Tonight a Bill Moyers' Journal segment titled "Record Of War Lies" will air on many PBS stations. Check your local listings for times. We know of many of the lies already, but a refresher course is never out of order for a review of how we got into this war without end.
Judging by the reviews from folks who have seen the program, it appears to be extraordinary. Bill Moyers is a national treasure, another one of the good ones out of Texas, like the much-missed Molly Ivins.
He was interviewed on Democracy Now this morning (it's undoubtedly up in transcript there by now). It is, from what I heard, an incredible piece.
ReplyDeleteGonna set my VCR (still too backwards for DVR).
Thanks for the tip, Grandmère Mimi.
ReplyDeleteThere's a handful of people in this world that, when I see their faces, I feel like everything will be okay. Bill Moyers is one of them.
I could hardly stand to watch the show. The press, for the most part, did their job so poorly. A few reporters worked very hard, but they could not get their stories out, or if the story got in the paper, it was on page 17. To see the whole spectacle of deception by the administration and the press follow meekly along was devastating.
ReplyDeleteThe pro-war pundits look like fools today, but many are still pontificating.
The show was extremely well done. Many of those who were beating the war drums loudest refused to appear on the show. Bill Kristol, William Safire, and Charles Krauthammer all said no to an appearance.
I feel wrung out.
Grandmère Mimi, thanks for the recap.
ReplyDeleteI put my son to bed, fell asleep next to him, and missed everything.
I'll be on the lookout for repeats. Sigh.
PJ, I was paying rather close attention during the run-up to war, and there wasn't much that I did not know, except about the good reporters having difficulty getting their stories in the papers and on TV.
ReplyDeleteOne bit of information that was new to me was that Colin Powell, in his presentation at the UN, had used a picture that was lifted off the internet from a PhD candidate's dissertation.
To be reminded of the pundits rave reviews about Powell's presentation made me cringe. After watching it, I turned to my husband and said, "Powell had nothing."
I began to think I was crazy, when I read what others were saying about it afterwards. For those paying attention, Powell's offering began to be discredited within days.
It was quite a good program, an excellent example how the alleged "liberal" media can be shut up by pressure, money, good intentions, and the professional lure of "access" to the top dogs.
ReplyDeleteMoyers' exposure of the "house of mirrors," whereby strategic administration leaks could cause the phony appearance of independent sources was alone worth watching for.
I fear, however, that most of those watching were those already convinced. O'Reilly and Limbaugh fans just aren't going to give Moyers a listen. We choose our reality, unhappily.
If there is one thing that Christian ethics teach, it is the dubiousness of vengance. The events of 9/11 illustrated (if that were necessary) how difficult it is to put that conviction into practice, and how easy it is to manipulate us into approving horrifying violence, against guilty and innocent, when the cry for revenge is in the air.
Rick, I still wonder in amazement at the numbers who were bamboozled, or who said they were. How could something like this happen? It's surely a shameful episode in our history.
ReplyDeleteFor Bush it was the excuse to do what he wanted to do all along - get Saddam.
For the rest of his supporters it was, "Let's get someone, because we have been hurt." It's a true lesson in "the dubiousness of revenge," leaving out Christian ethics altogether.
Bill Moyers is our national pastor and prophet.
ReplyDeleteI am with Mimi in that I (and most of my friends and colleagues and acquaintances) had no trouble in the run-up to the war in seeing exactly what was going on. The question is, why did so many others not see it? I believe it's not only due to the failure of the media, but to the receptiveness of a large proportion of our citizens to propaganda that reinforces their belief in the fundamental goodness and superiority of their country and their society (and thus, by extension, themselves). They simply cannot entertain the idea that their government's aims could be so wicked, its grinning leaders' thinking so perverted, its actions so monumentally destructive. Most Americans believe in their hearts that the US is 'the greatest nation', not only in the present world, but in history. And by 'greatest' they don't only mean the most economically, technologically, militarily and politically powerful, they mean morally and spiritually superior to all others past and present. Because we have been pioneers in certain things, there is a tendency to identify with that innovation, and with the creativity and vision that helped to make it possible, and to take our past successes as permanent certifiers of national virtue. We make an idol out of our gifts and our contribution to civilization, and that blinds us to the faults and weaknesses in our national character, our system of government and our way of life. Many Americans (enough to tip an election) are willing to pay almost any price -- sacrificing our young soldiers, smashing another country to bits, abandoning due process and the Bill of Rights, putting their own grandchildren hopelessly in debt, and so on -- in order to maintain their sense of identity as a superior people. In order to feel good about themselves, they need to maintain this nationalistic myth.
This is not entirely surprising; most tribes and nations regard themselves as the finest, the best, the definitive humans. But this delusion has reached such destructive proportions in America that it must be addressed. No amount of effort to reform the electoral process, stop the war, curb the overweening power of global business, halt the decay of our infrastructure and the dismantling of regulatory processes, get the Fourth Estate back on the job, start repairing our international relationships, and restore Constitutional protections can succeed without a challenge to this American myth of superiority and the sense of entitlement that goes hand in hand with it.
This is the reason why Bush & Co were able to get into office and why they have been able to hang on all this time and do so much damage, right in front of God and everybody.
Needless to say, the superiority complex, the belief in America as 'the greatest', is very much tied up with certain forms of Christianity, in which believers also are the possessors of the ultimate and definitive truth. By keeping the focus of ethics on such things as sexual behavior and adherence to supposed Biblically-based rules, the call to repent of religious and nationalistic superiority and triumphalism is avoided.
We have our work cut out for us.
Sorry to run on so, Mimi. Have a wonderful time in Houston!
Mary Clara, never apologize for long comments. If folks stopped commenting, I'd quit blogging.
ReplyDeleteThe superiority, the idea that we are "special" in the world is madness. Someone criticized me for equating the loss of life in Iraq to the loss of life at VA Tech. We need to get a grip. That an Iraqi life is as precious as an American life is not something that needs explaining, but most of us don't get that.
You're right. What's so scary about us is our possession of the military might to to take what we want by force. One hopes, once again, that we will learn the lesson that we should have learned from Vietnam. but I have my doubts.
Not only do we feel superior, we consider our "way of life" to be sacrosanct and something to be maintained at any cost.
Run on any time you like, Sister.
Thanks for the good wishes.