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NaFF Scores Again
Alan Brewer (l) with Kiefer
Sutherland aka 24's Jack Bauer and star of the new movie The Sentinel
photo courtesy Rufus White
Film Festival Rocks Nashville by Alan Brewer
BME Music President Alan Brewer (Rick Wakeman, Mark Slaughter, Cowboy Mouth, etc.) who also served as score composer for the soon-to-be-released Ashley Judd film Come Early Morning directed by Joey Lauren Adams reflects on this year's event.
2006 Nashville Film Festival Hello everyone! I feel like a proud papa after spending the past week in Nashville at the 37th annual Nashville Film Festival. Although I have now moved back to the Los Angeles area after serving as President of the Board Of Directors for NaFF last year, I was thrilled to see continued growth and even greater quality of programming at this year's week-long event.
Kudos to Artistic Director Brian Gordon, Executive Director Sallie Mayne and current board President Bret Wolcott, for providing excellent leadership in presenting another spectacular film festival. Interestingly, it was quite a Sutherland family extravaganza. The opening night film AN AMERICAN HAUNTING, which had people regularly jumping out of their seats, starred Donald Sutherland and Sissy Spacek and the wonderful closing night film AURORA BOREALIS , featured a phenomenal performance by Mr. Sutherland as the grandfather of the very talented Joshua Jackson. On Saturday night we were thrilled to present the World Premiere of the "rock-doc" I TRUST YOU TO KILL ME, which chronicles a two-week international tour by the Ironworks recording artist Rocco DeLuca and The Burden with label head Kiefer Sutherland functioning as their rock & roll tour manager…..no kidding! Label partners Kiefer Sutherland and Jude Cole were both in Nashville for the event, as was director Manu Boyer and producer Pliny Porter . In true rock & roll fashion, there was definitely plenty of partying for everyone all weekend long (much of it organized by the amazing Carey Nelson Burch of the William Morris Agency ). Then Rocco and the band stayed around to treat Nashville to a sold-out performance on Tuesday night at Nashville's legendary rock club 12th & Porter where they made a building full of new, avid fans.
Others who spent plenty of time with us participating in the panels and enjoying the great films and parties were Writer/Director Craig Brewer (HUSTLE & FLOW) along with his production partner Stephanie Allain , and illustrious Music Supervisors/Executives Lindsay Fellows, Joel C. High, Todd Homme, and Ron Proulx . For the full scoop on what went on and to see more photos, go to the official festival website at www.nashvillefilmfestival.org . If you weren't there this year, think about going in 2007. The Nashville Film Festival is not only one of the longest running film festivals in the U.S., it is clearly one of the best. Just ask your filmmaker friends who were there. They'll back me up!
Howl and other Poems By Allen Ginsberg ISBN: 0-87286-017-5
Paperback, 57pp
$6.95 (50th Anniversary Edition)
Allen Ginsberg's Howl and Other Poems was originally published by City Lights Books in the fall of 1956. Subsequently seized by U.S. customs and the San Francisco police, it was the subject of a long court trial at which a series of poets and professors persuaded the court that the book was not obscene.
Allen Ginsberg was born June 3, 1926, the son of Naomi Ginsberg, Russian émigré, and Louis Ginsberg, lyric poet and school teacher, in Paterson, N. J. To these facts Ginsberg adds: "High school in Paterson till 17, Columbia College, merchant marine, Texas and Denver copyboy, Times Square, amigos in jail, dishwashing, book reviews, Mexico City, market research, Satori in Harlem, Yucatan and Chiapas 1954, West Coast 3 years. Later Arctic Sea trip, Tangier, Venice, Amsterdam, Paris, read at Oxford Harvard Columbia Chicago, quit, wrote "Kaddish" 1959, made tape to leave behind & fade in Orient awhile. Carl Solomon to whom "Howl" is addressed, is a intuitive Bronx dadaist and prose-poet."
PRE-ORDER NOW - Releases on 05/23/06. Place your order today and be one of the first to receive this product when it arrives!
South Pacific: In Concert From Carnegie Hall
- Reba McEntire, Brian Stokes Mitchell & Alec Baldwin
Country Music and TV Star, Reba McEntire stars as Nellie Forbush in this live concert version of the classic Rodgers & Hammerstein musical, South Pacific. Recorded this past summer at Carnegie Hall, South Pacific was a "one-night" only performance featuring Broadway star Brian Stokes Mitchell and Alec Baldwin. The entire concert was taped by PBS, and this 75+ minute CD is the finely mastered cast recording of that concert. --ORDER NOW -
LANE BRODY¹S CAREER MOVES INTO FULL GEAR WITH UPCOMING ALBUM RELEASE
NASHVILLE, Tennessee (May 1, 2006) Lane Brody is currently in the studio putting the finishing touches on her new album "On The Wings of Songs" which is set for an early July release on Records Records. The album title is taken from the title track, which she co-wrote with acclaimed songwriter Kostas, who also sang backup on the song.
"She¹s not only the best singer in today¹s review pile, she also has one of the outstanding songs of this or any other year" renowned music critic Robert K Oermann says of the new single "That¹s Where Love Comes In". "A sensationally well written and socially conscious song in the throat of one of our finest singers. If you aren¹t moved by this message, you¹re made of stone."
A video, filmed by award winning Australian director Ross Wood will be released in the next few weeks.
Continuing her usual charity work, Lane recently performed for the Nashville Metropolitan Police Force (for the memorial of fallen Officer Christy Dedman) and for Operation Standown, an organization dedicated to assisting homeless veterans. Every fall, Lane hosts a charity event, the proceeds of which are donated to the Waldens Puddle Animal Hospital.
Lane recently performed unplugged for the CMT Studio 330 Sessions. This performance can be viewed at CMT.com by searching for Lane Brody.
Her website, www.lanebrody.com, gives a comprehensive overview of her career, as well as her current news and a preview of the new single and video.
Lane will be hosting the Wide World of Country show and performing at the CMA Music Festival Riverfront Stages on Sunday June 11th at Noon.
The Quest for Immortality
Treasures of Ancient Egypt
June 9 - October 8, 2006 Tickets Now on Sale
The ancient Egyptian concept of the afterlife is dramatically illustrated by The Quest for Immortality: Treasures of Ancient Egypt . Considered the largest group of antiquities ever on loan from Egypt for exhibit in North America, the exhibition includes approximately 107 magnificent works, ranging from monumental stone sculptures of Egyptian royalty and deities to such luxurious tomb furnishings as gold jewelry, ornate coffins, a model of the river ship of the pharaoh Amenhotep II, and a sarcophagus painted with scenes of the afterlife. Ranging in date from the New Kingdom (1550–1069 B.C.) through the Late Period (664–332 B.C.), the works in the exhibition are divided into four sections: the King and Society in the New Kingdom, Tombs of Nobles, the Royal Tomb, and the Realm of the Gods. Also on view will be a full-scale reconstruction of the tomb of Thutmose III, as well as an educational exhibition on the ancient practice of mummification, which will include both human and animal mummies.
