Aristide's Lavalas Family party said it would register the Rev. Gerard Jean-Juste as its standard bearer next week, apparently ending a heated internal feud over whether to participate in elections -- the first since the bloody February 2004 uprising that helped topple Aristide.
''Even if he is in jail, we will register him,'' Rene Monplaisir, a Lavalas leader in the pro-Aristide slum of Cite Soleil, told cheering supporters in an assembly hall in Port-au-Prince, the capital.
Jean-Juste was arrested in July on suspicion of involvement in the kidnapping and slaying of prominent Haitian journalist Jacques Roche. Jean-Juste, who was in Miami when Roche was killed, has denied involvement.
The above is from the Associated Press' "Jailed Priest to Run in Haitian Election" in this morning's New York Times.
KeShawn e-mails to note the Associated Press' "Lawsuit to Be Filed Over New Voting Law in Georgia:"
The bill eliminates the use of formerly accepted forms of voter identification like Social Security cards, birth certificates or utility bills.
A news conference to discuss the lawsuit was set for Tuesday, said State Representative Tyrone L. Brooks Sr., Democrat of Atlanta.
The suit is likely to echo the complaints that several groups filed in objection letters sent to the Department of Justice before it approved the new law last month.
Under the Voting Rights Act, Georgia and other states with a history of suppressing minority voting must get federal permission to change their voting laws.
Wally e-mails on Todd S. Purdum's latest "News Analysis" entitled "Buying Time With Quick Action on the Court and a Second Trip to the South."
Wally: What do you know Purdum managed to find two Democrats. I'd like to know what Billie knows about T.D. Jakes since he's from her area. It is a "news analysis"? No, it's a summary. It's better than yesterday but before people start saying that Purdum's washed that smelly jock of his, or even aired it out, I'll argue he just sprayed it with Febreze. That's why the article's a slight improvement and it also sets him up for endorsement money from the Tide company. "Hi, I'm Todd Purdum and I wear a cup to work to look and feel manly. But some morning's, when I've got that oh so rank odor, I grab Febreze and, for a few hours, the Pig Pen stink cloud doesn't waft from my groin."
Well said, Wally, well said.
Erika e-mails to note this from "World Briefings:"
UKRAINE: former aide cites corruption A top Ukrainian official said that he had resigned because of widespread corruption in the government of President Viktor Yushchenko. Oleksandr Zinchenko, left, the state secretary who helped organize the "Orange Revolution" that brought Mr. Yushchenko to power, accused the new administration of being "even worse" than that of Leonid Kuchma, which was toppled by huge demonstrations demanding greater democracy and an end to corruption. Mr. Zinchenko resigned Saturday. Sophia Kishkovsky (NYT)
Marci e-mails to note Norman Solomon's "Beyond the 'Vietnam Syndrome'" (In These Times):
"The specter of Vietnam has been buried forever in the desert sands of the Arabian peninsula," President George H. W. Bush said of the Gulf War victory in early 1991. He told a gathering of state legislators, "It's a proud day for America--and, by God, we’ve kicked the Vietnam syndrome once and for all."
Often discussed by news media, the "Vietnam syndrome" usually has a negative connotation, implying knee-jerk opposition to military involvement. Yet public backing for a war has much to do with duration and justification. A year after the invasion of Iraq began, Noam Chomsky observed: "Polls have demonstrated time and time again that Americans are willing to accept a high death toll--although they don’t like it, they’re willing to accept it--if they think it’s a just cause. There's never been anything like the so-called Vietnam syndrome: it's mostly a fabrication. And in this case too if they thought it was a just cause, the 500 or so [American] deaths would be mourned, but not considered a dominant reason for not continuing. No, the problem is the justice of the cause."
Overall, if history is any guide, most Americans are inclined to favor just about any war after it starts--in the short run--but if the war drags on and loses its rationale in the public mind, support is apt to plummet. "World War II support levels never fell below 77 percent, despite the prolonged and damaging nature of the conflict," writes Chris Hedges in his book What Every Person Should Know About War. In contrast, he adds, "the Korean and Vietnam Wars ended with support levels near 30 percent." The American public's initially high levels of support for the Iraq war have fallen sharply as bloodshed continues and Washington's prewar lies become more apparent. In a recent poll conducted by CNN, USA Today and the Gallup organization, 54 percent of respondents said that the United States made a mistake in sending troops to Iraq.
Scheduled topics for Democracy Now! today include:
More on Hurricane Katrina, with exclusive reports from Democracy Now! producers just back from New Orleans, and an intensive look at John Roberts, who was just nominated as the Chief Justice of the United States, to replace the late William Rehnquist.
As noted in Ruth's latest Ruth's Morning Edition Report:
I believe most of the Pacifica stations will be interrupting programming this week to broadcast the John Roberts, Jr. Supreme Court confirmation hearings live.
Houston's KPFT has this announcement posted:
Hearings for Supreme Court nominee John Roberts
Tuesday-Thursday, September 6-8
Tuesday: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Wednesday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Thursday: TBA; shows may go on, but hearings could continue.
Those are Central Times. Tuesday's live coverage will begin at noon EST, eleven a.m. Central and nine Pacific continuing through six EST, five Central and three p.m. Pacific. Wednesday's live broadcast will begin at nine EST, eight Central and six in the morning Pacific continuing through six p.m. EST, five p.m. Central and three p.m. Pacific.
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