Edgewise

"The Next Six Months"

We have been told over and over again the last few years that “The Next Six Months” will be decisive for our Iraq invasion to succeed.

Doesn’t that mean at some point that the last six months already were decisive?

Health Coverage That's Better than Being Uninsured!

The Medicare people were proud when the AARP reported last January that “for many Americans, Medicare drug plans…can cost less than buying the same drugs across the border [DKo: which is forbidden under the Medicare coverage].” Those results have held up since then.

Was this something to be proud of? Suppose you asked whether an employer’s health insurance coverage was any good, and they said, “Oh yes! In fact, for many people, it’s better than being uninsured!”

The other (Plame) shoe drops

That is to say, the civil suit: Former CIA Officer Sues Cheney Over Leak

Bin Laden's 'reverse psychology' endorsement of Bush in 2004

It sure seemed like Bin Laden wanted Bush reelected at the time. What better recruiting tool could he ask for?

Thanks for the Memories

In the post below, I said, ” So, I would appreciate hearing from those ‘of a certain age’: Did you learn about this at the time. Or only later? Or never, until now?”

Thanks for the replies!

“I remember it happening and have heard many reports since, but I was in the Army for much of the aftermath so wouldn’t have heard much follow up coverage, I do remember the vehement Mexican government denials at the time.”

“It was covered in the mainstream media and left wing media at the time.”

“I’m amazed that I don’t recall anything at all about this story. I was 20 and in college at that time, but that was before my political awareness which began sometime within the next year. As I recall, I was only barely interested in upcoming U.S. presidential election (I was too young to vote) with only superficial knowledge of the issues.”

“I learned of this at the time. How did I learn it? From Ramparts of course. I was in high school then. I wasn’t reading a mainstream newspaper regularly at the time so I don’t know what if any coverage the NY Times gave to this. I recall reading the Ramparts article and believing that it had to be true of course because it was in Ramparts. But then after finishing the article I was totally shocked wondering if that could really be true. It didn’t sound as if that crowd of protesters was doing anything that I hadn’t done multiple times at demonstrations in NYC and DC. How could a government indiscriminately open fire on a peaceful defenseless crowd killing all those people? Sure governments are bad, but only Nazis would do something like that, I thought naively. Surely that couldn’t have happened. If that really happened then millions of Mexicans would have risen up and taken over the government which is what seemed to me was the only appropriate response. Since the Mexican government didn’t immediately get overthrown maybe the events that were reported in Ramparts really didn’t happen.”

I'm wondering who knew...

…about these student killings at the time?

Mexico Charges Ex-President in ‘68 Massacre, AP, 7/1/06

“Echeverria was interior secretary, a powerful position overseeing domestic security, when Mexican troops ambushed mostly peaceful student protests at Mexico City’s Tlatelolco Plaza on Oct. 2, 1968, just before the capital hosted the Olympics. Officially, 25 people were killed, though human rights activists say as many as 350 may have died.

“Special prosecutors say they have reviewed military documents indicating 360 sharpshooters fired from buildings surrounding Tlatelolco Plaza. The attack is considered one of the darkest moments of modern Mexican history.”

Obviously my question applies only to those who were old enough to have heard about it. It occurred virtually on the doorstep of the 1968 Olympics, best remembered by many for the dramatic, gloved Black Power salute given from the winners stand by two American runners.

I was at Ramparts at the time. We had people there to cover the Olympics, and they filed harrowing reports of the killings, which we ran. Because I was so focused on our coverage, I just assumed that everybody knew about the event. But over the years, it began to seem that many people you’d expect to know about it, actually didn’t—even though thousands of reporters were on the spot for the Games. It was certainly heavily covered up in Mexico itself for many years. “Disappeared,” but bloodily, in a public square.

So, I would appreciate hearing from those “of a certain age.” Did you learn about this at the time. Or only later? Or never, until now? I guess it’s kind of a reality test. I’ll print any answers I receive wherever you are reading this now, unless you tell me No.

Thanks, David