JINN MAGAZINE

PACIFIC NEWS SERVICE

Issue No. 4.23

11/09/98 - 11/22/98

CONTENTS

VECTORS: A Regular Column on the Ideas and Directions Behind Today's News

Winner-Take-All War Between Republicans and Democrats
By Franz Schurmann

An historian reading the Nov. 3 election results looks for the bigger picture and sees a "winner-take-all" war unfolding which will likely be decided on election eve in the year 2000. The outcome will hinge on which party can figure out how to define a new national direction for the country, one which contains elements of those directions that have prevailed for the last 200 years. PNS editor Franz Schurmann, a professor emeritus of history and sociology at UC-Berkeley, is author of "American Soul" (Mercury House, 1995).

PACIFIC PULSE: The Pacific Century and Its Impact on the Americas

Idea of War Crime Trials Stirs No Enthusiasm in Rural Cambodia
By Joshua Phillips

A three man team of U.N. legal experts is in Cambodia this week to explore the possibility of war crime tribunals. The move has been hailed as a chance to bring those responsible for the Khmer Rouge killing fields to justice. For many rural Cambodians living in isolated towns, however, there are reasons to view the impending trials with ambivalence. PNS correspondent Joshua Phillips lived and traveled widely in Cambodia in the mid-1990s and recently returned from a one month trip there.

Thanksgiving in Korea -- A Nation of Families Divided By More Than A Line on the Map
By Katherine Cowy Kim

Korea's version of Thanksgiving -- the holiday known as Chu'sok -- is a time when Koreans return to their hometowns, honor their ancestors and renew family ties. This year, after months of a grueling economic crisis, one young writer from the Korean diaspora returned to find that families are now divided by more than just the DMZ. PNS editor Katherine Cowy Kim is a Bay Area freelance writer and works with YO! Youth Outlook.

THE AMERICAS: The Growing Enmeshment of the U.S. and Latin Worlds

Central America Disaster at the Worst Possible Moment
By Mary Jo McConahay

The devastating effects of Hurricane Mitch in Honduras and Nicaragua, terrible as they are, must be considered in the context of the region. Historically, natural disasters have worked in favor of opposition groups; now that these countries are peaceful democracies, it is important to keep an eye on the way they respond to the crisis. PNS Central America editor Mary Jo McConahay has reported from Latin America for the National Catholic Reporter, Choices, Mother Jones and other publications for over a decade.

Human Hands-- Hurricane's Devastation Reveals True Cost of Misguided Government Policies
By Andrew Reding

Television pictures of the horrific flooding and mudslides in Honduras and Nicaragua are offered as proof of the awesome force of nature. In fact, they reflect human error, and the afflicted nations' call for international aid offers a chance for constructive change in the region. PNS associate editor Andrew Reding directs the North America Project of the World Policy Institute.

For the Poor, Movement is the Only Answer to Natural Disasters
By Richard Rodriguez

The major player in Latin America has become nature itself -- hurricane, earthquake or flood go beyond the power of government, and seem able to shake otherwise permanent regimes. For the poor, the only possible response to natural disasters is to move -- and movement has become today's revolutionary force. PNS associate editor Richard Rodriguez is the author of "Days of Obligation," and writes regularly for the Los Angeles Times.

CALIFORNIA COLLAGE: California as Trendsetter for the Country and the World

Beginning the Years of th Ethnic Vote
By Emil Guillermo

Midterm elections, normally predictable and routine affairs, provided a bombshell or two this year, nowhere more explosively than in the matter of "ethnic voting." Voters identified as belonging to one or more nonwhite groups came out in unprecedented numbers, and this is, by all signs, not a blip but the first sign of a long-term change. Emil Guillermo is the host and executive producer of "NCM: New California Media" seen on PBS stations.

MOVEMENTS: Strategies For Survival, Identity and Direction by People on the Margins

Risks of a Radical Cause -- What Next for Supporters of Mumia Abu-Jamal?
By Earl Ofari Hutchinson

The most recent reversal in the attempt to free death row inmate Mumuia Abu-Jamal has generated virtually no news coverage. This raises the question of the risks, for radicals, of focusing support on one figure as a way to connect to a much larger population many radicals have long ignored. PNS commentator Earl Ofari Hutchinson is the author of "The Assassination of the Black Male Image" and "The Crisis in Black and Black."

Interview with a Pie Thrower
By Sandy Close and Alex Doubinin

Pie throwing is resurfacing as the tactic of choice for many activists -- animal liberationists, Earth First!ers, advocates for the homeless -- and San Francisco is at the forefront. More than lighthearted mischief, the tactic is ultimately a form of class warfare with rules and clear cut objectives. PNS editors Sandy Close and Alex Doubinin interviewed Al Decker, a 27 year old environmental activist whose pie throwing earned him not just eight days in jail but a place in the pie throwing history books.

CIVIL CONFLICTS: Interpretive Reports on Ethnic, Religious, and Inter-National Conflicts Worldwide

Thai Citizan's Execution Stayed -- The Whole World is Watching
By Michael Kroll

As the United States once again increases the volume of its call for human rights across the world, governments and organizations elsewhere are more and more willing to criticize U.S. practices toward its own citizens, especially with respect to capital punishment. The case of a Thai man, recently granted a stay of execution, illustrates some aspects of this attitude. Michael Kroll, an associate editor of Pacific News Service, specializes in criminal justice and death penalty issues.

CIVIL CONCLICTS

Hyde's Actions in Failed S&L Case Cast Shadow on Judiciary Hearings
By Dennis Bernstein

As hearings on the possible impeachment of the president open, Judiciary Committee chairman Henry Hyde has remarked on the importance of enforcing the law regardless of privilege. However Hyde's own actions in response to the failure of a savings and loan in Illinois indicate that he is not above using political clout himself. PNS associate editor Dennis Bernstein is a producer for Pacifica Radio and an award winning investigative reporter.

Pacific News Service, 660 Market Street, Room 210, San Francisco, CA 94104, tel: (415) 438-4755.
Jinn Magazine: <http://www.pacificnews.org/jinn/>
Email: <pacificnews@pacificnews.org>

Copyright © 1998 Pacific News Service. All Rights Reserved.
Please do not reprint our stories without our permission.
Our articles are available for reprint. For rates and information, call (415) 438-4755 or send e-mail to <pacificnews@pacificnews.org>