Tonight at 7 PM
The Sixth Street Community Center
638 6th Street, between Avenue B & C
This is a 70-minute sequel to The Great Deception by Barrie Zwicker who was the first mainstream journalist in the world to go on air (in January 2002) and ask hard questions about the official story of 9/11. The Great Deception is a compilation of his series of seven commentaries on 9/11. In The Great Conspiracy, Zwicker updates and expands his critique. With the examples of historical precedents of the attacks of 9/11 we get a deep understanding of the imperial agenda that created the conditions for this act of state-sponsored terrorism. He analyses the use of fear to befuddle the public. He deconstructs the so-called "war on terrorism." He examines in depth the failure of the military on 9/11 and George Bush's highly inappropriate behavior that day. He finds the 9/11 Commission to be a total cover-up operation. You'll see the shocking evidence showing that the collapse of WTC7 was a controlled demolition. Throughout, he analyses the role of the mainstream media as complicit in keeping the public massively misinformed and befuddled. And he suggests what we can do. Since NYC was the scene of the crime, please bring friends and family so that we can create a broad-based consciousness of the forces shaping our aggressive military policy and police state conditions at home. ADMISSION IS FREE AND DONATIONS ACCEPTED.
WHAT BUSH DOESN'T KNOW
Bob Herbert / NY Times
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0725-21.htm
There is still no indication that the Bush administration recognizes the utter folly of its war in Iraq, which has been like a constant spray of gasoline on the fire of global terrorism. What was required in the aftermath of Sept. 11 was an intense, laserlike focus by America and its allies on Al Qaeda-type terrorism. Instead, the Bush crowd saw its long dreamed of opportunity to impose its will on Iraq, which had nothing to do with the great tragedy of Sept. 11. Many thousands have paid a fearful price for that bit of ideological madness.
QUOTE OF THE DAY ... If there is to be any peace it will come through being, not having. Henry Miller [writer]
FILMMAKER TESTS BOUNDARIES OF SCIENCE
By Claudia Parsons / Movie Review
Michael Bay, who directed Armageddon, likes big bangs, fast chases and fancy gadgets, but his latest movie, The Island, takes a new turn, addressing the pressing political issue of cloning and the ethics of science. Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson play two clones who escape from a secret institution. "I want people when they walk out of this movie to think 'If I could, would I want a clone?"' Bay told reporters while promoting the film in New York. "We all want to live longer but how far would you go? Would you be selfish enough to take someone's life to live longer?"
The movie starts with a view of Lincoln Six-Echo, played by McGregor, who lives with hundreds of other people in an apparently Utopian facility where everybody wears white and has their every move monitored and controlled. The residents live in hope of winning the lottery that will allow them to go to The Island, reportedly the last place on the planet uncontaminated by environmental disaster. Conversations with a technician played by Steve Buscemi awaken Lincoln's curiosity. He then discovers that his real purpose is to provide spare parts for rich and famous humans who have paid US$5 million ($7.4 million) to be cloned.
He and Johansson's character escape with a band of mercenaries in hot pursuit, at which point Bay gets to go to town on big action stunts and flashy chase scenes. Early reviews have been positive, though its echoes of films such as Logan's Run and The Matrix may irk some. "The Island starts off an aggressively derivative sci-fi thriller, then morphs into an above-average chase melodrama," the Hollywood Reporter said in its review, which also noted that the film was an "ethical horror story". "What's troubling from a political point of view is that these film-makers have, perhaps unwittingly, delivered a film certain to give succor to the religious right," it said.
Bay brushes off questions about the politics of his film, insisting he sees it as a "popcorn" movie aimed at entertainment rather than a contribution to serious debate about genetics or stem-cell research. Stem cells offer the potential for progress in curing diseases such as Alzheimer's. But because embryonic stem cells are derived from human embryos, which are destroyed in the process, the research has raised ethical issues and President George W. Bush has vowed to veto a bill expanding their use. "I've met several stem-cell researchers; it's amazing how they feel they can cure so many diseases," Bay said. "This film is just taking cloning in a science fiction way to the nth degree. It's just to open discussion," he said.
Several of the actors also said they did not see it as a cautionary tale against research. "I certainly hope we don't get to the point that we're cloning whole human beings and harvesting them for body parts but I do believe that stem-cell research should be funded and supported,” said Buscemi. "I hope no one would use this film to make the case against stem-cell research," he said. "Of course the technology is probably there. If we can clone an animal we can probably clone a human being. "Should we? No. But that doesn't mean we should stop research in trying to cure diseases."
Paul Levinson, a professor of media and communications at New York's Fordham University, said that historically, movie audiences had proved their ability to discern fact from fiction. "These kind of movies serve an important public service, which is getting these issues before the public in a vivid and dramatic way," said Levinson, author of five sci-fi novels.
British actor Sean Bean's character [photo at left] provides the most complex insights on the issue. He plays the director of the institute who pioneers the technology for birthing adult human clones, or "products" in the terminology of the movie. "He's standing up for science; it's a clash between humanity and science," said Bean, who played Boromir in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. "That's what drives him. It's not really a question of money. It's more the science and how far he can push the boundaries," Bean said. "I think he feels very good about what he's created. As far as he's concerned he's saving lives.”
Support Is Growing For Bringing The Troops Home -- Get Representative Nydia Velazquez (Or Your Congressional District Representative) To Push for Iraq Troop Withdrawal
Thirty Congressmembers have already joined a call for President Bush to come up with a plan for bringing the troops home. [Personalize message here at: http://action.truemajority.org/campaign/IraqExitStrategy Ask your representative to sign on, and make it count. Research proves that your words are almost ten times more likely to convince a Congressperson than a standard form letter. The resolution in Congress pushing President Bush to plan an Iraq pullout is gathering steam. You probably didn't hear about this in the newspapers last week, but it will be news soon. Now's the time to give this resolution a big push. Rep. Walter B. Jones Jr., Republican from North Carolina, led the way by introducing a bipartisan resolution calling for President Bush to come up with a plan by the end of this year to withdraw the troops from Iraq, and for the withdrawal to start no later than October of 2006. Rep. Jones became famous for changing the name of the french fries served in the congressional cafeteria to "freedom fries" when France came out against invading Iraq. He also represents Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, where many new recruits go for basic training, so it is significant that he is publicly breaking with Bush policy.
When we first alerted you about this opportunity, Rep. Jones had three other members of Congress as co-sponsors TrueMajority members sent 50,000 messages of support for the idea to Congress, and now the resolution has thirty co-sponsors, including some of the most conservative Representatives. This week, we and our friends at MoveOn, Working Assets, and other progressive groups are making a major push to double that number. Representative Nydia Velazquez has not yet signed on to support the "Homeward Bound" resolution. If you aren't yet a member of TrueMajority, or if you'd like to personalize the message, click here: http://action.truemajority.org/campaign/IraqExitStrategy
This is how quagmires like this end. First, public support drops, and polls already show that Americans' support for this war is declining. Next, Congress begins to pressure the administration to come up with a way out. That is what this resolution does. Finally, if the administration continues to fight calls for withdrawal, Congress pulls the plug on the money. That is how the war in Vietnam eventually ended. We understand that this resolution gives the Bush administration a long time to keep our troops in Iraq, but it is an important first step toward bringing them home. Not having a real exit strategy and timetable only helps the insurgents, who claim that we intend to stay. We need to get off that path if we want the people of Iraq to ever live in a stable, peaceful nation. Please share this message with anyone else you know who cares about peace. Message from Darcy Scott Martin in Washington DC.
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