Never believe anything until it is officially denied. --Claud Cockburn

Dear Editor:
    My "Wake Up Amerikkka" letter, written ten years ago in protest of the Gulf War, was co-authored, a fact not mentioned by Chris Lydgate. I stand by what I wrote as to that topic at the time.
    Lydgate can only turn up 31 entries in his search engine? If you put "Amerikkka" into my favorite you get 6,850; "Wake Up Amerikkka", you get 574, 70 related to Iraq; "by any means necessary" you get 31,200.
    The most interesting link I've found points to a Willamette Week hop-hop review, January 1999, entitled Allah's Math, a tribute to gangsta rap visiting Straight Outta Compton, Fuck Tha Police, Ice Cube, N.W.A., Public Enemy, Death Certificate, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, G-funk, Death Row, Tupac's and Amerikkka's Most Wanted. Now, that's what I call a slew of death threats. Advocating, threatening, and practicing violence (read: terrorism) in Amerikka isn't a sin; it's a religion. Flag wag all you want, but Osama bin Laden doesn't have anything on you.
    Lydgate has no evidence it was one propagandist, nor a "leftist, either, Amerikkka is used by many including right wing extremists, conspiracists, black separatists, hemp activists, anarchists and others. The phrase 'wake up america' is used for a myriad of causes as well, from sleep disorders, to chemicals in the environment and all kind of political issues. It's very good advice.
    Why single me out as a "radical feminist" except to imply that I am an extremist who wrote the new flyer calling for Jihad? Inserting my denial makes me appear deceptive as well as defensive.
    Lydgate asked if it was "fair" to call me a "radical feminist," if I lived in Portland. I wrote immediately saying I didn't live in Oregon, would rather be called a long-time political activist concerned with justice issues. Hot on the trail of his story, my lack of involvement didn't deter this reporter, who wrote back less than thirty minutes later saying his editor said no changes could be made.
    Lygate said he didn't consider the leaflet a threat, didn't even inform law enforcement; if so, why consider it newsworthy? Undoubtedly newsworthy, it deserved more investigation than contacting only me with a couple of questions via email, especially in the context of another article in the same issue about the press being under attack by Anthrax. (Gosh, why would anybody hate the media?)
    The only linkage to Portland's Osama bin Laden leaflet and my letter is Chris Lydgate's shoddy research and irresponsible McCarthyesque red-bating of an activist working against war, US imperialism and globalization; and WW's editorial policies¹ that would allow such a lapse. Spare us the lectures to other newspapers about journalistic ethics, won't you? --Nikki Craft

1. Editors who censored this reply are John Schrag and Mark Zusman.

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Anti-Gulf War Letter

I was as angry during the Gulf War as I was at any time in my adult life and took part in several anti-war demonstrations in the Bay Area plus writing this letter. Hundreds of copies of this Open Letter that Sharon Black (Bellingham, Washington) and I wrote, were printed up and sent to publications all over the country. The only three that published it, to my knowledge, were the Seattle Community Catalyst, Off Our Backs and a communist newspaper that I'm sorry I can't remember the name of to give proper credit.