A documentary on Al Gore's campaign to make the issue of global warming a recognized problem worldwide. Opens May 24.
Humanity is sitting on a time bomb. If the vast majority of the world's scientists are right, we have just ten years to avert a major catastrophe that could send our entire planet's climiate system into a tail-spin of epic destructin involving extreme weather floods, droughts, empidemics and killer heat waves beyond anything we have ever experienced -- a catastrophe of our own making.
If that sounds like a recipe for serious gloom and doom, think again. From director Davis Guggenheim comes the Sundance Film Festival hit, An Inconvenient Truth, which offers a passionate and inspirational look at one man's commitment to expose the myths and misconceptions that surround global warming and inspire actions to prevent it. That man is Vice President Al Gore, who, in the wake of defeat in the 2000 election, re-set the course of his life to focus on an all-out effort to help save the planet from irrevocable change. In this eye-opening and poitnant portrait of Gore and his "traveling global warming show," Gore is funny, engaging, open and downright on fire about getting the surprisingly stirring truth about what he calls our "planetary emergency" out to ordinary citizens before it's too late.
Helen has always dreamt of singing at Nashville's Bluebird Café. She may not have the greatest voice in town, but that isn't even her biggest problem. Helen only has a few weeks left to live. Since it's now or never, the young German wants to give it a try – against the wishes of her narrow-minded husband who feels she should spend her last weeks in more dignified surroundings. Decked out in a cowboy hat and boots, she sets off for Nashville – and lands in Jamaica. Wrong plane. Wrong place. Wrong music. She soon ends up in the calculating hands of Rosie, a saucy local whose morals are as skimpy as her skirts. With Rosie's ”help,“ Helen makes it to Montego Bay, but soon has no money left to leave the island. She has no better luck singing for her supper: a German woman crooning country ballads isn't exactly what American tourists want in Jamaica. With time running out, Helen begins to let go of her dream and her life. But now it's Rosie who reaches out and brings her back. For the first time in her life Rosie begins to care for so someone other than herself. And while Little Bay ain't the Bluebird Café, it's got the friends and the vibes that mean more to Helen now than anything else.
Taggart Siegel (Producer/Director/Director of Photography) Teri Lang (Producer)
“THE REAL DIRT ON FARMER JOHN” TO PREMIERE ON THE EMMY AWARD WINNING PBS SERIES INDEPENDENT LENS, HOSTED BY EDIE FALCO, ON TUESDAY, JUNE 13, 2006 AT 10PM (Check Local Listings)
Delightful, Award-Winning Documentary Tells the Soul-Stirring, Smile-Inducing True Tale of a Maverick Midwestern Farmer
“To me, farming is poetry, drama. It's a source of infinite fascination.”
– Farmer John Peterson
(San Francisco, CA) Humorous, heartbreaking and triumphant, THE REAL DIRT ON FARMER JOHN tells the story of Illinois farmer John Peterson 's 55-year journey of life, death and resurrection. A film by Taggart Siegel, THE REAL DIRT will have its broadcast premiere on Tuesday, June 13th at 10PM on the Emmy-award winning PBS seriesIndependent Lens, hosted by Edie Falco. Critically acclaimed and the winner of a number of awards, THE REAL DIRT ON FARMER JOHN makes audiences want to laugh, cry, cheer and eat their spinach.
In the tiny town of Caledonia, Illinois, about 75 miles west of Chicago, a great American epic has been playing out for 100 years. In THE REAL DIRT ON FARMER JOHN , filmmaker Siegel, a longtime friend of Peterson's, documents the history of an individual, his family and land that parallels the history of American farming. The story actually begins in the early 20th century, when John Peterson 's grandfather purchased the acreage west of Chicago and began farming it. As did his son, John's father, after him, and John, after his dad's death.
But Farmer John is no laconic, Grant Wood-type with a scowl and a pitchfork – he's a truly eccentric American original. Equal parts performance artist, writer, and farmer, Peterson has been known to switch out of his overalls into leopard latex or a purple-feathered boa.
In the early 1970s, while a student at Beloit College, just eight miles from the farm, John was exposed to the wildly accelerating cultural changes which fed his natural artistic bent. His new student friends flooded the farm with a riot of artistic expression, rock music and freedom, creating an art commune in the heart of conformist America. Recalls Siegel, “In 1979, John invited me out to the farm and a whole new world opened up. It was very powerful. I was a painter and I wanted to explore making films on the farm, and John just let everyone express themselves. It was the total fusion of a real working farm and an artistic community, a melding of traditional and unorthodox ways.”
“I live in a small provincial area,” Peterson reflects, “and if you remember the 70s, you'll appreciate that it would have been pretty hard, actually impossible, for folks to accept us.” In fact, Peterson was demonized by his neighbors as a drug-dealing cult murderer of animals and children, and blamed for the general decline in farm fortunes.
Then came the 80s, and the unrelenting pressures faced by family farmers throughout the country. Farmer John was no exception. Siegel, by now a student at Columbia College film school, made a 10-minute documentary, Bitter Harvest, recording Peterson's struggles to keep the farm, and the eventual auctioning off of his farm equipment.
The profound pain of Peterson's losses, and the ultimate resurrection and transformation of the farm and his farm-based life provide the soul of THE REAL DIRT . “In the end, it's really an optimistic story about the resurrection of the American soul,” says Siegel, “and it starts with the soil.”
But before any resurrection was possible, utter desolation was required. Peterson lost most of the farm and descended into a deep depression. In coping with failure – economic and personal – he was forced to take a journey of discovery and resourcefulness. “I had come to feel that the land was savage,” he recalls, “ruthless, self-serving, and unreliable. I swore I would never farm again.” But over time a new possibility emerged in Peterson. “It was actually a yearning, an aching for the land. I had to go back and try again.”
Constantly supporting him was his mother, Anna, a luminous presence throughout the film. In the early 90s, Peterson returned to what was left of the farm, determined to bring it back to life. “I had no clue how difficult it would be, but I had no choice. I realized that my personal destiny was intertwined with that of the farm, and I simply had to go back.”
Peterson was resolute, continually recommitting his energies, reinventing himself, reinvigorating the enterprise. Seeing the ongoing multinational corporatization of farming and betting instead on the future of organic produce, John turned his enterprise into an organic operation, naming the farm Angelic Organics. Soon after, Peterson was invited to become a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farmer. “I didn't want to do it,” Peterson recalls. “I was afraid I'd lose my independence.” He dabbled in it for a while and, in the process, discovered that the movement was really all about community . “I realized that my whole life had been about community – enabling people, bringing them to the farm, working and playing together, sharing the farm experience.” So he committed Angelic Organics to the CSA program.
Sometime in the mid-90s, he and Siegel, who'd remained a close friend, found themselves standing in the middle of one of the fields, astounded by the crops, the bounty, the beauty. “It was a sight for sore eyes,” says Peterson. “At some point,” recalls Siegel, “we stood there and realized, ‘Hey, we need to tell the story of this resurrection' – the redemption of our bleak, dismal tale of the 80s.” The story of Angelic Organics' success as a CSA farm over the last 15 years is the final delight of the film. A multi-faceted enterprise, the farm now provides fresh organic produce to 1,200 shareholder families, on-site educational programs, employment opportunities for people who really want to get back to the earth -- and the life he always wanted for Farmer John.
