"No dried fruit for you... Haha, funny story"

I work for a major health insurance company. I work alongside a number of people from India on H1-B visas, who are consultants hired on a temporary basis. This is a form of guest worker program in the hi-tech industry, where highly skilled technical workers are brought in from places like India, paid wages half of what it would cost to hire an American, and once their contract/visa expires are sent back. These workers are some of most exploited sections of the workforce. They get paid in stipends here, and a salary in Indian rupees in India by the consulting firm. The really complicated projects are thrust on them and they are expected to complete them in the 6 months they are hired for. You’d find these folks often here late into the night, coordinating with their Indian counterparts on off-shore projects etc. Vijay Prashad calls them “cyber coolies” and that’s an apt term. There are also non-Indian consultants who work here from IBM etc., who work on systems and network issues.

My job has nothing to do with what these folks do. We operate out of completely different departments. But that doesn’t prevent a number of my colleagues from mistaking me for a consultant. I’m routinely asked by someone, “So when is your visa up…” “When you going home?” “You seem to have been here longer than most, what’s your deal?” I patiently explain to them, “No. I’m not a consultant.” “No I’ve lived here for quite some time, and know no other home, etc.”

The company recently has been working extra hard trying to improve their public image. Apparently polls show American rate their trust in health insurance companies on par with Big Oil, and Tobacco. Anyone who’s seen Sicko knows why. So every year they go through an elaborate exercise of “giving back to the community.” A fall charity fund-drive intended to showcase their credentials as a “community investor.”

So yesterday, a colleague, a management type, was walking around with her two little cute children, handing out a leaflet and a little packet of dried fruit compliments, encouraging associates to contribute to the charity drive. They went by everyone’s cubicle.

I like kids. I’d love to be a teacher someday. I wanted to talk to these kids and was thinking about picking on the Red Sox shirt one of them was wearing. (Me being a Yankee fan and all.) But they came by my desk and just went passed me. I figured may be she was just distributing it to people in her department. Then she went to a colleague sitting behind me, who works in my department and gave him the leaflet and dried fruit. Now I was curious. Did she not see me? They didn’t even make eye contact….

I forgot about it, and later when walking around I noticed none of the consultants had gotten one. Well not quite… none of the Indian consultants that is. Everybody else got one. So now some questions ran through my mind:

1) Did she pass me by because she thought I was a consultant?
2) Can consultants not give to charities?
3) Why does she assume all consultants are Indians?
4) Why does she assume all Indians are consultants?

I figured she was operating on all of the above assumptions. I find this unsettling. Not to make a mountain out of a molehill, but it is just another example of a pattern. I’m sick of this second class treatment of workers, who have few to no rights at work, no opportunity for growth, no just remuneration for the work they do.

This is just one instance amongst many. The different treatment is evident all around; it’s a matter of everyday practice. But the part that is most troubling is how oblivious my White counterparts are to these issues. To them the Indian consultants are nothing more than competition that is here to outsource/in-source their jobs. Often there are complaints about the smelly food these people eat. There are quiet jokes about how they dress… “Did you see the tight pants he was wearing…?” The bathroom conversations about the “exotic chicks.”

If working for corporate America is soulless enough, the continuous reinforcement of “other” debilitates any sense of unity among white collar workers. In the meantime the company sends us propaganda material everyday instructing us we are all “One Company. One Team.” That is between the CEO, executives, management, native workers, and immigrants we are all one team with shared interests.

I brought up the “no dried fruit for the Indians” incident with a bunch of my friends at work, and the response uniformly was, “haha, what a funny story.” I didn’t realize I was joking.

20,000 Rally in Jena: A New Civil Rights Movement

AP Report on how Jena 6 march echoes 50s, 60s.

This is the what a mass movement looks like. 20,000 people descended on Jena, LA demanding justice -- a town with 3500 people. Buses were organized from as far as Chicago. Many Georgia school students and faculty protested in support by wearing black shirt with the numeral 6 on it. Even in CT we had solidarity demonstrations by students in Stamford and Bridgeport. http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=7105263. Add to this the victory in Texas where a Republican Gov. Perry commuted Kenneth Foster's death sentence. For years now a movement against the criminal injustice system, a new civil right movement has been underway. It was tempered by post-Sept.11th security climate, but has now returned with Jena being a flash point. Do people know of reports elsewhere?

