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Target Iraq: What the News Media Didn't Tell You by Norman Solomon, et al.., released 1/27/03

ZNet interview with the author:

1) Can you tell ZNet, please, what your new book is about? What is it
trying to communicate?

The book is primarily an assessment of key lies and omissions in the
U.S. government's push toward war on Iraq. The subtitle -- "What the
news media didn't tell you" -- may be overly ambitious, since it would
take many books to cover all such relevant ground. But this book, which
I co-wrote with foreign correspondent Reese Erlich, focuses on central
aspects of the propaganda campaign that gradually made it possible for
the Bush II administration to be able to unleash a huge murderous
assault on people in Iraq. The book is trying to communicate that the
Bush team's media blitz in the United States was fueled by selective
(mis)information, and that the mainstream U.S. media generally
participated in the manipulation. Along the way, "Target Iraq" focuses
on the pivotal role of Colin Powell, who was praised in the fall of 2002
by many people who should have known better. Overall, the war on Iraq
has been made possible by pervasive mendacity from Washington and by
go-along-to-get-along reflexes in major media. To put the consequences
in human context, the book includes descriptions of what Reese and I saw
and heard during our visits to Iraq in late 2002.

2) Can you tell ZNet something about writing the book? Where does the
content come from? What went into making the book what it is?

Reese Erlich and I traveled to Iraq together in September 2002. There
were official meetings with Tariq Aziz and other high-ranking Iraqi
functionaries, visits to a children's hospital and more informal
gatherings. Reese traveled elsewhere in Iraq -- he's a very thorough
journalist and keeps asking questions everywhere he goes -- and in the
book he does a lot of original reporting on the effects of sanctions,
the grim aftermath of the Pentagon's use of depleted uranium during the
Gulf War in 1991, and attitudes among "ordinary" Iraqi people out of
earshot of Saddam Hussein's regime. I returned to Baghdad in December
2002, traveling with Sean Penn, and incorporated information and
experiences from that visit into the book just before it went to
press. The book includes a lot of content analysis of the U.S. media spin
during the crucial pre-war months -- in counterpoint to other available
information and the firsthand knowledge that we gained while visiting
Iraq.

3) What are your hopes for "Target Iraq"? What do you hope it will
contribute or achieve, politically? Given the effort and aspirations you
have for the book, what will you deem to be a success? What would leave
you happy about the whole undertaking? What would leave you wondering if
it was worth all the time and effort?

I hope the book provides intellectual and emotional support for stopping
the U.S. war on Iraq. We need to build an extremely strong antiwar
movement in a very short time. I think the "Target Iraq" book can
combine with other work, being done by many people, to help create
massive nonviolent resistance to Washington's war machine. Nothing would
please me more than seeing the book used as a tool to impede and stop
the Pentagon's activities of mass murder ordered by President George W.
Bush. The book was written in the spirit of a quote that appears in the
first chapter, from Albert Camus: "And henceforth, the only honorable
course will be to stake everything on a formidable gamble: that words
are more powerful than munitions."

A People's History of the United States:... by Howard Zinn, 1999 (20th anniversary edition) $35.00 (may be discounted 30%) Hardback (recommended due to thickness of book, but paper available); Harper Collins
Description:
Known for its lively, clear prose as well as its scholarly research, A People's History is the only volume to tell America's story from the point of view of--and in the words of--America's women, factory workers, African-Americans, Native Americans, the working poor, and immigrant laborers. As historian Howard Zinn shows, many of our country's greatest battles---the fights for a fair wage, an eight-hour workday, child- labor laws, health and safety standards, universal suffrage, women's rights, racial equality--were carried out at the grassroots level, against bloody resistance. Covering Christopher Columbus's arrival through President Clinton's first term, A People's History of the United States, which was nominated for the American Book Award in 1981, features insightful analysis of the most important events in our history.
Revised, updated, and featuring a new after, word by the author, this special twentieth anniversary edition continues Zinn's important contribution to a complete and balanced understanding of American history.

