From Shaila Dewan's "Relative Says Mrs. King Had Minor Stroke:"
A minor stroke caused Coretta Scott King, the civil rights matriarch, to be hospitalized on Tuesday, a family member said Wednesday.
"She had a light stroke," said Christine King Farris, Mrs. King's sister-in-law, adding that she was awake and surrounded by family members.
"I've stayed with her," Ms. Farris said. "We're very close. Her spirits are good."
Mrs. King, 78, has a heart ailment, atrial fibrillation, and has canceled several public appearances in recent months, citing poor health. She was also briefly hospitalized in April.
We'll also note Matthew Rothschild's "One Cheer for Sharon" (The Progressive):
Yes, this same Sharon has now done what colonial powers ultimately find themselves forced to do: He has pulled out of at least some of the Occupied Territories, alienating his rightwing base in the process.
And I know, I know, his decision to expel the settlers from the Gaza Strip has all sorts of ulterior motives.
Gaza was impossible for Israel to patrol, for one thing.
Even after pulling out, Israel still reserves the right to raid Gaza at will.
And Gaza isn't nearly as important to Sharon and the settlers' movement as the West Bank.
Finally, pulling out of Gaza, in Sharon's mind anyway, may be designed to freeze the peace process in "formaldehyde," as his former spokesperson let on a while back. (For an excellent rundown of the limitations of the Gaza pullout, check out a new posting on MADRE's website.)
But Sharon's motives, as Israeli peace activist Uri Avnery notes, are not the important thing today.
We'll also note John Nichols' "Cindy Sheehan's Tragic Critics" (The Nation):
The pro-war pundits who continue to defend the occupation of Iraq are freaked out by the fact that a grieving mother is calling into question their claim that the only way to "support the troops" is by keeping them in the frontlines of George W. Bush's failed experiment. Bush backers are horrified that Sheehan's sincere and patriotic anti-war voice has captured the nation's attention.
What the pro-war crowd does not understand is that Cindy Sheehan is not inspiring opposition to the occupation. She is merely putting a face on the mainstream sentiments of a country that has stopped believing the president's promises with regard to Iraq. According to the latest Newsweek poll, 61 percent of Americans disapprove of Bush's handing of the war, while just 26 percent support the president's argument that large numbers of U.S. military personnel should remain in Iraq for as long as it takes to achieve the administration's goals there.
The supporters of this war have run out of convincing lies and effective emotional appeals. Now, they are reduced to attacking the grieving mothers of dead soldiers. Samuel Johnson suggested that patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel. But, with their attacks on Cindy Sheehan, the apologists for George Bush's infamy have found a new and darker refuge.
Scheduled topics for Democracy Now! today include:
We speak with Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) who is calling for an investigation into the role of former Attorney General John Ashcroft in the outing of undercover CIA operative Valerie Plame.
Jailed Haitian priest Gerard Jean-Juste has reportedly almost died after collapsing in his cell on Sunday. We speak with his attorney, Bill Quigley, who recently visited with him.
And remember that the Un-Embed the Media tour continues:
* Amy Goodman in Hopland, CA:
Sat, August 20
TIME: 3:30 PM
10th Annual Sol Fest Benefit
Solar Living Center
Hopland, California
Tickets: $20/day or $30/weekend
For more information, visit
http://www.solarliving.org/solfest2005.cfm
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