Antiwar Report: Aug 25, 2007: Kennebunkport

Throughout the Fall, The Radical Rancor will be providing you with periodical, special coverage reports and analysis of the antiwar movement. A solid majority of Americans, over 70%, now oppose this war. But opposing the war is one thing, and actively opposing the war is another. I think we have an opportunity now to win sections of this solid majority over to taking a stand against the war, and bring them into the ranks of the antiwar movement. At least that is the task facing antiwar activists in the coming months. Fortunately a number of demonstrations are planned for the fall, and we have an opportunity to plug new people into activism.

More than 4000 people protested at Kennebunkport, Maine, against the war in Iraq. The protest was designed to ruin Bush's vacation, while he sunbathed in his beach-side mansion facing the Atlantic Ocean. Lucky for him, he also owns a ranch in Texas and found that to be a better hiding spot from us. Whether he was there or not, yours truly and his fellow antiwarriors decided it was time for some action.

The demonstration was a whole lot of fun. Cindy Sheehan inspired me the moment I got there by speaking of her fight to bring down pro-war house majority leader Nancy Pelosi (D). Cynthia McKinney, who is considering a Green party bid in '08, called for a "fundamental change in the U.S.," drawing a clear connection between the war abroad and at home. Followed by a downer from Rep. Dennis Kuccinich (D) who called for an international gang of thugs... I mean... "peace keepers" to take over colonizing Iraq for a little bit, while the U.S. "redeployed" to neighboring countries to catch its breath. PUKE!

The signs at the demonstrations, were mostly hand made, mostly liberal. Lot of healthy anti-Bush sentiment. Support for Kuccinich, even that jack-ass Ron Paul (R) (a few signs), but they cheered for anti-imperialist speakers and liberal speakers alike. My sense was the crowd had a good mix of liberals and the Left, most of the Left in one or the other organized parties or coalitions.

I marched for the most part with the CAN contingent, which was quite spirited and organized. I don't know what could be better than chanting "Free Free Palestine,..." with S.O.N. by your side.

It was a bizarre demonstration though, unlike any I have attended. Here we were, in this resort town, in the middle of multi-million dollar estates, over looking the beach, holding a protest. Our march tread through many a front lawn of folks that were too rich to given a damn about what we wanted to say. We inconvenienced them for sure; so that was a pleasure. Maine is also about as White as Bush's pale bare-ass. I raised the chant, "What do we want" "Estate Tax!""When do we want it," "Now!" But people thought I was joking.... And the police cut off our initial march route, so we wouldn't get near the Bush compound, so the march organizers sent us on a detour that was a few miles long! I was exhausted, sun burned, dehydrated.

The most inspiring moment for me though was towards the end of the rally when we met up with the Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) contingent that stood on the side of the road, having led the march, waving people back into the rally-site. The crowd led a spirited chant, "We support war resisters / they're out brothers, they're our sisters." IVAWarriors joined in the chant pumping their fists in the air! Everybody was high-fiving each other, shaking the hands of IVAW and Vets for Peace veterans excitedly... and my morale was filled up, full-tank; you could sense others felt the same. These people are the real leaders of our movement. They clearly understand better than anybody else what this war is all about. I had some fantastic discussions with a few of them, who all had an advanced understanding of the U.S.'s imperial project and understood what it would take to end this war. They found the scope of things staggering, a bit frustrating. But these people are actively organizing. They deserve our every support, and we should organize in our communities just as vigorously.

Overall I thought the rally was a good pre-season warm up for the East Coast activists. Not a terrific performance but not bad. They all seemed energized to go back and bring out more the next time. To me that's a success. There were new people there too, just not the 70% -- our target. Not yet.

The speakers towards the end of the rally were excellent. Too bad there weren't that many people left to hear them. The last speech I heard before leaving, was from Peter Kellman of the Southern Maine AFL-CIO. Couldn't have asked for a better conclusion. I have reproduced his speech below, thanks to Chris G. Maybe invite this brother to speak to your unions?

Peace Rally Speech - August 25, 2007 - Kennebunkport, Maine

by Peter Kellman, President Southern Maine Labor Council, AFL-CIO

Sisters and Brothers,

We are a people historically governed by a wealthy elite.

Governed by the people who had these fine houses built in

Kennebunkport with profits from chattel and now wage slavery.

