this is obviously a positive step in that direction," Abel said.\nAfter last Saturday's epic announcement of new elections, Mark Berenson sent out a newsletter to all of Lori's supporters urging them to contact President Bill Clinton and have him secure Berenson's release.