Listen & Be Heard Weekly Archives

Yes, yes, yes….
The Bay Area Blues Society West Coast Hall Of Fame Selection Committee has selected me as “Blues Female Vocalist of the Year 2007″!

I am sooooo honored and humbled at the same time. Do I know what to do with myself?
Uh, no, but I hope you will all be able to attend the awards ceremony being held on March 10th at Kimballs Carnival in Oakland’s beautiful Jack London Square.

This is so big for me, I’ll be sending out email blasts for this at least a few more times.
I’m making my list of thank you’s as I send this email and belive me you are on the list.

For all who took a chance & booked us at their event or club, and for all who are just clearing a spot for me and my band Hard Work, I thank you now and on March 10th!

More to come.

Much Love & Respect
Tia Carroll

A wider war
This idea that the Bush administration and a compliant Congress could be serious about attacking Iran is absolutely frightening to me. No one is talking about the innocent victims, radiation fallout or a wider regional/world war.

Recently, I read an article in the San Francisco Chronicle, by science writer, Keay Davidson-titled: “Small nuclear war could severely cool the planet.” (12/12/06).

Scientists, reporting their findings at the American Geophysical Conference in San Francisco have used new and far more sophisticated computer modeling to conclude that even little nuclear wars could create global devastation.

” All hell would break loose, ” said Prof. Richard Turco of UCLA�S department of atmospheric and ocean sciences.

The scientists research is an updating of the “nuclear winter” debate of the 1980’s. They said, that worldwide , a regional nuclear war could kill tens of millions of people , partly because even a small number of nuclear blasts could generate enough smoke to trigger a global climate change.
The nuclear explosions and smoke could damage the ozone layer in the upper atmosphere…That layer shields Earth�s surface from cancer causing radiation from the sun.

Another reputable organization- The Union of Concerned Scientists- (ucs.org) has a link at their site called: Nuclear Weapons/Technical Issues/with a visual presentation.

Here, you will learn that scientists using computer software developed by the Pentagon have simulated an attack on the Esfahan nuclear facility in Iran. By using something called a Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator-i.e. Bunker Buster- with the power of 60 Hiroshima bombs. The results are staggering. 3 million people would be killed by radiation within two weeks of the explosion, and 35 million people in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India would be exposed to increased levels of cancer- causing radiation.

I bring this information to the communities attention, because there is much talk in the alternative press (more recently in the mainstream press with pundits ratcheting-up the war hysteria-much like Iraq) about the threat Iran and Syria may pose to the United States.
I keep wondering what will the U.S. or Israel for that matter, do about Iran? There is presently a major battle going on in Washington D.C. between the neo-conservatives-i.e. civilian Pentagon militarist- or Project for a New American Century zealots - vs. the conventional military establishment-read- the Joint Chiefs of Staff and members of the Iraq Study Group who have different ideas on how to proceed with our foreign policy in the middle east.

Another perspective, which I wanted to share with the community is from Ron Paul Republican member of the U.S. House who resides from Texas (I know some folks might consider this a worry) but in a detailed address delivered on the floor of the House (April 2006) Rep. Paul gives many reasons why we shouldn�t attack Iran. (I�ll highlight some of his remarks-you can view the entire article, “Talking Sense On Iran.” commondreams.org 4/13/06)

There is no evidence of a threat to us by Iran, and no reason to plan to initiate a confrontation with her.

Iran does not have a nuclear weapon and there�s no evidence that she is working on one-only conjecture.

There�s been a lot of misinformation regarding Iran�s nuclear program. This distortion of the truth has been used to pump up emotions in Congress to pass resolutions condemning her and promoting UN sanctions.

IAEA Director General Mohamed El Baradi has never reported any evidence of �undeclared �sources or special nuclear material in Iran or any diversion of nuclear material.
We demand that Iran prove it is not in violation of nuclear agreements, which is asking them impossibly to prove a negative. El Baradi states Iran is in compliance with the nuclear -Non-Proliferation Treaty- required by the IAEA safeguard agreement.

….Iran has an absolute right under the NPT to develop and use nuclear power for peaceful purposes, and this is now said to be an egregious violation of the NPT it�s the U.S. and its allies that are distorting and violating the NPT. Likewise our provision of nuclear materials to India is a clear violation of the NPT.

The Texan Republican, who opposed the war in Iraq and remains a steadfast critic of the endeavor…proposes a rational counter to the neo-conservatives call for a new war.
With a policy of containment, we stood down and won the Cold War against the Soviets and their 30,000 nuclear weapons and missiles.

The conclusion we should derive from this is simple: It�s in our best interest to pursue a foreign policy of non-intervention. A strict interpretation of the Constitution mandates it…Strict non-intervention removes the incentives for foreign powers and corporate interests to influence our policies overseas.

…Intervention just doesn�t work. It backfires and ultimately hurts American citizens both at home and abroad. As the superpower of the world, a constant interventionist policy is perceived as arrogant, and greatly undermines our ability to use diplomacy in a positive manner.

Will Gregory