Today we are told that if we want to be secure in our homes we

must fight in Iraq. In 1917 workers were told by the elite that

they had to fight in World War I if they wanted to live in an

industrial democracy. But 90 years ago when Congress declared

war, it effectively abolished free speech by enacting the

Espionage Act, which made it a crime to say anything that would

"discourage" enlistment in the armed forces. The American

Federation of Labor supported World War I. Today the AFL-CIO

opposes the War in Iraq.

Members of the Industrial Workers of the World (the I.W.W. or

"Wobblies") expressed opposition to World War 1. They were

harassed and jailed, and as a result, their union was decimated.

One of the jailed Wobblies was Ralph Chaplin, who wrote the

lyrics to Labor's anthem "Solidarity Forever." While in

jail, Chaplin wrote a book of poems called "Bars and Shadows." In

the introduction, economist Scott Nearing explained why the

Wobblies were singled out for persecution:

Long before the war, the I.W.W. had made itself known and feared

for its conduct of strikes; its free speech fights, and its

ability to put the sore spots of American industrial life on the

front pages of the daily press…It was in the domain of

industry that the I.W.W. was functioning, and it was among the

business interests that the determination had been reached to rid

the country of the organization at all costs.1

The best-known of the many jailed for violating the Espionage Act

was labor leader Eugene V. Debs, who helped organize the American

Railway Union, the Socialist Party and the I.W.W. He had been

jailed earlier by the U.S. Government for leading the Pullman

strike of 1894.

Debs was sentenced to ten years in federal prison under the

Espionage Act for making anti-war speeches. Debs a Socialist,

knew that there was a direct connection between the American

capitalist system and the wars waged by the United States.

Sisters and Brothers if we are to end this senseless, never

ending series of wars - pursued by the ruling class, we must end

the economic system that denies us fundamental rights. A system

that promotes competition and greed at the expense of cooperation

and love.

A labor leader once described war as a situation where workers

are on opposite sides - of the same gun.

It is time for the Workers of the World to stop building guns and

start building bridges, bridges of steel and bridges of

cooperation.

My opposition to the Viet Nam War started in 1964. I remember

some of the activists of that day saying we would not be able to

stop the war in Viet Nam, but if we kept at it we might be able

to prevent the 7th Viet Nam.

The activist of that day played an important role in stopping the

Viet Nam War - it took 11 years - and maybe we stopped the elite

from pursuing a certain kind of war for awhile, but the seventh

war after Viet Nam has come and gone.

By my reckoning this is at least the 10th.

Sister and brothers we need to END this War.

We need to Impeach Bush and Cheney.

And we need to make our voices heard across the land that the

American system based on competition and greed needs to be

replaced with a system based on cooperation and love, otherwise

when this war ends there will be another, and another and

another.

Sisters and Brothers, the System needs to be impeached and the

ruling elite sent packing by the common people.

The swords must be melted down into photovoltaic cells.

Cooperation must replace competition.

Love must replace greed.

Word count - 683

Copyright by Peter Kellman 2007

pkellman@psouth.net

207-676-3356

Sex-education, Morality, and Cultural Hegemony in India

Over the past couple of years a specter has been haunting India -- the specter of sex-education. The volume on this debate has been turned up so high, that it showcases all the tumultuous undercurrents in society that are attempting to define and shape the modern Indian civil society. This fight is a social one, dealing with the fundamental hypocrisies of Indian culture, and the many backward ideas that are widely accepted in society. In a country such as India with such mass poverty, and deep class polarization, the ruling class holds on to power through keeping the masses ignorant. It rules through a conservative ideology that reinforces antiquated notions of caste, gender roles, sexuality, parochialism, superstition, etc., that are constantly coming under attack from the changing realities of modern India. Liberal sex education threatens this cultural hegemony and opens up a debate on the true nature of Indian society.

