An Imperial Democracy - Mumia Abu-Jamal Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit source - Marpessa Kupendua AN IMPERIAL DEMOCRACY by Mumia Abu-Jamal May 30, 2002 "Somoza may be a son of a bitch, but he's our son of a bitch!" (Franklin D. Roosevelt, on Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Somoza.) There is something surreal about George W. Bush crowing to the world about "democracy," "freedom," and building a system "where every vote counts" in socialist Cuba. There is a place, 90 miles closer than Cuba, where the heralded "freedom" to meaningfully participate in a "democracy .. where every vote counts" is an illusion. We call that place -- Florida. For that deep southern state smothered "democracy" on Election day, as it used its armed state troopers, an intentionally defective computerized list, and obstructive election registrars, to suppress, void and scare off African-American, Haitian and liberal Jewish voters from exercising their "freedom" to vote. In light of the extraordinary lengths Jeb Bush's Florida went to, to insure the state's electoral votes went to big brother George, there is every reason to believe that the election was stolen. The present head of the U.S. empire is there because of the unwritten rules of dynastic blood succession, not because of a system "where every vote counts." Nor has the Bush administration (or any other U.S. presidential administration, come to think of it) ever given a tinker's damn about "democracy," at home or abroad. Consider, if you will, some of the prominent "allies" in the U.S.-declared 'War on Terrorism'; Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Pakistan, Jordan ... any democracies among them? Can we expect the president to demand "free and open elections," "freedom for political prisoners," or creation of a system "where every vote counts" in any of these nations? I don't think so. For these nations, run by princes or by military rule, keep oil flowing to U.S. tanks, and where there is a choice between human rights and oil, oil always triumphs. Any serious student of U.S. history must recognize that Roosevelt's observation about Nicaragua's dictator, Somoza, could be echoed by every U.S. president, up to the present president. There has not been a brutal dictator in the world who did not enjoy U.S. support, for they served U.S. interests when they suppressed national democratic movements to bow to U.S. big business; Cuba's Batista, Chile's Pinochet, Perus' Fujimori (and his U.S.-trained torture/intelligence chief, Vladimiros Montesinos, who doubled as drug-lord), Zaire's Mobutu, the Shah of Iran, Angola's Savimbi, Indonesia's Suharto, Marcos of the Philippines, Trujillo of the Dominican Republic, Pretoria's Botha, ... you name 'em, the U.S. once claimed 'em. They were all, at one time, "our sons of bitches." "Freedom," "democracy," "free and fair elections" are just words that have little meaning to an empire built on bombs, bullets, and CIA terrorism. It is but an imperial democracy. Copyright (c) 2002 by Mumia Abu-Jamal * JULY 4 LIBERATION DEMO FOR MUMIA AND AGAINST OPPRESSION WORLDWIDE On July 4th Secretary of State Colin Powell is being awarded the liberty medal. Last September Powell was scheduled to speak at the UN sponsored World Conference Against Racism. But the US decided not to send Powell, saying they didn't want to legitimize this world gathering by having him attend. They decided to send a low-level delegation to join the European and Israeli delegations. Then on Sept. 4th, after the conference had barely started the US delegation walked out, saying it could not tolerate discussion where Israel's intensifying brutality against the Palestinian people was being condemned.There was another reason for the walkout. The US knew there would be discussion of racism in the US - racial profiling, the death penalty, roundups of black and latino kids for prisons, the systematic mistreatment of the Native American peoples. They decided to leave before their long criminal record of past slavery and modern national oppression could be paraded before the world.So now Powell is getting a liberty medal? Not in our name! Let's walk into the future with Mumia -- not the US flunkies of the world! Next meeting is Thursday June 13th at the Friends Center 1501 CherrySt., Philadelphia. July 4th demo - at 10 am we will meet at Philly City Hall (W. Side)From there we will march and have a demonstration at noon. Phone number for contact-215-476-5416. We need people! We need banners! We need you! The Power of Truth is Final -- Free Mumia in 2002! CHECK www.mumia.org AND ITS LINKS FOR IMPORTANT ACTION ALERTS! PLEASE CONTACT: International Concerned Family & Friends of MAJ P.O. Box 19709 Philadelphia, PA 19143 Phone - 215-476-8812/ Fax - 215-476-6180/ E-mail - icffmaj@aol.com AND OFFER YOUR SERVICES! Send our brotha some LOVE and LIGHT at: Mumia Abu-Jamal AM 8335 SCI-Greene 175 Progress Drive Waynesburg, PA 15370 WE WHO BELIEVE IN FREEDOM CAN *NOT* REST!! ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytact-06.13.02-06:59:50-22632