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Media Retreats from Iraq
Networks
execute their
own withdrawal
mercenaries, the squandering o f our
country's in te g rity and reputation,
th e c o lla p s e o fc iv il society, the bitte r
sectarian divides, the m ove by B ig
J im H ightower
O il to grab Iraq's reserv es o f crude,
and the adm inistration's ceaseless
A fte r six years, the m edia is fatigued
use o f censorship, propaganda, and
w ith the story. A s a C B S news pro­
lies to con tro l the news fro m Iraq.
ducer jx.it it: "O ne guy in u n ifo rm
Gosh, you 'd th in k that enterpris­
looks like any oth er guy in u n ifo rm ."
ing jo u rn a lists m ig ht pu ll a story or
Yeah, so w h y co ve r that?
tw o a day out o f that soup. But doing
A nd , indeed, A m erica's three big
PROMISES Op
UEEOEP neACirt CABe
T o HfcAOWizKi
ÌR AO. WAR VETERANS
the endless deaths o f Iraqi civ ilians,
H o -hu nt. T he war. Such a bore.
by
AFTER
BEFORE:
arrogance o f A m erica's corporate
so
w o u ld
A CAREER«, A
re q u ire
T V netw orks have q u ie tly been ex­
whatdoyoucallem s ? ( )h yeah, report­
ecuting th e iro w n staged w ithdraw al
ers.
fro m I raq. The evening newscasts o f
C BS, how ever, no longer keeps
A BC, CBS and N B C - where the great
even one fu ll-tim e reporter on the
m a jo rity o f A m ericans say they get
Iraq beat. M ea nw hile, none o f the
th e ir "n e w s"--h a ve m assively scaled
netw orks has a fu ll-tim e reporter in
back the ir coverage o f Bush's ongo­
A fg h a n ista n .
The conglom erate owners o f the
ing disaster in the desert.
In the first h a lf o f this year, the
netw orks g la d ly spend tens o f m il­
total tim e devoted to Iraq by all three
lions o f dollars to b ring a single T V
netw orks was o n ly IS I m in u te s-o u t
show o r m ovie to the public. But
o f approxim ately 11,(MX) m inutes o f
cover the war? Thai's lix> expensive
a irtim e available.
- and it's not nearly as fun o r p ro fit­
Is nothing going on over there?
N o, nothing's happening - unless
you count the constant deaths and
m aim ing s o f A m erican troops, the
shell ing out o f three hi I lion o f our tax
dollars every week, the everyday
able as a sitcom .
Jim Hightower is national radio
commentator, writer, public speaker,
and author o f Thieves in High Places:
They've Stolen Our Country A nd It's
Time to Take It Hack.
W M M W M M M M M M M l
Confronting Race Bias in America
idea o f e le ctin g an A fric a n A m e ri­
re g a rd in g race issues w o u ld be
teach that hum an beings operate
R e cen tly a W ashing to n Post-
can to the presidency. N e arly nine
e n ou gh ?
out o f a p s y c h o lo g ic a l system
A B C News P oll was h ig h lig h te d on
in ten w h ites said they w o u ld be
R a rely is it reported that an im ­
based upon e ith e r lo ve o r fear.
w a s h in g to n p o s t.c o m
in d ic a tin g
co m fo rta b le w ith a black president.
portant c o n trib u tin g fa c to r w ith in
W ith in the system where love is
that three in ten A m erican s ad m it to
W h ile v irtu a lly six in ten w hites
this m u ltila y e re d to p ic is the ro le o f
the g u id in g p rin c ip le , hum an be­
having a race bi as, w h ile nearly h a lf
said they w o u ld be " e n tire ly " c o m ­
system ic, in s titu tio n a liz e d racism .
in gs see th e ir con n e cte d n e ss.
suggested that A m e rica n race rela­
fo rta b le w ith it.