The facts

The defenders of "traditional" Indian culture are shocked by the recent trends towards liberal views of sexuality. One study conducted in the Delhi and Lucknow areas shows 15% of young people engage in pre-marital sexual activity. Most do not practice safe sex. According to the study, "two common reasons given by youth for not using condms are that they are hestitant to obtain them (39.3 percent) and fear side effects (34.3 percent)." A recent India Today poll found 1 out of 4 urban women claim to be sexually active. 40% of women Indian women have never heard of AIDS

India currently has the second largest population of individuals living with HIV/AIDS. 5.7 million Indians are known carriers of the virus and the number is estimated to reach 20 million by 2010. 86% of those affected contracted the virus through sexual contact. 1/3 of all new HIV cases are among youth between ages 15-29. The problem once contained to the urban population is now spreading even more rapidly in rural India. Studies show lack of awareness as a major cause for the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS amongst the rural population. To this we must add the fact that nearly 600 million people lack access to adequate health care, and the significant disparity between urban and rural healthcare centers. Another factor is the phenomenon of displaced rural workers entering city slums for employment and coming in contact with sex workers. The lack of good health infrastructure combined with ignorance of the population is spreading the AIDS epidemic.

**

The Program and its Critics

Confronted with these facts, the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) in combination with the World Health Organization (WHO) advanced an Adolescence Education Program (AEP) to be included in secondary education curricula.

This program has been instituted in many Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) schools -- which are mostly private, urban, institutions catering to the urban middle classes – and has been operationally successful. This sector of Indian society is generally liberal and supports AEP.
The situation is different among government schools, and state-run schools, mainly registered by the urban poor, and the rural communities, which are understaffed and under-funded to say the least. Here there is real opposition from principals, to teachers, to parents. A conservative “traditional” ideology captivates this sector.

Add to this situation, the hyper-ventilating political institutions. A holy alliance of the Hinduvta Right and the Stalinist Left, has found common ground in condemning the introduction of sex-education as a “western cultural import,” bent on spreading the “scourge” of homosexuality and vulgar culture upon an “innocent” Indian society.

Six states have already banned the curriculum including Kerala and West Bengal ruled by the Communist Party of Indian (Marxist) (CPM), and Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh (MP) ruled by the Hindu nationalist Barathiya Janata Party (BJP).

MP Chief Minister Sivraj Singh Chouchan declared that the central “government had devaluated Indian culture and its values."

"Instead, the younger generation should be taught about yoga, Indian culture and its values.” [I think that’s a fantastic idea! Free yoga classes for all!]

The Karnataka Chief Minister boldly declared, “Sex education may be necessary in Western countries, but not in India, which has rich culture. It will have adverse effect on young minds, if implemented.”

Apparently Indians don’t care for sex as much as the perverted Westerners, because, people in “culturally rich” India reached their one-billion strong population not by fucking but by… ummm… adopting?!

But the rancor from the Left isn’t much different. The Hindu reports on a demonstration by Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI), a Stalinist organization, through its student front groups AIDSO & AMISS:

Raising slogans and carrying placards, the protestors demanded that the
government reverse its decision on introducing sex education at school level.
They said the move would fill the minds of adolescent students with all sorts of
perverted thoughts in the name of making them aware about the dangers of various
diseases.

What does the Teacher’s Manual Say?

They all complain the education material is too graphic with illustrations and vulgar language.
Listening to all this chatter, you’d think the curricula included a viewing of hardcore porn followed by a group masturbation session. So let’s look at the offensive material in question.

Here’s some of the text in the teachers manual that is heavily objected to:

"The four main kinds of contra-ceptives include: barrier methods (condoms,
diaphragm); methods that prevent the ovary from releasing the egg (birth control
pills, Depo-Provera); methods that destroy the sperm cell — creams/foam/jellies
(which contain spermicidal agents like Nonoxynol 9 etc); and methods that
prevent the fertilized egg attaching to the uterus (IUD, Copper-T)" — From the
chapter ‘How can I protect myself’

"If you are having penetrative sexual
(vaginal, oral and anal) intercourse you should be using a condom. You need to
use a condom correctly every time you have sexual intercourse. Young people need
to either stop having penetrative sexual intercourse (you can continue to have
safe sex, like mutual masturbation, touching, rubbing, etc), abstain completely
from sex or use a condom." — (ibid)

"During vaginal intercourse a man puts an
erect penis into the vagina. Following ejaculation, semen containing millions of
sperm enters the uterus through the vagina. If the ovary has released an egg —
then the sperm may encounter the egg in the fallopian tube. A woman is fertile
for about 24 hours after an egg leaves an ovary and is in the uterine tube…" —
From the chapter ‘What is Conception’

Everything stated above is a fact. It is simply good advice on sexual behavior, which is the point of AEP, to educate the science of sexuality. There are no value judgments in the above. What these people are objecting to then is the very utterance of words like “condom” in public as vulgar, as contrary to an imagined Indian puritanical culture. This is nothing but pandering to ignorance, denying reality, and supporting an unjustifiable set of ideologically-defined culture!

