Daily Archives: 15 May 04

US Takes Greenpeace to Court in Unusual Trial

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“Greenpeace, charged with the obscure crime of ‘sailor mongering’ that was last prosecuted 114 years ago, goes on trial on Monday in the first U.S. criminal prosecution of an advocacy group for civil disobedience.

The environmental group is accused of sailor mongering because it boarded a freighter in April 2002 that was carrying illegally felled Amazon mahogany to Miami. It says the prosecution is revenge for its criticism of the environmental policies of President Bush, whom it calls the ‘Toxic Texan.'” — Reuters

Powell Says Troops Would Leave Iraq if New Leaders Asked

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Paul Bremer hinted at it several days ago, if you could believe al Jazeera. Now, if you can believe the Washington Post:

“Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, joined by the foreign ministers of nations making key contributions of military forces in Iraq, emphatically said yesterday that if the incoming Iraqi interim government ordered the departure of foreign troops after July 1, they would pack up without protest.”

R.I.P. David Reimer, 38

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Subject of the John/Joan Case Dies:

“After a botched circumcision operation when he was a toddler, David Reimer became the subject of a study that became known as the John/Joan case in the 60’s and 70’s. His mother said she was still angry with the Baltimore doctor who persuaded her and her husband, Ron, to give female hormones to their son and raise him as a daughter.


As he grew up as Brenda in Winnipeg, he faced cruelty from the other children. ‘They wouldn’t let him use the boys’ washroom or the girls’,’ Ms. Reimer recalled. ‘He had to go in the back alley.’


His sexual reassignment was then widely reported as a success and proof that children are not by nature feminine or masculine but through nurture are socialized to become girls or boys. David’s identical twin brother, Brian, offered researchers a matched control subject.


But when, as a teenager, he discovered the truth about his past , he resumed his male identity, eventually marrying and becoming a stepfather to three children.” Reimer, despondent about the loss of a job, the breakdown of his marriage, and still grieving the death of his twin brother two years ago, reportedly ended his own life. — New York Times

Parents of a Killer

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David Brooks writes, in a New York Times op-ed column,

“After I wrote a column a few weeks ago about the 1999 shootings at Columbine High School, I got e-mail from Tom Klebold, the father of Dylan Klebold, one of the shooters. Tom objected to the column, but the striking thing about his note was that while acknowledging the horrible crime his son had committed, Tom was still fiercely loyal toward him. Which prompts this question: If your child commits a crime like that, what do you do with the rest of your life?”

Klebold’s parents, who gave Brooks access because they “trust their daily paper”, the Times, deemphasize the murders and speak of what their son did as suicide. They blame the ‘toxic culture’ at his school and, describing a moment when somebody said “I forgive you”, Klebold’s mother objects that they did nothing they need to be forgiven for. On the other hand, they can imagine that their son “…suffered horribly before he died. For not seeing that, I will never forgive myself.” But, true to form, the incisive David Brooks simplifies it beautifully for all of us who might be wrestling unproductively with the complexities of such an act and its aftermath:

“My instinct is that Dylan Klebold was a self-initiating moral agent who made his choices and should be condemned for them. Neither his school nor his parents determined his behavior.”

America Adrift in Iraq

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An insipid New York Times editorial illustrates how easy it is, all of a sudden, to be on board with the notion that the Iraqi occupation is a morass only being made worse by our continued presence. However, it steers away from reminders that this outcome was clear from the inception of the war. The Times falls flat on its face around solutions. While holding on to an unquestioning commitment to the fetishistic June 30 “sovereignty” deadline and the continued presence of US forces in Iraq (they suggest we may need even more), they hope the UN will rescue the transition.

Undeterred by McCain Denials, Some See Him as Kerry’s No. 2

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“Despite weeks of steadfast rejections from Senator John McCain, some prominent Democrats are angling for him to run for vice president alongside Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, creating a bipartisan ticket that they say would instantly transform the presidential race.

The enthusiasm of Democrats for Mr. McCain, an Arizona Republican, is so high that even some who have been mentioned as possible Kerry running mates — including Senator Bill Nelson of Florida and Bob Kerrey, the former Nebraska senator — are spinning scenarios about a “unity government,” effectively giving Mr. Kerry a green light to reach across the political aisle and extend an offer.” — New York Times

Pressure to Go Along With Abuse Is Strong, but Some Soldiers Find Strength to Refuse

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“Although details of their actions are sketchy, it is known that one soldier, Lt. David O. Sutton, put an end to one incident and alerted his commanders. William J. Kimbro, a Navy dog handler, “refused to participate in improper interrogations despite significant pressure” from military intelligence, according to the report. And Specialist Joseph M. Darby gave military police the evidence that sounded the alarm.

In numerous studies over the past few decades, psychologists have found that a certain percentage of people simply refuse to give in to pressure — by authorities or by peers — if they feel certain actions are wrong.” — New York Times

Hard to remember in dark times, but important…

‘ It was something like a sort of cabaret version of They Might Be Giants.’

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“Imagine the finest anthology of writing possible, and then imagine that writing put to music… You’re imagining As Smart As We Are, a book-cum-CD, the title of which comes from the opening line from the final track, “Water,” by Jonathan Lethem). Many of North America’s bestselling and prize-winning authors, have contributed original lyrics (and in some cases their musical skills) to this CD of music by Brooklyn lit-rock band One Ring Zero.

The project began when Michael Hearst of the band One Ring Zero, soon after moving to Manhattan in 2001, sought out a small store he’d heard about that was founded by Dave Eggers, author of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. The band was invited to perform at McSweeney’s events and soon met Rick Moody, who invited them to perform and collaborate with him. Thus began a cascade of authors offering to write songs for the band…

Featuring:

Jonathan Ames, Margaret Atwood, Paul Auster, Clay McLeod Chapman,

Dave Eggers, Amy Fusselman, Neil Gaiman, Myla Goldberg, Ben Greenman,

Daniel Handler, A.M. Homes, Denis Johnson, Lawrence Krauser, Jonathan Lethem, Rick Moody, Aaron Naparstek, and Darin Strauss.”