John Peterson , the writer, also has several books being readied for publication, including Farmer John on Glitter and Grease, Farmer John's Uneasy Autobiography: I Didn't Kill Anyone Up Here , and a cookbook: Farmer John's Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables , which will be published by Gibbs Smith in May.
The REAL DIRT ON FARMER JOHN interactive companion website ( www.pbs.org/independentlens/realdirt ) features detailed information on the film, including an interview with the filmmaker and subject and links and resources pertaining to the film's subject matter. The site also features a Talkback section for viewers to share their ideas and opinions, preview clips of the film and more.
Other News:
THIRD ROUND OF PERFORMERS & PRESENTERS SET FOR THE 41 st ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC® AWARDS,
COUNTRY'S NIGHT TO SHINE™
TELECAST TO AIR LIVE FROM MGM GRAND in LAS VEGAS
TUESDAY, MAY 23 rd AT 8:00 PM ET/PT ON CBS TELEVISION NETWORK
Trace Adkins, Big & Rich and Brad Paisley Set to Perform Along with Brooks & Dunn, Kelly Clarkson, Kenny Chesney, Toby Keith, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Rascal Flatts, Sugarland and Carrie Underwood.
Blake Shelton, Hannah Storm and Cowboy Troy Set to Present Along with Craig Ferguson, Dr. Phil & Robin McGraw, Kathryn Morris, Emily Procter and Tony Stewart
BURBANK, CA (April May 3, 2006) – Today the Academy of Country Music® is announcing that music superstars Trace Adkins , Big & Rich and Brad Paisley will perform as part of the 41 st ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS . The ceremony, which honors country music's top talent as well as the industry's hottest emerging talent, will be broadcast LIVE from MGM GRAND in Las Vegas on Tuesday, May 23 rd , 2006 at 8:00 PM ET/PT on the CBS Television Network .
Trace Adkins is a previous Academy of Country Music Award winner in the Top New Male Vocalist category. His latest best-selling album “Songs About Me” is nearing double platinum status, and includes his smash single, “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk.”
Big & Rich are nominated in three categories this year including Top New Duo or Vocal Group, Top Vocal Duo and John Rich and Big Kenny have additional artist and producer nominations for Vocal Event of the Year for the song “I Play Chicken with the Train” by Cowboy Troy and Big & Rich.
Brad Paisley has the most nominations this year, he is recognized in six categories including Top Male Vocalist, Album of the Year (for “Time Well Wasted”), Single Record of the Year (for “Alcohol”), and Song of the Year, Video of the Year and Vocal Event of the Year for “When I Get Where I'm Going,” a duet with Dolly Parton. Paisley has previously won three Academy of Country Music Award honors.
Presenting awards at the 41 st ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS is Blake Shelton whose current single “Nobody But Me” is the current top five hit from his gold selling album “Blake Shelton's Barn & Grill”, Hannah Storm of “The Early Show,” and Cowboy Troy , who is nominated for Vocal Event of the Year for the song “I Play Chicken with the Train” with Big & Rich.
IMMIGRATION DEBATE GOES OFF COURSE: The right missed the call for comprehensive immigration reform ringing throughout Monday's protests. It instead focused on non-issues, such as what language the protestors were speaking and what accessories they were carrying. "My guess is that Americans are going to say ' What are those people doing waving all those other flags and what's this about changing the national anthem into Spanish?'" said immigration hardliner Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO). In recent days, the debate over the national anthem has been receiving more attention than the debate over the Senate's immigration reform bill. On Friday, Bush told reporters, " I think the national anthem ought to be sung in English ." Monday, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) introduced a bill mandating that the national anthem be sung in English , saying that the national anthem in Spanish is "undercutting" national unity . Additionally, 50 House conservatives are pushing to end the Voting Rights Act's bilingual assistance at polling places. Rep. King, a backer of the provision: "There are only two scenarios where one might not have language skills enough to understand the ballot : either they are naturalized citizens who did not meet the required language proficiency or they grew up in an ethnic enclave without benefit of learning English." Over the weekend, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice recognized that the immigration debate had gone off course: " I've heard the national anthem done in rap versions, country versions, classical versions . ... I think what we need to focus on is an immigration policy that is comprehensive and that recognizes our laws and recognizes our humanity."
BUSH IS UNABLE TO MAKE UP HIS MIND: Bush wants comprehensive immigration reform passed by Memorial Day , but he is doing very little to help the process. He has endorsed the entire spectrum of immigration proposals -- an earned path to citizenship, a temporary worker program, and making illegal immigration a felony. On Apr. 25, he "reinserted himself into the divisive debate" and met with a bipartisan group of senators, calling their compromise legislation " an interesting approach ," hinting that he is in favor of their earned path to citizenship: "What I do think makes sense is that a person ought to be allowed to...pay a penalty for being here illegally, commit him or herself to learn English, which is part of the American system, and get in the back of the line" for citizenship. But in Jan. 2004, Bush said he supported a temporary worker program for undocumented workers, with incentives for them " to return permanently to their home countries after their period of work in the United States has expired." Then, in Dec. 2005, he applauded the House's bill , which would make undocumented immigration a felony and would build a 698-mile wall along the Mexican border .
LAWMAKERS AT ODDS: The Senate is currently working on compromise legislation -- proposed by Sens. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) and Mel Martinez (R-FL) -- that would create a guest worker program and set up a three-tiered system for the undocumented immigrants already here. The undocumented who have been here more than five years would be able to earn citizenship " by paying back-taxes, fines, passing a criminal background check, making an effort to learn English and waiting behind those already in line. Those who have been here two to five years would qualify for temporary visas, which they would get at a point of entry, and be eligible to earn citizenship, too." Other undocumented immigrants would be forced to leave the country, but could reapply under a guest-worker program. This compromise legislation is in conflict with Rep. James Sensenbrenner's (R-WI) bill that the House passed last year. The Senate legislation " is certainly not the view of the House ," said House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO), who insisted that legislation must focus solely on border security. As the Washington Post notes, if Bush is truly in favor of an earned path to citizenship, as he stated late last month, he " will have to use whatever clout he still has " to overcome right-wing hardliners in the House.
Nashville's Film Festival (NAFF) Highlight
HotMedia's Paul Barrow interviews Byron Hurt, a former Northeastern U. quarterback turned PBS filmmaker whose sensitive examination of Black manhood in the context of Hip Hop is riveting, refreshingly candid and long overdue.
A 2006 Nashville Film Festival Selection:
Beyond Beats and Rhymes: A Black New York Filmmaker Does Some True Soul Searching in a Documentary that Pulls No Punches About Manhood in Hip Hop Culture
If you missed the screening during the Nashville Film Festival, you will not likely be able to see the film again until its release on PBS next year in the series Independent Lens --unless of course you just happen to catch another screening at a film festival like we did. Check your local film festival listings.