Hannah Arendt's The Origins of Totalitarianism, written shortly after WWII, examines Hitler's Germany and Stalin's Russia and outlines some of the primary characteristics of totalitarianism. $19.00 (may be discounted) Harcourt Brace, 1976;

Engaging the Powers: Discernment and... Walter Wink writes of discernment and resistance in a world of domination , Fortress Press, 1992. A Christian perspective on the force of Evil and its manifestation in the world. $23.00 (may be discounted) trade paper; (recommended by RitaW)

Empire by Michael Hardt, Antonio Negri; $19.95 (may be discounted), Paperback: 504 pages ; Publisher: Harvard Univ Pr; (recommended by Christian)

Wealth and Democracy: A Political History of the American Rich -- by Kevin Phillips; Hardcover; $ 29.95 (may be discounted)
Most American conservatives take it as an article of faith that the less governmental involvement in affairs of the market and pocketbook the better. The rich do not, whatever they might say--for much of their wealth comes from the "power and preferment of government." So writes Kevin Phillips, the accomplished historian and one-time Washington insider, in this extraordinary survey of plutocracy, excess, and reform. "Laissez-faire is a pretense," he argues; as the wealth of the rich has grown, so has its control over government, making politics a hostage of money. ...

The Best Democracy Money Can Buy: An... The Best Democracy Money Can Buy: An Investigative Reporter Exposes the Truth about Globalization, Corporate Cons, and High Finance Fraudsters -- by Greg Palast; Hardcover; $25.00

Stupid White Men ...and Other Sorry... Excuses for the State of the Nation!
by Michael Moore; $24.95 (may be discounted 30%); (recommended by Michael Moore)

Propaganda and the Public Mind by David Barsamian, Noam Chomsky; $16.00 (may be discounted 30%)
In this 2001 interview collection, Noam Chomsky offers insights into the institutions that shape the public mind in the service of power and profit. Whether discussing U.S. military escalation in Colombia, the attack on Social Security, the rise of HMOs, or growing inequality worldwide, Chomsky shows how ordinary citizens, if they work together, have the power to make meaningful change.

Cross Creek by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings; $14.00 (may be discounted 20%)
Originally published in 1942, Cross Creek has become a classic in modern American literature. For the millions of readers raised on The Yearling, here is the story of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings's experiences in the remote Florida hamlet of Cross Creek, where she lived for thirteen years. From the daily labors of managing a seventy-two- acre orange grove to bouts with runaway pigs and a succession of unruly farmhands, Rawlings describes her life at the Creek with humor and spirit. Her tireless determination to overcome the challenges of her adopted home in the Florida backcountry, her deep-rooted love of the earth, and her genius for character and description result in a most delightful and heartwarming memoir.

A personal note from June 2002:

June, 2002

Without getting too much into the details, I recently left my job with the state. My job had changed so much since JEB's administration began dismantling the state system, it was getting so I wasn't much good at it anymore anyway.

I can tell you that it felt like a thousand pounds went off my back the moment I walked out the door.

It had been difficult watching the programs that took us so many years to build, come crumbling down in little more than a year. My experience of leaving the Department of Corrections after 10 years this last April was like waking up from a nightmare.

I worked in substance abuse and mental health treatment in the prisons for most of that time, and spent the last 3-4 years in administration. Last year the legislature cut the funding for drug treatment in the prisons. About 80% of our treatment capacity was cut. Hundreds of jobs (mostly contracted positions) around the state were lost. This was not reported accurately in the press. I was later told that the program cuts were being denied by the administration and that was why the story was not reported.

In any event, with the substance abuse programs so severely cut back, my background as a therapist became less and less relevant to my position. And as my duties became more clerical and administrative in nature, I seemed to become less relevant to the Department.

I watched the slow but steady dismantling of my agency over the last few years with increasing horror. Changes were implemented, then changed again and re-implemented - each change involving relocation of positions and staff, and constant changes in duties and job assignments. People worked for over 3 years not knowing if they would even have a job the following month much less what it would be. All the while the mantra was "do more with less."

I watched people leaving the Department (voluntarily or involuntarily) and taking with them years of irreplaceable experience. More often than not they were replaced by people with little or no experience in their new positions. It seemed for a while that everyone was learning a new job, and no one knew what they were supposed to be doing.

As JEB's plans for state government, with its 25% employee reduction, its intentional increase of job insecurity, and its Orwellian name of "Service First" began to take shape, I waited for the press to begin its outcry. But there was none. It was all kept under wraps. No one was talking. In fact employees were strongly advised not to say anything to anyone about the current or impending changes in our agencies - nothing to anyone - under threat of losing our jobs.