D u rin g the last tw o decades, a race
T h e y understand th e ir in te r- and
by
B entley
he B ardei . aben
tion s are in bad shape. As a person
Furtherm ore, a largely d e te rm in ­
message was perpetuated im p ly ­
intra-dependence and that in d i­
w h o has conducted d iv e rs ity w o rk ­
in g cause related to ho w the c o n ­
ing that a ll anyone had to do was
v id u a liz a tio n is taught as a false
shops fo r m any years, I am troub le d
versation o f race has been reg u­
pu ll them selves up by th e ir b o o t­
illu s io n o f the ego m in d.
that the A m e rica n p u b lic con sis­
la rly elevated w ith in o u r society
straps by fo c u s in g o n a g o a l.
How ever, w ithin a system where
te n tly oscilla te s regarding racial
fear reigns suprem e, hum ans vie w
p re ju d ice versus m a in ta in in g regu­
them selves in d iv id u a lly separate
lar forw ard m om entum away from it.
M o re o v e r as a professional co m ­
m u n ica to r. I am even m ore uneasy
w hen reading the phrase "a d m it to
h a v in g " w ith in the con text o f this
p o ll. W h a te ve r th e ir reason, how
m any people are not o p e n ly
Rarely is it reported that an
important contributing factor within
this multilayered topic is the role o f
systemic, institutionalized racism.
fro m
one a n o th e r.
T h e y are
thereby capable o f o b je c tify in g
others o r o f setting up false para­
d ig m s w here one gro u p vie w s
them selves as greater, better o r
m ore e n title d than "tho se people".
F urthe rm o re, I teach p rin cip le s
ac­
k n o w le d g in g th e ir feelings o f racial
has to do w ith w h o ’ s " d r iv in g the
"W o rk hard and success is a tta in ­
o f n e g o tia tio n , the im p ortan ce o f
pre ju dice ?
I f kn o w n , h o w w o u ld
bus” c a rry in g a race message and
a b le ." S eldom , i f ever, d id we hear
patience, deep liste n in g s k ills , and
that in fo rm a tio n a ffect the outcom e
w h a t’ s the outcom e o f the race
about the m any law s w h ic h have
the s ig n ific a n c e o f grace, w h ich
o f the poll'.’ A ls o w ith that k n o w n
message w ith w h ich the d riv e r! s)
undergirded A m e rica n society fo r
are set w ith in a co n te xt o f b u ild in g
in fo rm a tio n , w o u ld the p o ll de pict
hope the riders w a lk away. W o u ld
ce n tu rie s th a t in v is ib ly
c u ltu ra l p ro fic ie n c y .
six in ten A m erican s o r perhaps
fe a r o f those “ not lik e us" be the
W h ite A m e rica n s instead o f all
na te ly these are not u su a lly the
even nine in ten A m erican s?
intended goal? W hat about a m es­
A m erican s.
T hus B la ck. L a tin o ,
s k ills taught school aged childre n.
sage w h ich prom otes hope and unity
A sia n o r N a tiv e A m e ric a n s are
H o w e ve r, i f the goal is that we
been reported that there was o v e r­
am ong d iv e rs ity ?
O r perhaps a
n e ga tively im pacted and o fte n re ­
transcend race bias, then now is
w h e lm in g p u b lic openness to the
goal m ere ly c o n fu sin g the p u b lic
qu ire d to c le a r a d d itio n a l hurdles in
the tim e w e begin.
ord er to achieve a s im ila r level o l
B entley de Bardelaben is the
U nited Church o f Christ M inister
fo r Com m unications.
Y e t in a pre vio us Post p o ll it had
b e n e fit
success as W hites.
In m y d iv e rs ity w o rksh o p s, I
U n fo rtu ­
(NEW S E A S O N S J
M A R K E T
N O W D E L IV E R IN G
Y o u r fa v o r ite n e ig h b o r h o o d g r o c e r y s to r e n o w d e liv e r s
g r o c e r ie s r ig h t to y o u r h o m e o r o ffic e .
MllWWWWIliiWWWlil
US and Europe Owe Africa
Past promises
fall flat
by Ji ik . e G reg
A fric a n go vern m ents were sanc-
tioned fo r practices that w ere seen
as u n de m ocratic b y w est­
e rn
s ta n d a rd s .