Although we were not able to obtain clips of the film prior to publication, we managed to get an interview with the Producer/Director Byron Hurt and discussed with him some of the issues he raised in this documentary.
The film, which includes a wide variety of clips from popular hip hop music videos, raises a number of very cogent questions that before now have been viewed as too sensitive or too highly charged to address in a black-white exchange or medium. The politically correct thing to do has been to simply ignore the problem. In making this film, Hurt risked a great deal. Exposing the underbelly of black culture to public scrutiny--particularly white scrutiny--makes him a target of blacks who will see this as just another way for whites to criticize and discriminate against blacks. It also exposes to whites images and perspectives about blacks that have long been considered off limits in the context of what has been considered politically correct. His questions are pointed and direct. His images are graphic. He not only challenges blacks to come to terms with their own ideals and values but challenges the larger dominant white culture to examine its own morals and culture because it is far from innocent in this matter of where the responsibility rests.
Does manhood mean something different for Blacks than for Whites?
What has Hip Hop drawn from the broader American Culture in defining manhood in its crass curse-filled lyrics, violent and mean attitudes toward women, and its seeming lack of any sense of civility in its glorification of gangsters, thugs and pimps? How does the genre define the black man and why do black men use such symbols in defining themselves? Should whites be blamed? What do black women think about all this? Can they be held responsible?
What is the impact of slavery on black males in their relationship with black women?
Just Peace: A Message of Hope
Mattie J. T. Stepanek with
Jimmy Carter
ISBN: 0740757121
Hardcover, 224pp
March
2006
Andrews McMeel Publishing
“If we choose to make peace an attitude and a habit, then a just peace will become a reality.” -- Mattie J. T. Stepanek
A Review by Paul Barrow
It should never be forgotten that our greatest role models, our greatest heroes, and our strongest leaders often emerge from the depths of weakness, pain and sorrow rather than from the heights of pampered privilege and exclusivity. There is something about suffering and deprivation that has the ability to move us to the center of our life, to the very core of what we believe and trust in, and to what we believe is most valuable and important.
A child, for example, who is forced to realize that he will probably die before he turns 20 no doubt cultivates a very unique perspective of what human life is worth and what is important. When Mattie Stepanek saw, at the very tender age of 3, that his last surviving brother didn't get out of bed, didn't wake up, and then saw his body lying stiff in a coffin, with the helpful encouragement of a wise mother, he picked up a pen and began writing down his thoughts. Those thoughts were gradually transformed into poetry that became the subject, before his own death at the age of 13, of seven books, several of which, under the common theme "Heartsongs," have become New York Times bestsellers. The last two, including Just Peace, have been published posthumously.
But even more important to recognize is the fact that Mattie's focus and writings turned away from his own inevitable fate and instead to the more precarious and less certain fate of the world he saw around him. Just Peace reached bookstores this past month and represents the remarkable effort of this young boy, just barely a teenager, to formalize a vision he had come to define as a “mosaic” of colors and flavors of people.
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He himself was severely handicapped with a disease that was ultimately to take his life, but he realized at the same time that despite his weaknesses, he still had something to contribute to humanity. Despite his condition, he had a special gift to offer to the world and that all people, in their own special way, represent a mosaic of qualities and talents, each bringing something unique, special, perhaps even divine and necessary for the good of all mankind.
While popular culture attempts with the aid of science and other resources to manipulate and conjure a specific ideal of man, and to limit the contributions of those who are deemed not fit to participate fully in society, nature—and some believe God—follows a course that comes out of a larger sense of balance, a perspective, you might say, of the greater needs of the earth and the universe as a whole. Weakness in a nation as a whole obviously restrains a strength that would consume others. But that same weakness in individual human beings represents a truth that we must examine closely. The more powerful truth, of course, is that the human being is much greater than modern ideals of man permit him to be, and it is through the restraint of conventional human attributes that we are allowed to witness the greater breadth of human potential and the inner beauty that we are as manifestations of universal truth.
The wisdom and purity of Mattie Stepanek's voice which is inherent in his poetry calls out loudly to that sense of balance. There are few young boys who have had the vision and the ambition to have reached out to the world with their ideas, such as they are at a young age, and to have actually made an impact. To have had seven books published including the collaboration on one of them with a former president, with his works read in public by Maya Angelou and featured on many television programs and talk shows by people like Oprah and Larry King is no small feat for anyone, let alone a thirteen-year-old. It is some evidence that when one comes to the center of who one is, there is a power and truth in what is discovered that can move mountains.
Jimmy Carter says in his Forthword (a term coined by Mattie), “More than anyone else I've ever known, he has been able to comprehend his own inner feelings, to extrapolate them with a unique resonance for the understanding of other people, and then to embrace in his brilliant mind the challenges and opportunities of the entire world.”
The truth is that most of us are near-sighted. We can see the close-up detail but we can't make out the larger picture because it's too large and too complex. That very problem became apparent for most of us in trying to sort out the causes and significance of the World Trade Center attack. Our country became caught up in the immediacy of our shock and pain at watching these buildings and along with it the nation's pride come tumbling down with dozens jumping to their death on national television. We reacted not with intelligent study and planning and a carefully measured thrust at the causes which in fact were here right at home but like children striking out emotionally, in deep pain, blaming the enemies we had created through years of failed foreign policy, completely oblivious of the consequences.
Yet in his poem "For Our World," written on the very day of the September 11, 2001, disaster, this young boy, with so much greater perception, wrote:
We need to stop.
Just stop.
Stop for a moment….
Before anybody
Says or does anything
That may hurt anyone else.
We need to be silent.
Just silent.
Silent for a moment…
Before we forever lose
The blessing of songs
That grow in our hearts.
Consequently a lot indeed has been made about Mattie Stepanek. A park currently under construction in Rockville, Maryland, at King Farm is being named in his honor, complete with a large bust of the boy's likeness. Many scholarships and awards have been named in his honor, including the Intergenerational Caregiving Scholarship, sponsored by the Rosalynn Carter Institute, and the Mattie J. T. Stepanek Peacemaker Award given annually by the We Are Family foundation. A pediatric intensive care unit of Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., also currently in the planning stages, is also being named in his honor. Mattie's family was also Catholic. A proposal has been introduced by a group of Catholics associated with the Holy Rosary Parish in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, who are seeking to have Mattie certified as “St. Mattie of Hope and Peace.”