Child Abuse and AEP

Other objections are about instruction intended to prevent sex abuse, how to report molestation and rape, and how to defend and protect onself. It also teaches adolescence about abortion, masturbation, and homosexuality.

Homosexuality is widely unrecognized in India and is shunned even in Left ideology as “western-decadent-bourgeois-ideology.” The level of repression against homosexuality only mirrors the equally oppressive family structure that confines and restricts the role of women as well. Sexual abuse of women and children is rampant, but largely unreported or not prosecuted. Especially when it happens in “trusted” settings; Anita Ratnam makes a staggering argument about child sexuality, abuse and (un)development:

Another fear is that sex education will provoke children to become sexually
active. The truth, however, is that children too (not just adolescents) are
sexual beings. Their explorations of their own bodies and childhood sexual play
with friends and siblings has been recognised as normal and not dysfunctional
behaviour. In a society where we squirm to openly acknowledge even adult
sexuality, Childhood Sexuality has remained a taboo and an enigma. At the same
time, the sexual abuse of children by adults is now recognised as
endemic.
The study by Samvada, Bangalore in 1994 and National Study conducted
by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, UNICEF and Save the Children in
2007, both note that child sexual abuse in India begins as early as age five,
increases dramatically during pre-pubescence and peaks at 12 to 16 years. A huge
21 percent of respondents reported severe sexual abuse like rape, sodomy,
fondling or exposure to pornographic material and 53% acknowledged other forms of sexual abuse with over 50% of the abusers being known and trusted adults.
Most of those abused emphasize that they did not understand what was being done
to them. A misplaced trust in "family" or respected elders and the abusers'
confidence that the child will not be able to comprehend or disclose the abuse,
have set the stage for such abuse and trauma. By not providing sex education
that is age appropriate and sensitive to social structures, governments are
compromising the safety and mental health of our precious children. [my
emphasis]

Clearly the reality and the gravity of the situation demands a comprehensive AEP program.

Shortcomings and Bigger Questions

But it is not enough. I think there are structural constraints here that aren’t being addressed, and the program is being set up for failure especially more backward environments.
For instance one objection I have heard that seems logical to me is that, how can we trust the same people that are involved in child abuse to address this issue. If teachers, and trusted adults are abusers themselves how can we teach children in an impartial way?

Another objection is an imagined setting of a communalized castized community where an upper-caste teacher teaches predominantly lower-caste students about sexuality. He conducts role play exercises suggested in the curricula using an upper-caste and lower-caste students.
Can you imagine the kind of communal violence that would set off…?

According to Anant, apparently women’s rights groups aren’t too enthusiastic about these proposals either. Mostly they have kept quiet. And other progressive education reformists argue that this program was drafted without their consultation and that they had already developed curriculum that could have advanced things in a culturally sensitive way. I haven’t seen these so I can’t comment on how they differ from what is proposed.

Okay, these objections might have some merit, but they only point to bigger questions of casteism, and power-relations, the student-teacher relationship etc., in India. I think this points to the way in which the whole debate raises questions about a who slue of other social issues that all have to confronted at once.

In defense of the AEP it has to be noted that it’s been successfully implemented in many parts of the country. In culturally conservative Tamil Nadu, the program has been in effect since 2006 and has been working effectively. Says S.S. Nathan of the Bala Vidya Mandir school, where my cousins studied:

Our AEP curriculum delivered by specially trained teachers covering topics like
drug and child abuse, internet pornography etc is introduced in class VI. But
children in classes VI-VIII are taught only the basics of these subjects while
class IX onward students are educated in HIV-AIDS prevention, safe sex and
sexuality. Initially the response of parents was lukewarm but now they have
accepted its necessity. The negative reaction of the Maharashtra and Karnataka
state governments to this programme is wholly unwarranted. CBSE’s adolescent
education programme is well-designed, easy-to-teach and child-friendly.

