contributions

by Judi McLeod
abble rousers, heading for Ottawa to boo Bush in a fever pitch, should be handed a world map.
They are touting their November 30-December 1 mass protest against Bush’s state visit to Canada as "his first international trip since his re-election."
Latin America’s Chile and Colombia are countries where a re-elected Bush was visiting when activists were getting ready to converge on Ottawa.
"Emergency" meetings have been called, paint pots and cardboard being dragged out (…)

by Michel Chossudovsky
Introduction
For nearly two years now, Ottawa has been quietly negotiating a far-reaching military cooperation agreement, which allows the US Military to cross the border and deploy troops anywhere in Canada, in our provinces, as well station American warships in Canadian territorial waters. This redesign of Canada’s defense system is being discussed behind closed doors, not in Canada, but at the Peterson Air Force base in Colorado, at the headquarters of US (…)

Bellaciao chatterers, Roberto and Thomas
Nov 5th, 2004, in a bar in Menilmontant (Paris):
– Hey Manu, we meet all the time, we’ve been having good time and playing music together for many years now* but we haven’t been making a real interview for a long time! We could talk about the coming out of your book? In addition we have a great Dictaphone! (4bits-22kHz...) But, maybe it’s better to do it another day, more relaxed?
– Yeah brother, tonight it’s late! But tomorrow is Fahrenheit (…)

By Pepe Escobar
Najaf was bombed in August. Samarra was bombed in September. Sadr City was bombed in October. Fallujah was bombed in November. Mosul may be bombed in December. And Kirkuk may be bombed in January.
This is the calendar in the runup to the Iraqi elections set for January 30 next year. Then there will be another set of questions. Will the Iraqi elections be stolen? Will votes "disappear"? Instead of Florida or Ohio, will there be demands for recounts in Fallujah and Samarra? (…)

Thank You:
Thank You for those who shed light on darkness everywhere,
Who give everything of truth for us to see.
Thank You for the freedom those before left us,
That we have the light given us to see.
Thank You for our needs being met,
In whatever manner that may be.
Thank You for every moment of peace in our lives,
And the many more there will yet be.
Thank You for the gift of snow’s pure white,
That replenishes so much life for the coming spring.
Thank You for the love (…)

The people of Ukraine have the courage to stand up in the face of a stolen election. Will Americans have the same determination?
By Askold Krushelnycky in Kiev
Ukraine’s contested election took an extraordinary turn yesterday when Viktor Yushchenko, the opposition leader, declared himself president before parliament as 200,000 of his supporters marched on the presidential palace.
"Ukraine is on the brink of a civil conflict," Mr Yushchenko warned, the day’s dramatic events unfolding (…)

by Jane Stillwater
You should see my inbox. "You lying liberals are the scum of the earth. I hope you die."
Last night I got another threatening phone call. The red state cult Christians do NOT like us blue states at all. And the feeling is mutual. "The Confederate states suck eggs. How can 59 million Americans be so dumb!"
This bickering is not a luxury we can afford. Right now, we are like some self-important mice trying to beat each other up — while the cat just stands by and (…)

New Mexico Declares Winner in Presidential Poll
The final piece in the U.S. election puzzle fell into place on Tuesday when New Mexico became the last state to determine a winner in the Nov. 2 presidential poll, saying George W. Bush won the sparsely populated state.
In its official tally released on Tuesday, Republican Bush beat Democratic challenger John Kerry by 5,988 votes, Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron said. The final tally was 376,930 for Bush and 370,942 for Kerry. (…)

MoveOn mobilized hundreds of thousands before the election. This weekend, almost 20,000 people met to tell them what they should be doing next. But can they turn all that energy into a unified progressive vision?
by Rachel Neumann
The waiting list was long; only a lucky 60 people found their way to this San Francisco location on Sunday, Nov. 21. With a friend in common - the progressive online organization MoveOn.org - conversation came easily; they converged on the San Francisco loft, (…)

Ritt Goldstein
John Zogby, president of the polling firm Zogby International, told IPS he has been calling it "the Armageddon election" for about a year. Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader believes the Republican Party was able to "steal it before election day."
STOCKHOLM, Nov 18 (IPS) - John Zogby, president of the polling firm Zogby International, told IPS he has been calling it "the Armageddon election" for about a year. Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader (…)