Just Peace was intended to be something much different from what it turned out to be. It was to be a collection of interviews with people Mattie most idealized as peacemakers. In an email to former President Jimmy Carter, whom he greatly admired and with whom he was collaborating on this last book, he outlined a list of people he felt the two of them should interview. Mattie had arranged them in several categories: Political leaders, spiritual leaders, civil and human rights advocates, humanitarians (celebrities), humanitarians (artists), nature and earth advocates and also ordinary citizens. They included people such as Carter himself, United Nations Secretary General and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Kofi Annan, Coretta Scott King, wife of Martin Luther King, Oprah Winfrey, Jerry Lewis, Tenzin Gyatso, also a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, the Dalai Lama of Tibet, Nelson Mandela, a Nobel Peace Prize recipient and a victim of apartheid in South Africa, poet Maya Angelou, Jane Goodall, and many others. It was an ambitious project that Carter himself became personally involved in. A letter Carter wrote to Mattie on December 17, 2002, after the former President received the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway, says, “After I received the Nobel Peace prize, I walked out of the City Hall, climbed a small adjacent hill overlooking the sea, and found this rock. Nearby was an ancient castle, a statue of Franklin D. Roosevelt, and a memorial sculpture that I helped dedicate in 1995 to the Norwegian people for their work in bringing pace to the Middle East. I felt that you were with me in spirit.” He enclosed a small stone with an inscription “Nobel Site, Oslo , Norway , 12/10/02 .”
Because Mattie Stepanek who suffered from dysautonomic mitochondrial myopathy, a rare and fatal form of muscular dystrophy, died before any of these interviews were conducted, the book instead, edited by his mother Jeni, includes a collection of essays written by Mattie about his vision as a peacemaker, emails exchanged with Jimmy Carter, more poetry and many photographs of Mattie sharing moments in activities and with people he most admired.
Mattie has been called a genius and it is fair to say that he probably was. It's difficult to deny the presence of a certain degree of brilliance in being able to accomplish what he did and continues to do even after his death. But the word implies a great deal that may obscure rather than to accurately characterize the facts. We think of genius as a special gift that cannot be acquired but is rather something innate that you are born with. The problem with that thesis is that it causes us to abandon a search for other clues about the reason he reached the conclusions he did and just how he had such great determination and focus to do what he did. We tend to believe that without such innate genius it is not possible for others to do the same thing. And while all these efforts to enshrine the memory of Mattie Stepanek are noble and well-intentioned, as with every person who has distinguished himself with greatness in words and deeds, including that of Jesus Christ, Mattie's person and character are in danger of becoming more important than his message. We must never forget that it was his message and not his genius or his celebrity that was most important to him. Those who want to honor Mattie ought most to be considering not shrines and sainthood but efforts that actually do lead to peace. Most importantly for all of us as individuals we should never forget these words: “If we choose to make peace an attitude and a habit, then a just peace will become a reality.” It is the personal responsibility of each one of us to carry that forward every hour and every day even as we encounter differences and outright hostility. For every problem we have to believe that there is a peaceful solution.
A Cappella Goes Pop Minnesota Group Becoming a National Sensation
Wednesday, April 19th the group TONIC SOL-FA performed at the Belcourt Theatre at 2102 Belcourt Ave. Nashville, TN, to a receptive audience who found that this a cappella group lived up to its reputation for having a lively and exceptional approach to the art of performing without instruments.
The group has made appearances on programs as diverse as Prairie Home Companion and NBC's Today Show, has also been named a top-five finalist for the national “Contemporary Artist of the Year” award for the fourth year in a row, according to their Web site and has been voted one of the top-five “must see groups on the college circuit” by Campus Activities Magazine.
With the cooperation of Aristomedia and the kind use of their conference room, HotMedia interviewed the group while they were in town. The interview was videotaped.
Immigration and the Dirty Bomb Scare What are We to Fear Most? by Jonathan Franks
The immigration issue has certainly aroused a great deal of concern and hostility in America. What troubles Americans clearly seems to be embedded in the age-old problems of rich vs. poor, privilege vs. the underprivileged, jobs, race and prejudice. When it is mixed with talk of securing our borders at a time when we have most infuriated our enemies, the issue, however, becomes somewhat diffused. It's like which side of the mouth are we talking out of. Although some of us would seem to have compassion for the undocumented poor, the idea that there exists an imminent invasion of people on the one hand looking for jobs and another group somehow disguised as Mexicans carrying dirty bombs using the flaws in our southern borders or even the immigration issue as a smokescreen for wreaking havoc on America is indeed troubling.
While fear mongers would have us believe that the threat of dirty bombs is real and that Arabs or other Middle Eastern types could in fact disguise themselves as poor mestizos sneaking through tunnels under the Rio Grande, the technology has been around for awhile and the possibilities for carrying out such deeds quite real. That it hasn't happened is most likely evidence that those enemies capable of orchestrating such an attack have not had such a plan – at least not a workable one. It's been eight years since Bin Laden issued his fat wa calling for the death of all Americans wherever and whenever they could be found. If it was going to happen, it should have happened already. This doesn't mean that it won't. We have made some very serious enemies during the terms of both President Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. But what it does mean is that those who would plan such an evil deed are not lined up at our borders waiting to get in.
What is patently stupid anyway is the idea that all our worst enemies are outside the country trying to find a way in. Our worst enemies are not the poor who want jobs and are willing to become slaves to corporate greed in order to feed their children. Even if they were to become suicidal and decided to strap on bombs and walk into crowded theatres, these are not the people we need to be most worried about. Our worst enemies are men with money, men with resources, men with great ambition who have the power to tap into the hate that this country engenders everywhere on the globe. These are the men capable of obtaining the material necessary to create a dirty bomb and who could access an organized network of men who have committed themselves to destroying America . And the fact is that we ought to be aware that such men probably already exist within the borders of the United States . The last election has made clear that we live in a deeply divided country, and those at the extreme edges of the opposition living within our own country undoubtedly number in the thousands.
I haven't the slightest idea how difficult it would be to obtain radioactive material because it's never been on my shopping list and I've never seen it on the shelves at Home Depot. But a lot apparently disappeared into the black market after the breakup of the Soviet Union and several nations known now to be exploring their nuclear options obtained a lot of it. Where it all went is anyone's guess and the ease in obtaining just enough to pack in a suitcase loaded with a conventional explosive is probably fairly good for anyone with sufficient resources, particularly those small countries who don't like being pushed around by an angry aggressive American Big Brother. Shipping a radioactive package into the U.S. is apparently very easy – probably much easier than it is for a poor Mexican to cross the border. The number of packages actually scanned for nuclear material that are entering the U.S. is a miniscule fraction of all that come in. As such the likelihood of such an event is not a matter of if but a matter of when. We live in an era when dirty bombs have become not only a real possibility but a real threat.
Let's face it. We are an aggressor in the world. We are not making friends. We are rapidly making more and more enemies at a time when we need to be especially kind to our neighbors. Making war on nations whose religious and cultural differences with us are deep is the last thing we should be doing. Accepting our fate in a global environment for better or worse where such differences exist is something we must all face squarely and deal with it intelligently and compassionately.
Then what about our immigration policies? If the enemy is already here, why are we not allowing more people to enter the country legally who want and need jobs? Isn't that the more cogent issue? If U.S. employers so badly depend upon such cheap labor and the U.S. economy can benefit, then just what moron is in charge of these policies? Let's open the gates and let them in.