February 10, 1991

Dear Editor:
    At a demonstration in San Francisco last weekend it was rumored that Amnesty International has estimated that three hundred thousand are dead in the Persian Gulf. Of course we can’t forget those dead twelve Marines nor that Israeli child who was suffocated by her gas mask. (What about the Palestinian children who have no gas masks?) But we can never know how many have really died, because our so-called “free press” has been bought and sold in one too many corporate mergers. All the arrogant generals, draped in the flag, who bombard our TV screens these days have said they won’t get into any kind of body count, they’d rather count sorties. That’s how cheap life is to them. These guys ooze an attitude of: “Ask not what you can do for your country . . . but what you can do to someone else’s country.”
    When the bombing first began and the people of the Persian Gulf donned their gas masks many U.S. citizens wore smirks on their faces. U.S. soldiers wrote women’s names on the bombs they were dropping and were observed by reporters to be hysterical and “giddy” with exhilaration from their killing. But many of us here feel sad and hopeless, and we are suffocating from all the propaganda and lies. The media encourages us in this pathological passivity: They tell us to listen to the psychological advice of Mr. Rogers and be sure to watch H-A-P-P-Y movies. But we know there is a better solution, and that is to figure out, each in our own way, how we can begin to wage war against this terrorist government of ours.
    There is little about this country that can make us feel proud. The U.S. is a nation bathed in blood: the blood of Native and Afro-Americans (and anyone else who gets in the way of Euro-Caucasian Patriarchal domination); and the blood of the Poor. Then there is the blood of women who are always (though few care about it) living and dying in a war zone of their own--killed and harmed mostly by men they live with--men they know. Now, some people--mostly racially stigmatized men and a few token women--have been coerced by the low intensity economic war at home to join a ‘volunteer’ military which (as always) is for rent to large corporations owned by the same rich white men (what a coincidence!) who own The Media. It’s not a pretty picture, and it sure ain’t democracy that’s at work here.
Wake up AmeriKKKa and smell the blood on your hands! Have you noticed that our smiling “friendly fascists” in Washington aren’t looking so friendly anymore? We think that after several decades of restrictive adherence to the practice of non-violence the anti-war movement needs to heed the words of Malcom X. He emphasized: “By Any Means Necessary.”
    Instead, we hear a lot of talk in the peace movement about not alienating the mainstream by strikes, the blocking of roads, the closing of buildings, civil disobedience; or even by expressing anger. Some of the pacifists have even charged that and chanting is violence. We agree that it can be inane--but violent? The privileged honkies who run the peace movement and dish out this jive have no idea what violence is. Besides, with all these yellow polyester ribbons and flags, and the blind nationalistic fervor building in this country, it looks like these good folks need to get alienated even more.
    It worries us too when we hear so-called peace activists saying: “We oppose the war, but we support the troops.” That makes about as much sense as saying: “I oppose rape, but I support the rapist.” It’s a non sequitur; it must be a Zen paradox: It’s an excellent example of 1984 double think: and it’s double talk too. As George Orwell wrote, and Tracy Chapman sings: “War is peace. Love is hate. No means yes. We’re all Free.” It’s bliss-ninny mindless babbling. It’s so much nonsense.
    So won’t all you peace activists and good Americans out there please stop for a moment and really think about what you are saying, when you say, “I support the troops!” Check out the definition of the word support in the Random House: “to bear or hold up; to serve as a foundation for; to sustain, serve as a prop for; to maintain by supplying with things necessary for existence; to advocate; to corroborate; to assist in performance; maintenance with necessaries, means, and funds; to give aid and assistance to.”
    The U.S.A. superficially appears to support its troops when they are young, fresh, healthy, and, most importantly, malleable; or when they need to use the names of the dead to build support for future wars. But they have always pushed aside those who have fought in past wars. Saddam Hussein is not the only leader guilty of using chemical weapons on his own people. Have we forgotten that the U.S. government tested the atomic bomb on it’s own citizens, as well as the Natives on the Bikini islands? The U.S. Government did essentially the same thing when they exposed U.S. troops in Vietnam to Agent Orange. They then destroyed the computerized records showing when and where it was used, conspired to hide the debilitating effects, and worked for over a decade, through the courts, to prevent financial reimbursement to those suffering from this ‘friendly’ chemical warfare. Where is the U.S. Government’s support for these veterans?
    Remember all this when you say you support the troops, or the government for that matter. Support the individual men, if you can, if you must. But it is imperative at the same time to hold them accountable for their individual and collective actions. We must carefully analyze, recognize and then challenge the political forces at work that transform too many of them into rabid trained killers--imperialists enforcing white supremacy on “foreign” soil; and then rapists, batterers and abusers of women--misogynist terrorists enforcing male supremacy in their own homes when they return.
    Remember that the troops are the military, and the military’s Commander in Chief is George Bush. If you support the troops you support George Bush. And it is Bush (manipulating the troops as his pawns) who presents the most immediate and dangerous threat of nationalistic fascism with his habituated invasions of other countries and his trilateralistic fetish for a New World Order or else. The military is the government, and vice versa, and both take orders from the large corporate interests. You cannot, though the government will welcome this stupid confusion by the anti-war movement, conveniently separate them.

Are we Kinder and Gentler Yet?

Sharon Black Nikki Craft
Bellingham, WA Rancho Cordova, CA

Please consider running this as an editorial or a letter to the editor whichever is more appropriate for your format.

Make you own entry to the Willamette Rage Page.

Thanks to Semira Dallali and michelle andreson.

What others have said

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Karl Schaffer
Tuesday, October 23rd 2001 - 09:42:10 PM
schafferkarl@fhda.edu
I think this was a gratuitous and thoughtless article, and I hope they see fit to print an apology. The reporter seemed completely unaware of the widespread use of the term "Amerikkka." and foolishly enamored of the power of the search engine. He might as easily have looked for mention of the name Osama or the colors black and white or the phrase "greatest evil on the planet" (the latter of which might have brought up George Bush's name!) The mention of Nikki Craft seemed to be his substitute for even the simplest real investigation.

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Jamye Gleaves
Monday, October 22nd 2001 - 01:05:43 PM
jamyegleaves@hotmail.com
This outrage doesn't surprise me at all. As a Portlander who's continually disgusted and pissed off by the WW male-driven leftist stance on everything--I find this incident as although ridiculous--one of their tamer shenanagins. Anyone who actually considers herself a women in her own power in the Portland area--knows not to take this publication seriously. WW is nothing but a bunch of Liberal Arts college graduate's looking to caplitalize on what little controversy they can find(or design) in the Portland area. Shame, shame Willamette Week.

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Joyce
Monday, October 22nd 2001 - 02:12:13 AM
aleesas_attic@yahoo.com
This is simply an excuse for anti-feminist smear campaign against Nikki Craft, one of the ploys that intellectually-corrupted and socially irresponsbile people like to do. The media should exercise greater responsibility and care with how it presents news. Keep up with your great works Nikki - we know you are against acts of terrorism - whether delivered by state or non-state parties.

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Diana S
Sunday, October 21st 2001 - 11:09:07 PM
dianas@home.com
Outrageous. This is almost blood libel. Lydgate wrote that before sept 11 these sentiments (the ones on the pro-Bin Laden flyer) would have hardly raised an eyebrow but now they are disturbing and pervese.

Well, what does he think slandering someone as pro-Bin Laden is now, after people have been KILLED because they seem like they might be on the wrong side?!?!?!!!?

From what I know of Nikki Craft, I know she's not scared by bullshit like this. Still, that sensationalist smearing has to be seen for what it is.

Make you own entry to the Willamette Rage Page.

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SIGN OUR ANTI-WAR RAGE PAGE

ACLU Anti-War Index

Click for Larger Version Rape and Violence Against Women Have Always Been Terrorism: Are We Keen To Go to War for All Women? A CALL ON FEMINISTS TO PROTEST THE WAR AGAINST AFGHANISTAN Nikki Craft

Wake Up Amerikka!

My complete exchange with Chris Lygate, Willamette Week.