These
sanctions o fte n c rip p le d
M athis
already s tru g g lin g econo­
A t th e ir m o st rece nt
mies.
m ee ting s, the G ro u p o f
Indeed, a ll o f A fr ic a ’ s
E ig h t o r G 8 , agreed to
spend $60 b illio n to fig h t
p r o b le m s
disease in A fr ic a o v e r fiv e
blam ed on co lo n ia lism and
cannot
be
years and re a ffirm e d c o m m itm e n ts
slavery. B u t, had A fric a n cou ntrie s
to d o ub le aid to the con tin e n t.
been able to c o n tro l th e ir natural
T he G 8 is an in fo rm a l fo ru m fo r
resources - g o ld in G hana, fo r e x ­
o f C anada,
am ple, o r diam onds in Sierra Leone
France. G erm any, Ita ly. Japan. Rus­
- the c o n tin e n t’ s o u tlo o k m ay not
sia, the U n ite d K in g d o m , and the
be so bleak.
th e
g o v e r n m e n ts
U n ite d States. T h e leaders o f these
M a n y M id d le Eastern countries,
nations m eet re g u la rly to discuss
by contrast, were la rg e ly able to
g lo b a l issues.
In the past, the gro u p p ro m ised
c o n tro l th e ir o il resources and have,
large sums to fig h t p o ve rty and
a p o s itio n o f p o w e r at the glob al
as a resu lt, m ove d them selves in to
im p ro ve health c o n d itio n s in A f ­
table. A fric a was never g ive n that
rica. but o n ly a sm all p o rtio n o f
o p p o rtu n ity .
those pledged d o lla rs have actu ­
K n o w in g this, the U n ite d States
a lly been paid out. There needs to
and the U n ite d K in g d o m should
be m ore than lip service g ive n i f real
lead the G 8, en suring they keep the
change is to happen in A fric a .
prom ises the gro u p has made. Such
T he U.S. and the U n ite d K in g ­
leadership is needed.
Hopefully, the next U.S.
president will not wait until the
end o f his term to take a stand
on aid to Africa.
do m should lead the w a y, m aking
C ritic s o f the G 8 S u m m it say the
sure they and the others d o as they
pro m ised funds fro m the recent
say. C o n sid e rin g the havoc these
m ee ting are n o th in g m ore than a
tw o nations have w reaked on the
rejreat o f an e a rlie r pro m ise, in c lu d ­
co n tin e n t, it is the least they can do.
in g a $3 0 b illio n c o m m itm e n t fro m
Years o f B ritis h c o lo n ia l and
the U n ite d States. It has been re ­
ne o co lo n ia l p o lic ie s stripped m any
ported that, in 2(X)6. the G 8 as a
A fric a n nations o f not o n ly th e ir
w h o le d e live re d o n ly h a lf o l p ro m ­
natural resources, but also th e ir
ised aid. T h e ir spending in 2007
a b ility to create an in fra stru ctu re
am ounted to less than one th ird o l
that w o u ld support fu tu re g ro w th
w h at they c o m m itte d .
President Bush, atten din g his
and de velopm ent.
The western slave trade also took
last G 8 S u m m it, seemed esp ecially
its to ll on the co n tin e n t; tribe s were
d e term in ed to m ake sure the gro up
forced Io capture and sell one an­
keeps its prom ises. H o p e fu lly , the
o th e r in exchange fo r guns and
next U .S. president w ill not w ait
oth er item s in tro d u ce d to the c o n ­
u n til the end o f his term to take a
tin e n t b y traders.
stand on aid to A fr ic a and w ill w o rk
G uns were e sp ecially im p o rta n t:
to m ake sure the G 8 S um m its lead to
w ith o u t them , e n tire tribe s w o u ld
action.
surely be fo rce d in to slavery. Even
Judge G reg M athis is national
vice president o f Rainbow PU SH
a n d a national board m em ber o f
the Southern Christian le a d ersh ip
Conference.
a fte r the slave trade ended and
m any co u n trie s gained th e ir in d e ­
pendence. they w ere s till subject to
the w estern rule and p o litic s . L o ca l
s\rhscribëf^3"-288'-ôÔ33>
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