You don't agree? Then perhaps the problem is really about race, about brown-skinned people becoming a hoard re-populating the face of America with Spanish-speaking children who cannot and probably will not uphold the values and traditions and heroes of an Anglo-Saxon heritage. They'll cite the pledge of allegiance in Spanish? Hmmm. They want families with a dozen children, they want to drive low-riding Chivvy pickups with the Mother Mary pasted on the rear window and embroidery hanging all over the place, with every sort of after-market toy they can find attached to the lights and running boards, fenders and windshields they can find, and they will go to the supermarket, all twelve of them, all at the same time and crowd the supermarket aisles with Spanish chatter you can't understand, and they will take your job at McDonalds and your job at the concrete plant and your job as a dishwasher and run your ugly white skinned ass right back to the Caucasus or wherever you came from.
Isn't that what you fear?
It's kind of funny in a way. The total population of Mexico as of the CIA World Fact Book 2006 estimate was
107,449,525. That's precisely one third of the current population of the U.S. So even if the entire population of Mexico, 20% of which are, by the way, of European descent, came rampaging across the border, they would not outnumber us and they could not outvote us.
We currently have 11 million Mexican residents according to current estimates. That's only 3% of the U.S. population. We could absorb another 11 million and still not be affected culturally or economically with any significant impact by such numbers. Isn't that a little like the proverbial elephant running from a mouse?
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More than 3.4 million people have been affected by conflict in the Dar fur region of Sudan. UNICEF is providing desperately needed food, shelter and medicine for children and families living in overcrowded refugee camps. Donate now to support UNICEF's work for the children of Sudan.
Farmer John's Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables
Gibbs Smith, Publisher Announces Release of Companion Book to the Film “The Real Dirt on Farmer John,” recent winner of the Slow Food Int. Film Festival Golden Snail Award for Best Documentary.
May 2, 2006 — The fascinating companion book to the award-winning documentary “The Real Dirt on Farmer John” (directed by Taggart Siegel), Farmer John's Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables (Gibbs Smith, $29.95, Paperback, 1-4236-0014-2, 360 pgs; June 2006 ) takes folks out of the supermarket and onto the farm. Including savory recipes and preparation tips for more than 35 fresh vegetables (more than 200 recipes), this book offers menu ideas to last through the year.
With recipes grouped by season and by vegetable, cooking tips, serving suggestions, and evocative descriptions of each dish, Farmer John teaches readers new ways to use basil, cabbage, tomatoes, or whatever is plentiful. Also included in the book are tips on long-term vegetable and herb storage and preservation methods (such as freezing, drying, canning, and lactic acid fermentation). Farmer John's Cookbook is an invaluable resource on growing, cooking, and storing real food.
Farmer John's Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables is much more than just a cookbook. It features color photographs of the vegetables growing in the fields, and of the crew harvesting, washing, and sorting. It builds relationship with the vegetables, and deepens the understanding of the farm on which they are grown. Ranging from reverent to hilarious, it features stories, fresh insights and unusual revelations by nutrition experts (such as Rudolf Steiner and Louise Frazier), shareholders, farm workers, and Farmer John himself.
About Farmer John and his Farm
Lifelong Illinois farmer John Peterson runs Angelic Organics . With 1300 shareholders, it is one of the largest Community Supported Agriculture farms in the United States. John makes public presentations about farming to groups and conferences worldwide, and has recently been on tour in support of the companion movie “The Real Dirt on Farmer John.”
The film "The Real Dirt on Farmer John" documents the dramatic failure of Farmer John's conventional farming operation and its resurrection into a thriving, organic CSA farm! The critically acclaimed feature documentary has won 19 awards at film festivals worldwide. Check out the movie, now showing in select cities. A shorter version of the film will air on PBS on Tuesday, June 13. Visit www.AngelicOrganics.com for more information on theater screenings and the PBS airing.
Additionally, Farmer John will soon be releasing two books which comprise the story upon which the film “The Real Dirt on Farmer John ” is based . They are Farmer John on Glitter and Grease: Short Stories on and off the Land and Farmer John's Uneasy Autobiography: I Didn't Kill Anyone Up Here. Check www.AngelicOrganics.com after May 20 for release updates.
The United States, Israel, and the Possible Attack on Iran By Stephen Zunes
A
Regular Feature from Foreign
Policy in Focus,
A think tank without walls,
a joint program of International Relations Center (IRC) and
Institute for Policy Studies (IPS).
With even mainstream media outlets like the Washington Post and The New Yorker publishing credible stories that the United States is seriously planning a military attack on Iran, increasing numbers of Americans are expressing concerns about the consequences of the United States launching another war that would once again place the United States in direct contravention of international law.
The latest National Security Strategy document published earlier this year labeled Iran as the most serious challenge to the United States posed by any country. This should be an indication of just how safe the United States is in the post-Cold War world, where the “most serious challenge” is no longer a rival superpower with thousands of nuclear weapons and sophisticated delivery systems capable of destroying the United States, but a Third World country on the far side of the planet which, according to the latest National Intelligence Estimate out of Washington, is at least 10 years away from actually producing a usable nuclear weapon. Furthermore, Iran has no capacity to develop any delivery system in the foreseeable future capable of landing a weapon within 10,000 miles of our shores.
However, despite the fact that there is no evidence that Iran is even developing nuclear weapons in the first place, the Bush administration and Congressional leaders of both parties argue that simply having the technology which would make it theoretically possible for Iran to manufacture a nuclear weapon at some point in the future is sufficient casus belli . As part of his desperate search for enemies, President Bush claimed in January that a nuclear-armed Iran would be “a grave threat to the security of the world,” words that echoed language he used in reference to Iraq prior to the 2003 invasion of that oil-rich country. Meanwhile, Vice President Dick Cheney vowed “meaningful consequences” if Iran did not give up its nuclear program and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton claimed there would be “tangible and painful consequences” if Iran did not cooperate.
The Washington Post quoted White House sources as reporting that “Bush views Tehran as a serious menace that must be dealt with before his presidency ends,” apparently out of concern that neither a Democratic nor Republican successor might be as willing to consider a military option.
Not that he needs to worry about that. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, widely seen as the front-runner for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, accused the Bush administration in January of not taking the threat of a nuclear Iran seriously enough, criticized the Bush administration for allowing European nations to take the lead in pursuing a diplomatic solution, and insisted that the administration should make it clear that military options were being actively considered. Similarly, Democratic Senator Evan Bayh, another likely contender for the Democratic presidential nomination, accused the Bush administration of “ignoring and then largely deferring management of this crisis to the Europeans.” Taking the diplomatic route, according to Bayh, “has certainly been damaging to our national security.”
Despite the hostility of these two Democratic senators toward diplomatic means of resolving the crisis and the similarity of their rhetoric to the false claims they made prior to the 2003 invasion of Iraq that Saddam Hussein's government was a threat to global security and that diplomatic solutions were impossible, both Clinton and Bayh are widely respected by their fellow Democrats as leaders on security policy.
Indeed, in May of 2004, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution with only three dissenting votes calling on the Bush administration to “use all appropriate means”—presumably including military force—to “prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.”