But my question is can this curricula be successfully implemented in schools that lack basic resources? For example, private schools have incorporated the latest teaching technologies and show videos on sexual reproduction; in public schools the pupils are asked to role play similar visuals. What I’m raising is an issue of lack of resources in school systems, both in terms of trained teachers, and material resources.

I think we have to acknowledge these complexities. But we should also be clear about where the most vociferous opposition to this is coming from and confront the “cultural warriors” head on.

Fight the Hindu Right

The objection from the Hinduvta Right is nothing but garbage. Writes Anita Ratnam:

While AIDs prevention might have led to a wake up call on sex education, the
need for sex education goes far beyond the contours of the AIDS problem. The
retrograde reaction from Hindutva bastions in the name of morality is therefore
both dangerous and distressing.

Why is there such a fear of acknowledging sexuality and the problems listed above? Historically, Hindutva ideologues and other conservatives have constructed the Indian cultural nation with the Hindu woman as emanating piety, chastity, devoted wifehood and motherhood and the
Hindu man as chaste and virtuous. As a response to colonial attempts to codify
and change personal laws and practices that violated human rights, revivalists
pressed for a subordination of domestic issues in the interests of "nation"
formation.

The revival of brahmanic patriarchy and control over men and women's
sexuality became central to establishing a national identity. Any domestic
issues were blithely obfuscated as culture and problems of women attributed to
rapacious, invader Muslims and thus externalised.

Today, attempts by our own government to address real problems caused by sexual ignorance are once again seen by these ideologues as "western" invasion that threatens our cultural
identity and morality. Are we willing to place honour of an imagined community
before basic human rights, desires and safety of our children and youth? Is this
morality?

The question of sex education, then, doesn’t just confront the mythologies on Indian sexuality, but also threatens the entire dominant ideological system, defined by the Right in the interests of maintaining hegemony. This is where it is crucial for an organized Left to put forward its own alternative visions.

Tailism of the Left

But sadly the Left has adapted to the prejudices of the backward masses and the Hindu Right, and feels unable to call the culture into question. As one Left activist explained to me, “we are from the masses, we love them, and we are part of them.” The Left instead of tackling all questions of sexual oppression thrown up by this debate, from women’s oppression, to child oppression, to castism, and parochialism, is abandoning the fight and painting its opposition in the colors of cultural anti-imperialism.

They do raise a valid criticism. Which is, the AIDS problem cannot be countered by sex education alone, but must be addressed through building up the health infrastructure, and through elimination of poverty -- the environment in which the epidemic spreads. Agreed! But why counter-pose education to these measures? Health education is part of the building of health infrastructure. The Left should use this debate as an opportunity to call the entire system into question. Instead of attacking the “vulgar sex” culture of the mass media, such as MTV, which is largely harmless sexism (sexism it is! Don’t get me wrong!), it should instead fight the real degradation of women and children in the form of sexual violence that is a reality! It must also connect this fight to economic struggles.

The Left should take NACO chief Sujatha Rao’s advice, “Some people are in denial that young people experiment with sex. They need to get real…. [Ask yourselves] are you more concerned about culture than the lives of young people?” The Left’s program should support Children’s Rights to a fair education, to a safe school environment, to make available the resources to provide exceptional education. It should call for expansion of the public school system, better training of teachers, and should connect this fight to the larger fight against sexism, casteism, and economic oppression. Unfortunately, the disparate sections of the Left, including women’s right groups, have been unable to rise to the occasion thus far.

**I can provide documentation for all facts and quotes in this article upon request. They weren’t included for brevity and because this is a blog entry. Where possible I have provided a link to my sources.

Only pawns in their game...

"Total war is the ultimate horrific expression of the world of alienated labour, in which human beings become dominated by the products of their own past activity."

-- Chris Harman, Explaining the Crisis (1984).
-----------

Suicide Rate in Army at 26-Year High

Ninety-nine U.S. soldiers killed themselves last year, the highest rate of suicide in the Army in 26 years of record-keeping.

Nearly a third of the soldiers who committed suicide did so while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, according to a report released Thursday. Iraq accounted for most of those -- with 27 of the suicides coming from that conflict and three from Afghanistan. Also, there were 948 attempted suicides, officials said, adding that they didn't have a comparison for previous years.

The report said the 99 confirmed suicides among active duty soldiers compares with 87 in 2005 and is the highest number since 102 were reported in 1991, the year of the Persian Gulf War, when there were more soldiers on active duty.

full story here.

