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From the Publisher
By Michael James

Things are not good in the good old USA, but if my hunch is right, its people are gathering force to fire up and force matters to change. The backwardness of the Bush Administration—its myopic and self-aggrandizing stances, its crass and blatant use of money and power, its shallow talk of freedom and democracy, its lack of real dialogue and compromise—has polarized people and nations. America’s stature in the world community is falling faster than a meteor.

Following the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the Administration did not take the opportunity to study our relationships and role in the world to discover where we have gone wrong; instead it went for control and domination, using 9-11 to abuse and reduce peoples’ civil rights, to fan the flames of religious division, and to embark on a crusade to expand U.S. military and economic hegemony.

The most blatant result of this policy was to launch the unnecessary war in Iraq. Conceived by right-wing think-tank operatives as a step toward a new American Empire, this war goes disastrously for the occupiers. U.S. troop deaths are officially around 1500. Injured U.S. troops are in the tens of thousands. Unfortunately, we’ll be hearing about physical and mental injuries resulting from this terrible war for many years to come. What we haven’t heard enough about is the extent of Iraqi deaths and injuries, and the overall destruction of Iraq caused by the U.S. occupation.

The counter insurgency is on the upswing. Iraq’s economy has not made the projected significant improvement. Promised rebuilding of infrastructure, destroyed by two U.S. invasions, has been sidetracked by the unanticipated strength of the resistance to foreign occupation and domination. The Bush Administration’s biggest hope right now is that Sunni Muslim politicians will begin to participate in the political process, the framework of which was created for Iraq by the U.S. war makers.

The Administration fears yet simultaneously anticipates that divisions between Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds will lead to civil war, a situation now close at hand. Beyond this there is endless political fallout: continued and growing deterioration of the USA’s image in the eyes of the world community; increased divisiveness the war causes for life on the home front; and lack of funding available for domestic programs to address the serious needs of people here at home.

In Afghanistan, another front in the Imperialists’ self-proclaimed War on Terror, the occupying forces also have their hands full. The rebuilding and economy-building efforts pledged to follow the military stage in the so-called war on terror there have fallen short.

And recent reports on U.S. treatment of Muslim prisoners in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the U.S. base in Guantanemo, on top of the Abu Grabe torture scandal, have left our government and military spokesmen defensive in response to anti-American demonstrations.

In America’s backyard there is a growing reaction to the U.S.’s “free” trade policies. Brazil, Ecuador, Argentina, Uruguay, and Venezuela, nations long subservient to U.S. corporate interests, have begun to stand up and reject Washington’s economic control and self-serving economic model. Mexico is not far behind.

On a host of other issues, the Bush agenda is being relentlessly challenged.
His campaign to privatize social security is on the ropes. His backing of Tom Delay and getting mixed up in the Terry Sciavo case backfired. With a war for oil going badly, one would think gas would be cheap, but prices are high, with daily reports on their ups and downs. Bush’s nominee for head of the UN, John Bolton, has forced even members of the Republican Party to confront their own consciences, a trend which should continue as Bush evolves into a lame duck.

Popular support for this President and his performance is way down, with complaints focusing on the war and the economy. And now Bush, who labels every movement and country he doesn’t like “terrorist,” has terrorism coming back to bite him in the butt. Thanks to internal and external pressures, CIA-connected terrorist Luis Posada Carriles—after escaping prison in Venezuela and sneaking back “undetected” into the USA—has been arrested by his former sponsor for terrorist acts against governments now out of favor with the U.S. Among other acts, Posada was deeply involved in blowing up a Cuban airliner that killed 77 people.

So the way I see it, now is a good time for political activists, union and community organizers, and concerned citizens to be heard, be seen and to get a step up on some action. The demonstrations against going to war in Iraq and the 2004 election reactivated progressives and enlisted many thousands of new activists in the movement for peace and justice. There is momentum on the progressive side.

The elections of 2006 and 2008 will soon be upon us. Howard Dean and the Democrats must be forcefully convinced to campaign not for fighting a so-called better war, but for ending this unjust war. We the people must demand better schools, affordable housing, meaningful jobs, help for the environment, and real health care—fairness, justice, and equality on all fronts.

n the world of politics it has long been observed that the pendulum swings. Let us hope that things are shifting, that Americans will overcome the fear, denial, and ignorance the Bush administration has foisted on them. But know that change does not happen without taking initiative, without organizing, without educating and inspiring people, or without concrete action.

For citizens to demand more of their government—to make government truly accountable to the will and desire of the people—means that demands and action must replace criticism and dismay.

Now is the right time to do the right thing. Fire up. What we do will make for a better day. Do good in the world; right now the world needs every bit of good we do.