There needed to be some way for the people to know what their government was doing. There needed to be some way for people to speak out without fear of losing their jobs.

It was then that Whoseflorida was born... almost a year and a half ago.

I've been covering the expenses and handling the webmaster duties for whoseflorida since it's inception. I wanted to keep "money" out of the production of the website as much as possible, and was pleased to have been able to keep it going without the need for any other funding. It's been a lot of work but it's been a real joy.

In many ways it's been my salvation - though there were times when I just wanted to hang it up. At just those very moments a sincere note of appreciation or a word of encouragement would appear in my mailbox. In time, there were some awards and recognition for the site as well.

However, I am not able continue supporting the production of whoseflorida by myself for much longer.

Thanks to the generosity of my good friend at Information Systems Consulting, the server space and bandwidth for whoseflorida is covered. Additional monthly costs to keep whoseflorida on-line remain relatively modest, but more than I can afford.

And, I'd like to do more than just keep it going. I've spoken with a number of people who have worked with whoseflorida over the last year or so regarding the direction we should take, and how we might be able to move forward. They advised me to ask the folks who use whoseflorida for both direction and assistance.

What would you like to see whoseflorida become? Will you help to support it? Do you have ideas about how we can get and maintain funding for this project?

I hope that we can use this space together to discuss some ideas.

Where do we go from here?

After "Service First" became a reality some 16,000 state workers moved to Select Exempt status (with no job protection). As workers became more and more afraid for their jobs (and overworked), the forums on whoseflorida became less active.

Yet the readership continues to increase (it's been as high as 1,500 visitors per day.)

After leaving my job with the state, I increased the number of news postings each day and have been working at archiving them along with reader’s comments on the appropriate topic and / or agency page. The daily news has been the most active single area of reader interest for some time now. Archiving the stories allows for continuity over time and helps to keep topics alive and avenues open for research.

UPDATE -- September 23 2002 - Autumnal Equinox

Thanks to those of you who have made donations, ordered shirts/bumper stickers, or otherwise offered your support. I appreciate your help.

Your comments and suggestions have been much appreciated.

Books

NEW - Someone suggested that we recommend books and have them available for sale. Order direct from the links on whoseflorida, and we receive a small % of the purchase price. The nice thing about this is that the buyer receives the same low price normally available from Amazon. So if you see a title you want to buy listed on WhoseFlorida, just click on the link and complete the purchase via the screens that come up. If you go wandering through Amazon.com before making the purchase, we lose the commission.

Money

So here's the financial picture as it currently stands:

To date (9/23/02), we have raised $161.00. It will take an additional $840 just to recoup the costs of the shirts and bumper stickers. Expenses continue, the old computer is getting clunkier, and so on...

Fundraising is not my specialty. So if anyone has any ideas about how we can raise money, don't be shy -- let me know.

Autumnal Equinox

Today is the Autumnal Equinox. This is the time for harvesting our crops, taking a look at our efforts over the last 9 months, and beginning to plan for the next season.

It has been a joy working and playing with you via WhoseFlorida. I believe our cause to be just, and our mission critical. For all of us who love Florida and who don't share the vision of our current administration, the time is short.

In one of his campaign speeches, Daryl Jones equated JEBush with a hurricane. And like a hurricane, the underlying forces that generate it are the core of the problem. Whether JEB leaves office or not, those forces remain. Left unchecked, they will continue to destroy the infrastructure of our state government so that there will be no regulatory agencies left to protect our environment, educate our children, care for our sick and infirmed, and otherwise safeguard the well-being of the people of Florida.

Without accurate information we, the people, cannot hold our government accountable. This is both our right and our responsibility. As long as we continue to forfeit this responsibility, we forfeit our rights as citizens and partners in shaping our world.

Since the passage of "Service First," WhoseFlorida has primarily focused on the election in November. We wanted to provide a balance to the administration's spin on it's record over the last 4 years. From our perspective, at least, things have not gone well for Florida. We wanted to establish a body of knowledge that would present our perspective. I think that with your help we have more or less done that. I hope that with your help we will be able to continue on.

So, where do we go from here???

Support WhoseFlorida

Letter to WhoseFlorida Readers (see support update 1/5/04)

Recommended Books

A personal note from June 2002:

UPDATE -- September 23 2002 - Autumnal Equinox