The recent court decision overturning the city of Seattle's poster ban inexplicably came about eight years later than it should have; there's no accounting why the first several court challenges of this particular piece of Mark Sidran's war on youth culture were found even remotely constitutional. (And let us, once again, breathe a sigh of relief that Sidran is not our current mayor.) Interestingly, we've heard almost nothing, in the wake of the decision, as to how this will open the door for still more future injury and death among utility workers suffering lethal paper cuts. (That was, you'll recall, essentially the Sidran rationale.)

But gone it is, and posters are already going up around town. Poster early and often. (Take down your old posters, too, and don't cover up other people's current ones. Play nice.) There's a lot happening in Seattle, and since most folks would never know it from our dreadful local mainstream media, posters are an ideal way to both promote your cause and remind people that things are happening and that there's a place for everyone. We can each make a difference--the poster-sized message that, ultimately, worried Mark Sidran the most. Given the chance, there are plenty of people in local government who would shut that message down again, too. Use it or lose it.--Geov Parrish

We're at a crossroads in the guessing game of "will he or won't he"--by which I mean "will Bush decide to go to war against Iraq?" My guess is an optimistic "No, he won't." With our main allies in the region (Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, and Jordan) refusing to let us use their bases and a lack of support from our traditional killing train partners in the UN (France, Germany, and Britain--not because of Tony Blair, mind you, but because the British public won't go for it), the war would be unwinnable without months of buildup and massive troop movements--all very unpalatable to the Bushies. No, George & Co. want a quick win, just like in Afghanistan, but they won't get it with Iraq. Only someone who's delusional--like Donald Rumsfeld, for example--would think otherwise. Fortunately, Dick Cheney isn't delusional; hopefully his ticker will hold out so he can fend off Dr. Strangelove.

Avoiding war with Iraq is one thing, but we're still a long way from lifting the sanctions--the first step in real democracy in Iraq. I don't support engagement with Saddam Hussein, but you can't expect the Iraqi people to be thinking about democracy while they're wasting away from starvation and watching their children die of diarrhea, cholera, infections, and other preventable diseases. Clean water, food, and electricity first, then they'll go after Saddam. Of course, that's what the US is really afraid of. The current war has nothing to do with Saddam's "weapons of mass destruction," when insiders at the CIA and military intelligence--not retirees with a right-wing agenda, but current insiders--say he hasn't got any. The US is scared, as always, that the Iraqi people will choose their own government, and that it will be the wrong one. You know, one that's hostile to the IMF and World Bank and doesn't look favorably on multi-national corporations. There's oil in that there country and we mean to have it!

To give the rational voices in the White House and Congress some ammunition against the Strangelove types, we need to give them a message: don't do in Iraq what isn't working now in Afghanistan. Rumsfeld's vision is to drop ordinance on Iraq, bomb it back to the stone age, create a massive refugee population, install a figurehead as leader, and leave a couple thousand US troops behind to guard him, hoping that Iraq won't sink into civil war with fighting between the Kurds, Shiites, and Sunni muslims. One look at the escalating violence and grinding poverty in Afghanistan should tell anyone that this is a recipe for disaster. Call your Congresspeople, write to the White House, and get busy organizing (also keep an eye on the Activist Calendar!). If the British people can put the brakes on Tony Blair, we can put a leash on the Bush administration.--Maria Tomchick

More on troubles at Qwest this past week: Qwest released their second quarter earnings figures and they were dismal: a $1.14 billion loss. The figure shocked analysts, given the amount of cost-cutting Qwest has been attempting. But the company now has cut its revenue projections (again) by $1 billion for this upcoming year and is negotiating with its bankers to get $500 million more in cash. The only problem is, its current debt-to-earnings ratio ($26 billion in debt vs. $5.4 billion in projected earnings for the year) violates its covenants on several current loans. And Qwest better have a good song and dance for its bankers in order to get that extra cash, because it really needs it. Vendors--the companies that sell goods and services to Qwest--are now demanding cash up front, and the money's running out fast. For the first time, analysts asked the new Qwest CEO Richard Notebaert if Qwest was on the verge of filing for bankruptcy.

Naturally, he denied it. We'll see. Everything seems to hinge on the sale of Qwest's Dex Yellow Pages business, which could bring in enough money to clear some of Qwest's debts. But the potential buyers are hesitating, wondering if the Dex Yellow Pages business is really as profitable as Qwest claims. And now Qwest is trying to use the Dex Yellow Pages business as collateral for that $500 million in cash it needs so desperately. The downward spiral is accelerating.--M.T.

What will happen to Qwest customers if the company implodes? The government will probably step in, if necessary, to ensure continued operation of Qwest's phone lines. Rates will certainly go up. Taxpayers may cover some of Qwest's debts and/or expenses (remember the California energy crunch, the resulting bankruptcy of two of its private utility companies, and the taxpayer bailout?). Eventually, a bankrupt Qwest would sell off pieces of its business at firesale prices, likely to another telecom behemoth. All through that process, customer service would become worse than it already is now. Sound like fun? That's capitalism!--M.T.