As with the lead-up to the invasion of Iraq, both Republican and Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill have tended to call witnesses before the relevant committees who would present the most alarmist perceptions as fact. Last month, for example, Patrick Clawson of the right-wing Washington Institute for Near East Policy testified before the Senate International Relations Committee that, “So long as Iran has an Islamic Republic, it will have a nuclear-weapons program, at least clandestinely.” None of the senators present, however, bothered to mention the inconvenient fact that under the secular regime of the Shah that preceded the Islamic Republic, Iran also had a nuclear program (which was actively supported and encouraged by the United States.) However, Clawson said that since a nuclear program was inevitable under the Islamic Republic, only by overthrowing the government—not through a negotiated settlement—would the United States be safe from the nuclear threat. He insisted, therefore, that “the key issue” was not whether an arms control agreement could be enforced, but “How long will the present Iranian regime last?”
The Risks from a U.S. Attack on Iran
With the ongoing debacle in Iraq, any kind of ground invasion of Iran by U.S. forces is out of the question. Iran is three times bigger than Iraq, both in terms of population and geography. It is a far more mountainous country that would increase the ability of the resistance to engage in guerrilla warfare and the intensity of the nationalist backlash against such a foreign invasion would likely be even stronger.
An attack by air and sea-launched missiles and bombing raids by fighter jets would be a more realistic scenario. However, even such a limited military operation would create serious problems for the United States.
The Washington Post , in a recent article about a possible U.S. strike against Iran, quoted Reuel Marc Gerecht, a former CIA Middle East specialist, as noting how “The Pentagon is arguing forcefully against it because it is so constrained” by ongoing operations in neighboring Iraq and Afghanistan. Similarly, the Post quoted a former Pentagon official in contact with his former colleagues as observing how “I don't think anybody's prepared to use the military option at this point.” Given that the growing opposition to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld 's handling of the war in Iraq within the leadership of the armed services, as expressed by a number of prominent recently-retired generals, would make a major military operation without strong support from America's military leadership particularly problematic.
Fears expressed by some opponents of possible U.S. military action against Iran that the Iranians would retaliate through terrorist attacks against American interests are probably not realistic. Indeed, Iran's control over foreign terrorist groups and its role in terrorist operations has frequently been exaggerated by American analysts.
However, there are a number of areas in which the United States would be particularly vulnerable to Iranian retaliation:
One would be in the Persian Gulf, where U.S. Navy ships could become easy targets for Iranian missiles and torpedoes.
Perhaps more serious would be in Iraq, where American troops are currently operating against the Sunni-led insurgency alongside Iranian-backed pro-government militias. If these Iranian-backed militias also decided to turn their guns on American forces, the United States would be caught in a vise between both sides in the country's simmering civil war with few places to hide. It would be difficult for the United States to label militias affiliated with the ruling parties of a democratically-elected government fighting foreign occupation forces in their own country as “terrorists” or to use such attacks as an excuse to launch further military operations against Iran. (Given that the Iraqi government is ruled by two pro-Iranian parties, recent charges by the Bush administration that Iran is aiding the anti-government Sunni insurgency are utterly ludicrous and have been rejected by the Iraqi government.)
A U.S. air strike would be a clear violation of the United Nations Charter and would be met by widespread condemnation in the international community. It would further isolate the United States as a rogue superpower at a time in which it needs to repair its damaged relations with its European and Middle Eastern allies. Even Great Britain has expressed its opposition to military action. Pro-Western Arab states, despite their unease at Iran's nuclear program, would react quite negatively to a U.S. strike, particularly since it would likely strengthen anti-American extremists by allowing them to take advantage of popular opposition to the United States utilizing force against a Muslim nation in order to defend the U.S.-Israeli nuclear monopoly in the region.
As a result, the negative consequences of a U.S. attack may be strong enough to convince even the Bush administration not to proceed with the military option.
Israel as Proxy
Though direct U.S. military action against Iran is still very possible, it is more likely that the United States will encourage Israel to take military action instead. In such a scenario, the U.S. officials believe that the United States would gain the perceived benefits of a military strike against Iran while limiting the damage to the United States by focusing the world's wrath on Israel. Fox News reported that Bush administration officials effectively told the Israelis that “we are doing the heavy lifting in Iraq and Afghanistan … and that Israel needs to handle this themselves.”
Israel has repeatedly demonstrated its willingness to violate international legal norms and—with U.S. veto power blocking the UN Security Council from imposing sanctions, and the United States providing vast sums of unconditional military and economic assistance to their government—its ability to get away with doing so. The Israeli government is convinced that the U.S. occupation of Iraq has radicalized the Iranian clerical leadership and that Iran, unlike Iraq in the final years of Saddam Hussein, poses a risk to Israel's national security interests. However, for reasons mentioned above, Israeli leaders have been reported to believe that the United States will not move militarily against Iran and that they will end up using their own forces instead.
An Israeli strike is not inevitable, however. Public opinion polls show that a majority of Israelis oppose the idea of an Israeli strike against Iran. Policy analyst Steve Clemons was quoted in the Washington Monthly as saying, “I have witnessed far more worries about Iranian President Ahmadinejad's anti-Holocaust and anti-Israel rhetoric in the U.S. than I did in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem … Nearly everyone I spoke to in Israel who ranged in political sympathies from the Likud right to Maretz left thought that … Israel thought it wrong-headed and too impulsive to be engaged in saber-rattling with Iran at this stage.” He added, “Israeli national security bureaucrats—diplomats and generals—have far greater confidence that there are numerous potential solutions to the growing Iran crisis short of bombing them in an invasive, hot attack.”
There is no indication that Iran would ever contemplate a first strike against Israel or any other country. Iran, like other Islamic governments in the region, has used Israel's repression of the Palestinians for propaganda purposes, but has rarely done anything to actually help the Palestinians. It is inconceivable that the Iranians would ever consider launching a nuclear attack on Israel—which possesses at least 300 nuclear weapons and sophisticated missiles and other delivery system that could totally destroy Iran—for the sake of the Palestinians, many thousands of whom would die as well. However, an Israeli attack could give Iran grounds for retaliation.
Despite these dangers, Israel—with U.S. encouragement—has long considered the possibility of an attack against Iran.
In the mid-1990s, prior to the election of the U.S.-backed Likud government of Benjamin Netanyahu to office, the peace process with the Palestinians was progressing steadily, a peace treaty had been signed with Jordan, and diplomatic and commercial ties with other Arab states was growing. With the prospects of a permanent Israeli-Arab peace, American arms exporters and their allies in Congress and the Clinton administration, along with their hawkish counterparts in Israel, began emphasizing the alleged threat to Israel from Iran as justification for the more than $2 billion worth of annual U.S. taxpayer subsidies for U.S. arms exporters for them to send weapons to Israel. Among these was an agreement to provide Israel with sophisticated F-15 fighter bombers. As the peace process faltered due to increased repression and colonization by Israel and increased terrorism from radical Palestinian groups and as reformists appeared to be gaining momentum in Iran, Israel began focusing upon more immediate threats closer to home, though deliveries of the F-15s continued through 2001.
