Letters to the Editor
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The war party
The right wing claimed after Vietnam that the war was lost in the media. There has been a 30 year struggle to control the media; and the people lost. Can the propaganda arm of the right wing be tamed? I hope so, but it will not be easy.
Keep up the great work Glenn.
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Thank you, Glenn
I wish the Salon-level media had ten more bloggers/reporters/commentators with your tenacity and refusal to let bullshit pass unmentioned. Keep up the good work.
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In defence of the media
There is a direct relationship between the ignorance of the american public and the duplicity of the press- hence we can do no wrong, in spite of Vietnam, Nicaragua, Congo, Cuba, Iraq, etc.
I never cease to be amazed at the level of awareness of the "average" person in Europe or Africa about events in the world as compared to that of the "average" american!
Thank you again , Glenn.
P.S. Just got your new book in the mail.
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they're not just in it for the fun...
...there's a lot of job security/wingnut welfare that comes with complicity like this.
we let the media off the hook every time we say that they're in it for the fun, or that they're simply "not doing their jobs/lazy". they are, and have been for years, COMPLICIT. and that's how it should be presented at the International Criminal Court.
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Proximity Warning...
...oh, go suphocate.
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They're suceeding
I've had four intellegent people tell me recently that at least the Republican's have chosen a moderate, so at least we don't have have to worry about any possibility of war with Iran and that choice is still an option. Woo, what a relief!
These are Democrats or Independents that lean Democratic and are all solidly anti-Bush.
Let the MSM keep repeating the gossip about the Dem's and make it all about personalities so that none of us ever have to worry ourselves with petty things like issues and the direction our country is headed.
That anyone would actually defend this type of reporting is mind boggling...let alone a political reporter and a professor. At this point, I'd feel better if they said there stories were edited and/or nixed by their bosses.
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Another great post, Glenn.
Maybe if enough of these Beltway Mandarins start looking in the mirror and doing a little soul-searching, they'll acknowledge their culpability in one of the worst political train wrecks in the history of this country. Hopefully, the release of your new book will educate a wider audience about how The System works, or doesn't. Keep up the good work.
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never underestimate the power of denial:
They are desperate to wash their hands of that which they enabled so they can pretend they never did.
But the people who caused and enabled that to happen are -- understandably so -- desperate to avoid acknowledging what they've done
http://phd9.blogspot.com/2008/03/deifying-military.html
This new post accords well with my thoughts as I was driving to work this AM. As I mention in the linked post, agressive warfare (or any warfare for that matter) involves engaging in activities that if committed within society rather than beyond it, would be unthinkable crimes. The natural reaction to engaging in this sort of activity would be intense remorse. Therefore the exercsises and rituals we go through allevieting our guilt take significant amounts of energy. The ceremonies we go through on Memorial Day taking special care to honor OUR losses and the special respect we accord veterans are examples of the sort of thing I'm referring to. Even here, many self-identified liberals and war opponents nevertheless go out of their way to make sure that we acknowlege the sacrifice of those who serve.
While there's nothing wrong with this, by itself, I have to note that it creates a severe amount of distortion in our thinking when it comes to determining the best course of action in Iraq. We can't erase what we've already done, but to leave would lock-in the immorality of our prior actions. As long as we stay, there is hope for redemption. It's sad to see happening but we can't underestimate the power of the force I'm describing.
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And soon, Glenn, you will add another item to the list
Glenn--
Your post has to be read while holding one's breath because that's exactly how it seemed you wrote it--and it explodes like a July 4th rocket in a dark sky. One paragraph in particular strikes as deep as you've ever gone to the heart of this--
"Things like war crimes, torture, aggressive and illegal wars, and the destruction of the rule of law are things that, by definition, don't happen to or in the United States. Those are principles which only apply to the dark, dank, wicked places -- not here."
Because you seek the truth and do not let America's false sense of exceptionalism blind you to the empirical evidence, I know that soon there will be another item on the list you wrote: events of false flag terrorism like 9/11 that demand a new investigation.
I don't know when it will be safe for you to take on this subject that certainly ranks with "war crimes, torture, aggressive and illegal wars, and the destruction of the rule of law." As of today, you can't and we know that and we know why.
Until then we on the street corners holding the signs will keep up the pressure in America. In Europe and Japan, the corner has been turned--with former prime ministers of Germany and Italy, MPs in Britain, current legislators in Japan's diet speaking the truth. It would be insane for you to climb on the backs of Willie Nelson, Charlie Sheen, Jesse Ventura and Rosie O'Donnell.
But soon . . .
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Media Funtionary Defends Media while Effete Academic Splits Hairs
A complete surprise! Whodathunkit?
Here's a little surprise for Ms McCardle. Americans know more about Barack Obama's bad bowling than they do about John Yoo's constitutional criminality because, are you ready... Because that's what they get from the media! Duh!
And here's a little surprise for Mr Drezner. Media moguls are not bound by logic or reason, and their actions are not windows into the laws of physics. Want proof? How do you explain media fascination with John Edwards' high-budget hairdo but not one raised eyebrow over Mitt Romney's pricey pompadour. One is no less ridiculous a topic than the other.
Media schmedia. Save yourselves! Shut your TVs off! From Wolf B-S-er to Shill O'Reilly, they're all pinheads.