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4 New Questions for This Year's Passover Dinner
Apr 02, 2003
Why is it that on all other Passovers we ask four questions probing the past, but on this Passover we ask four additional questions about the future?
After the U.S. "wins" the war, will Iraq become the new West Bank -- with suicide bombers and snipers targeting U.S. soldiers occupying another parcel of Arab land?
Will U.S. soldiers have to set up an Israeli-style roadblock and checkpoint system, and search vehicles, backpacks, even handbags to protect themselves and any U.S.-installed Iraqi regime?
After the U.S. military replaces Saddam Hussein's secular national dictatorship, will the mantle of opposition in Iraq and beyond pass to the more dangerous, transnational Islamist terrorists?
And will George Bush become America's Ariel Sharon, a leader whose blind bellicosity threatens to make Americans as unsafe as Sharon has made Israelis -- with the resulting insecurity, fear and anger helping Bush win reelection?
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
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Jeff Cohen
Jeff Cohen is an activist and author. Cohen was an associate professor of journalism and the director of the Park Center for Independent Media at Ithaca College, founder of the media watch group FAIR, and former board member of Progressive Democrats of America. In 2002, he was a producer and pundit at MSNBC. He is the author of "Cable News Confidential: My Misadventures in Corporate Media" - and a co-founder of the online action group, www.RootsAction.org. His website is jeffcohen.org.
Why is it that on all other Passovers we ask four questions probing the past, but on this Passover we ask four additional questions about the future?
After the U.S. "wins" the war, will Iraq become the new West Bank -- with suicide bombers and snipers targeting U.S. soldiers occupying another parcel of Arab land?
Will U.S. soldiers have to set up an Israeli-style roadblock and checkpoint system, and search vehicles, backpacks, even handbags to protect themselves and any U.S.-installed Iraqi regime?
After the U.S. military replaces Saddam Hussein's secular national dictatorship, will the mantle of opposition in Iraq and beyond pass to the more dangerous, transnational Islamist terrorists?
And will George Bush become America's Ariel Sharon, a leader whose blind bellicosity threatens to make Americans as unsafe as Sharon has made Israelis -- with the resulting insecurity, fear and anger helping Bush win reelection?
Jeff Cohen
Jeff Cohen is an activist and author. Cohen was an associate professor of journalism and the director of the Park Center for Independent Media at Ithaca College, founder of the media watch group FAIR, and former board member of Progressive Democrats of America. In 2002, he was a producer and pundit at MSNBC. He is the author of "Cable News Confidential: My Misadventures in Corporate Media" - and a co-founder of the online action group, www.RootsAction.org. His website is jeffcohen.org.
Why is it that on all other Passovers we ask four questions probing the past, but on this Passover we ask four additional questions about the future?
After the U.S. "wins" the war, will Iraq become the new West Bank -- with suicide bombers and snipers targeting U.S. soldiers occupying another parcel of Arab land?
Will U.S. soldiers have to set up an Israeli-style roadblock and checkpoint system, and search vehicles, backpacks, even handbags to protect themselves and any U.S.-installed Iraqi regime?
After the U.S. military replaces Saddam Hussein's secular national dictatorship, will the mantle of opposition in Iraq and beyond pass to the more dangerous, transnational Islamist terrorists?
And will George Bush become America's Ariel Sharon, a leader whose blind bellicosity threatens to make Americans as unsafe as Sharon has made Israelis -- with the resulting insecurity, fear and anger helping Bush win reelection?
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