Last year, however, the United States unexpectedly provided Israel with an additional thirty long-range F-15s at a cost of $48 million each. The United States has also recently provided Israel with 5000 GBU-27 and GBU-28 weapons, better known as “bunker busters,” warheads guided by lasers or satellites which can penetrate up to ten meters of earth and concrete to destroy suspected underground facilities. Reuters reported a senior Israeli security source as noting, “This is not the sort of ordinance needed for the Palestinian front. Bunker busters could serve Israel against Iran …” Israel also has at least five submarines armed with sea-launched missiles which could easily get within range of Iranian targets.
One scenario reportedly has Israel sending three squadrons of F15s to fly over Jordanian and Iraqi airspace, currently controlled by the U.S. air force, to strike at major Iranian facilities. The United States would provide satellite information for the attack as well as refueling for the Israeli jets as they leave Iranian air space for their return to Israel. The Sunday Times has reported that the Israelis have been “coordinating with American forces” for such a scenario. That same article described Israeli commando training operations at a full-sized mockup of Iran's Natanz nuclear facility at a military facility in Israel's Negev Desert and the dispatch of clandestine Israeli Special Forces units into Iran. Meanwhile, the Israeli Ofek-6 spy satellite is now reported to have been moved to an orbit over Iranian facilities.
As far back as April 2004, President Bush exchanged letters with Sharon in which he stated, in reference to Iran, that, “Israel has the right to defend itself with its own forces.”
Despite the widely-held tail-wagging-the-dog assumptions, history has shown that the United States has frequently used Israel to advance its strategic interests in the region and beyond, such as aiding pro-Western governments and pro-Western insurgencies, keeping radical nationalist governments like Syria in check and engaging in covert interventions in Jordan, Lebanon, and now Kurdistan. During the 1980s, Israel was used to funnel arms to third parties the United States could not arm directly, such as the apartheid regime South Africa, the Guatemalan junta, the Nicaraguan Contras, and, ironically, the Iranian mullahs. Israel's bombing of Iraq's Osirak nuclear reactor in 1981—despite formal criticism—was enthusiastically supported by the Reagan administration.
One Israeli analyst was quoted as saying in the Washington Post during the Iran-Contra scandal, “It's like Israel has become just another federal agency, one that's convenient to use when you want something done quietly.” Nathan Shahan wrote in Yediot Ahronot that his country serves as the “Godfather's messenger,” since Israel “undertakes the dirty work of the Godfather, who always tries to appear to be the owner of some large respectable business.” Israeli satirist B. Michael describes U.S. aid to Israel as a situation where “My master gives me food to eat and I bite those whom he tells me to bite. It's called strategic cooperation.”
Just as the ruling elites of medieval Europe used the Jews as money-lenders and tax collectors to avoid the wrath of an exploited population, the elites of the world's one remaining superpower would similarly be quite willing to use Israel to do their dirty work against Iran. That way Israel, not the United States, will get the blame. (In fact, there are those who blame Israel even when the United States takes military action itself, such as the various conspiracy theories now circulating that the U.S. invasion of Iraq was done on behalf of Israel.)
It Won't Work
A military strike against Iran, either directly by the United States or through Israel, will not likely succeed in curbing Iran's nuclear program. Indeed, it will likely motivate the Iranian government, with enhanced popular support in reaction to foreign aggression against their country, to redouble their efforts.
Iran has deliberately spread its nuclear facilities over a wide geographical range, with at least nine major locations. Even the bunker buster bombs may not fully penetrate a number of these facilities, assuming all the secret sites could be located.
The U.S.-backed Israeli raid of Iraq's Osirak reactor in 1981, according to virtually all accounts by Iraqi nuclear scientists, was at most a temporary setback for Saddam Hussein's nuclear program and ultimately led to the regime accelerating its timetable for the development of nuclear weapons until it was dismantled under the watch of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency in the early 1990s. Despite this, the Congress passed a resolution in 1991 defending Israel's action and criticizing the United Nations for its opposition to Israel's illegal military attack.
The only real solution to the standoff over Iran's nuclear program is a diplomatic one. For example, Iran has called for the establishment of a nuclear weapons-free zone for the entire Middle East in which all nations in the region would be required to give up their nuclear weapons and open up their programs to strict international inspections. Iran has been joined in its proposal by Syria, by U.S. allies Jordan and Egypt, and by other Middle Eastern states. Such nuclear weapons-free zones have already been successfully established for Latin America, the South Pacific, Antarctica, Africa, and Southeast Asia.
The Bush administration and Congressional leaders of both parties have rejected such a proposal, however, insisting that the United States has the right to unilaterally decide which countries get to have nuclear weapons and which ones do not, effectively imposing a kind of nuclear apartheid. In 1958, the United States was the first country to introduce nuclear weapons into the region, bringing tactical nuclear bombs on its ships and planes. Israel became a nuclear weapons state by the early 1970s with the quiet support of the U.S. government. To Iran's east, Pakistan and India have developed nuclear weapons as well, also with U.S. support: the Bush administration recently signed a nuclear cooperation agreement with India and has provided both countries with nuclear-capable jet fighter-bombers.
Located in such a dangerous region, then, it is not surprising that Iran might be seeking a nuclear deterrent. The United States and Israel do not want Iran to have such a deterrent, however, since it would challenge the U.S.-Israeli nuclear monopoly in that oil-rich region. In other words, what those in the Bush administration, the Israeli government, and the bipartisan leadership in Congress are concerned about is protecting the hegemonic interests of the United States and its junior partner Israel, not stopping the proliferation of nuclear weapons.
Such a policy does not protect the interests of the American or Israeli people, nor does it help the people of Iran and the Middle East as a whole. It remains to be seen, however, whether the American public will once again allow the Bush administration and the leadership of both parties Congress to successfully employ exaggerated stories of potential “weapons of mass destruction” controlled by an oil-rich country on the far side of the world to justify a disastrous war.
Stephen Zunes is Middle East editor for the Foreign Policy In Focus Project ( www.fpif.org ). He serves as a Professor of Politics at the University of San Francisco and is the author of Tinderbox: U.S. Middle East Policy and the Roots of Terrorism (Common Courage Press, 2003).
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Egypt at 
monumental stone sculptures of Egyptian royalty and deities to such luxurious tomb furnishings as gold jewelry, ornate coffins, a model of the river ship of the pharaoh Amenhotep II, and a sarcophagus painted with scenes of the afterlife. Ranging in date from the New Kingdom (1550–1069 B.C.) through the Late Period (664–332 B.C.), the works in the exhibition are divided into four sections: the King and Society in the New Kingdom, Tombs of Nobles, the Royal Tomb, and the Realm of the Gods. Also on view will be a full-scale reconstruction of the tomb of Thutmose III, as well as an educational exhibition on the ancient practice of mummification, which will include both human and animal mummies. 
An Inconvenient Truth
The Real Dirt on Farmer John 
More than 3.4 million people have been affected by conflict in the Dar fur region of Sudan. UNICEF is providing desperately needed food, shelter and medicine for children and families living in overcrowded refugee camps. 
Farmer John's Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables