Aug 17, 2002

PHILADELPHIA – Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.), running in an August 20 Democratic primary to represent her district after five terms in office and another vicious fight against her, announced at a fundraiser held in the Mount Airy section here that she is for justice for Palestinians and for Israelis. McKinney’s challenger is a handpicked candidate, supported by the Arab-Israel Public Affiars Committee (AIPAC), who converted from Republican to Democrat just in time for this election.

When Anne Patterson, U.S. ambassador to Colombia, called on the new government of ultra-rightist President Alvaro Uribe Velez to summon the reserves to fight against leftist guerrilla forces, Uribe’s minister of defense, Martha Lucia Ramirez, did just that on the following day.

Cuando Anne Patterson, embajadora estadounidense a Colombia, llamó a que el nuevo gobierno del presidente ultraderechista Álvaro Uribe Vélez de usar las reservas para combatir contra las guerrillas de izquierda, la nueva ministro de Defensa, Martha Lucía Ramírez, hizo exactamente eso el próximo día.

Republican House Majority Leader Dick Armey’s statements condemning George W. Bush’s rush toward a unilateral war on Iraq hit Washington like a thunderclap, drawing praise from peace groups that usually hammer him for his extreme rightwing views.

SEATTLE – After a several-block march along the Elliot Bay waterfront, 2,000 supporters and members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) rallied outside the Port of Seattle offices.

TEL AVIV – It would be too simple to blame Israel’s colonialist onslaught against the Palestinian people for the serious economic debacle Israel is experiencing at present. About one third of the country’s families, mainly the working class, are enduring enormous hardships, with officials admitting that a growing percentage of Israel’s children are going to bed hungry.

News Analysis

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. – A major victory was scored here last week, as Stanley Works withdrew its push to re-incorporate in Bermuda and avoid paying $30 million a year in U.S. taxes.

In a development the American Civil Liberties Union has called “surreal,” an Aug. 6 Salon.com report says the Department of Justice is forwarding incoming Operation TIPS calls to Fox TV’s “America’s Most Wanted” series.

Fortune magazine recently published its latest “Global 500” listing of the world’s 500 largest corporations, ranked by their sales (revenues) in 2001.