---------------

Mental illness common among returning soldiers

High rates of mental health disorders are being diagnosed among US military personnel soon after being released from duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to investigators in San Francisco.

They estimate that out of 103,788 returning veterans, 25 percent had a mental health diagnosis, and more than half of these patients had two or more distinct conditions.

Those most at risk were the youngest soldiers and those with the most combat exposure, Dr. Karen H. Seal at the Veterans Administration Medical Center and associates report in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

full story here.

---------------

Eugene Debs, Canton Ohio Speech, June 16, 1918

....

They have always taught and trained you to believe it to be your patriotic duty to go to war and to have yourselves slaughtered at their command. But in all the history of the world you, the people, have never had a voice in declaring war, and strange as it certainly appears, no war by any nation in any age has ever been declared by the people.

And here let me emphasize the fact—and it cannot be repeated too often—that the working class who fight all the battles, the working class who make the supreme sacrifices, the working class who freely shed their blood and furnish the corpses, have never yet had a voice in either declaring war or making peace. It is the ruling class that invariably does both. They alone declare war and they alone make peace.

Yours not to reason why;
Yours but to do and die.

That is their motto and we object on the part of the awakening workers of this nation.

If war is right let it be declared by the people. You who have your lives to lose, you certainly above all others have the right to decide the momentous issue of war or peace.

...

Do not worry over the charge of treason to your masters, but be concerned about the treason that involves yourselves. Be true to yourself and you cannot be a traitor to any good cause on earth.

....

Down with Indian Nationalism!

Growing up in India, August 15^th of every year was always special. I would wake up at the crack of dawn, take a head-bath, put on nice clothes, usually a Kurtha -- one of the few occasions I got the chance to wear one -- and be all set to start the day.

My grandfather clad in a pure-White dothi and a somewhat Ujala purpled white-shirt would take me and my cousins to the Marina beach in Chennai for the Indian Independence Day celebration. We'd stop by the corner store to pickup a 4x2 inch paper flag and pin it to our shirts, right above our hearts.

First we stop at the Gandhi Memorial. At the entrance stood the statue of the hunched bald-man, sporting a cane, cleaned up for the occasion, so the white droppings of bird-shit wasn't visible against the black-stone. We'd place a garland; sometimes light a candle, in his memory, then walk over to the arena where the rally would be held.

The event would be packed with people, and an assembly of military officers in crisp uniforms can be found near the stage. The Chief-Minister or someother dignitary would hoist the flag, as a band would play the tune of “Jana Gana Mana….” I would stand proud in full-attention, my right hand secured to my forehead in salute. Immitating the military corp, I would mutter Tagore's words to the song, "...Vindhya Himachal Yamuna Ganga/ Ucchala Jaladhi Taranga/...." The tricolor folded cloth, stuffed with rose petals, would come unfurled to reveal its vibrant colors, the music would intensify, the breeze would make the flag whip and snap. I'd get goosebumps.

My grandpa would scold me as I would attempt to catch the rose petals with my mouth, "You don't know who touched that... where it's been... stop eating it!"

That would be followed by the candy. (Somehow this was safe to eat!) Little round rose colored chakra (sugar) candies with the Indian Chakra in the middle. Only one was allowed per person, but my grandpa would slip the candy-man a rupee or two and we'd all get fistfuls. High from the sugar rush, we'd head over to the beach, usually skipping the speeches that followed. Then off to Saravanabhavan for a splendid meal, replete with ice cream, and grandpa’s stories about his involvement in the Gandhian movement.

It was always thrilling to listen to these wild, exaggerated stories of how he kicked the British's butt. (Also about how his father-in-law was a traitor because he had worked as a forest officer for the British.) How his friends hoisted the Indian flag in the middle of the night on top of a central British police station in Salem. How he refused to bow-down to Mountbatten when he saw him drive down Beach Road, and was beat up by the police for chanting “Vandemataram.” He would tell us about the first time he met Gandhi... how India was the first country to put an end to British colonialism (turns out the Americans were first!)... and how we should pride ourselves as a people. "Never forget you're an Indian first," he would tell us.

You see being an Indian patriot for my grandfather meant anti-colonialism and Nehruvian Socialism that followed it. It meant a tradition and a history of struggle, and a commitment to economic justice. For me it meant standing up for ones dignity against racism, it meant not feeling ashamed because we were once a colonized people, but feeling proud that we overcame. As a child it left an indelible mark on me. I loved India. I was an Indian, a proud one.
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Even after I became radicalized in the American setting, I never overcame this patriotism. The Indian flag represented to me even then a symbol of resistance. Although I became aware of the brutality of the class struggle in South Asia, I always felt India was still a country that had just shed its colonial past and felt a loving affinity to the country, whatever its problems. Partly it was that, my fond childhood memories of India always assured me a safe-haven from the militarist, brutal, racist life in America.

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But over the past few years I have broken with this patriotism. It is bull shit! And I didn’t realize what a big problem this is! I realized my feelings also mirrored the nationalism of the Indian Left. There is something to be said about how people radicalize towards Marxism in India. Obviously, the anti-colonial movement weighs heavily on the development of the Left and so I see why the Indian Left can’t jettison its nationalism. But it’s about time that it did!

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What does it mean to salute the Indian Flag in 2007?

In 1947, the Indian Vice President, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan explained the flag's meaning this way:

“Bhagwa or the saffron colour denotes renunciation of disinterestedness. Our leaders must be indifferent to material gains and dedicate themselves to their work. The white in the centre is light, the path of truth to guide our conduct. The green shows our relation to soil, our relation to the plant life here, on which all other life depends.”

Let's break down what the tri-colors mean today.

Saffron – Opposite to its meaning, stands for unbridled greed of the Tatas and Mukesh Ambanis, corruption, capitalist “development” from the blood and sweat of millions. A recent survey found 320 million workers earn less than .50 cents a day. That's 1/3 of the Indian population. 85% of members of the backward castes fit this category. According to the UN, nearly 80% of the population earns less than $2 a day. 600 million people lack adequate access to health care. Half-of-all children under the age of 5 are malnurished... and on and on... I can go citing these figures. As Ganesh points out we have all become numb to this to some extent, but the numbers are staggering nevertheless.

The saffron today also stands for the might of the Hindu-right. It stands for the passivity of a country that stood by and watched the Babri Masjid get torn down, that saw 2 lakh Muslims displaced from their homes in the Gujarat pograms, and on going communal violence.

It symbolizes the growing objective and subjective conditions for fascism.

White -- might have stood for truth when Gandhi was experimenting with it, but it stands more for whitewashing away the truth.

I personally believed it stood for peace, for neutrality, representing the non-alignment movement's opposition to imperialism. The recent Indo-US nuclear pact has effectively brought that to an end. As Condy Rice instructed Indians, we are now part of the American global hegemonic framework, and we need to, “move past old ways of thinking and old ways of acting.”

I will write more about this horrendous nuclear-deal when I get a chance, but for a larger context read Sustar on Containing China.

Currently 450,000 Indian troops occupy the Kashmir valley, fighting “terrorism,” -- the biggest occupying force in the world. A recent Indian Express-IBN-CNN poll found 87% of people of Srinagar want azadi (independence). In other words, this isn’t even “independence day” for all Indians.

The collusion with U.S. imperialism and the Kashmiri occupation should decisively show to anyone on the Left that India can no longer carry the mantle of anti-imperialism but is itself an imperialist country!

The Left would do well to also move past old ways of thinking and acting.

Green – Used to represent the promise of land and agrarian reform, it represented a cultural connection to the soil, and prosperity. Today 90% of Indian farmers are land-less, working for large-agribusiness. Thousands of farmers have died from suicides unable to make a living. And the SEZ act has chopped-up thousands of hectares for sale to multinationals. When farmers resisted this land grab, the Left Front Govt, led by the CPM brutally crushed the uprising in Singur and Nandigram.

What then is left of this Indian flag? What are we to be patriotic about? Why should we celebrate it?

Sorry Mom! This year I’m not coming over to eat the gulab jamuns. No, I won’t call my relatives and friends in India to wish them a “Happy Independence Day.” No on India's 60th birthday, I piss on this country.

What's my name? Bonds, Barry Bonds!

Congratulations to Barry Bonds: The Home Run King!

Read Jesse Jackson on A True World Record

Dave Zirin on 756

Chris Rock on the Ruth -- good blog too!