[click image, Moyers Journal compilation of torture interviews]Watch "Torturing Democracy" again....
I've spent hours on this today, and, even though I've seen all of it before, I so very badly needed to see it all again. The press of daily events fades so much of it to complete obscurity and we need, all of us, to be completely aware of this, know of it to the most detailed extent possible, because the fate of the United States depends on our effective action. So if you don't have time tonight, bookmark this post and get to it. Get to it.
The part that was hardest for me to bear came at the beginning, where Moyers is discussing with his guests what needs to be done and what is standing in the way of it being done... the knowledge that the shitty legislation the Democrats so unbelievably did not prevent was not prevented for purely cynical political calculations just kept making my blood try to curdle and it was an effort not to knock my monitor across the room. I knew that was why they did not stop the funding for Iraq, but I didn't realize it extended to letting innocent people be held indefinitely, beaten, tortured, killed in our custody. The feeling is that Jack Bauer's huge success on tv's "24" -- conceived and implemented with the hearty encouragement of Justices Thomas and Scalia -- has indeed convinced a huge swath of the public that this stuff is not just okay, but good.
Get to it. I'm not kidding about the stakes.
After the movie I posted about, I am now watching “Trap” by the same author/director Adam Curtis.
ReplyDeleteIt shows that based on various psychological and other scientific data, as well as some game theories, the US decision makers are masters of worst case scenarios.
We have heard so many times “hope for the best, prepare for the worst”, which makes sense. But if these documentaries are correct, this systematic demonization of the world outsied, of all adversaries is the constant aspect of US approach to the world and inherent to all US policies.
Institutions and research centers are created and studying and preparing for this world view based on the “enemy outside”. What a blatant contrast with the average American who is usually friendly, respectful and generous!
I call it the curse of “efficiency” and expediency.
Yes, the pigs of this country have it pretty well nailed down how to prevail in their greedy intentions, and most of the rest of us are herd animals who believe what we think is acceptable to believe, and then there are just a few of us who spend most of our time tearing our hair out over it all....
ReplyDeleteBEWARE.
ReplyDeleteIf you have an email account you don't want destroyed, and you see those threads out there which say, email campaign, and they have a giant list you go through.
If on gmail send yourself a new account. Waste it on that. Because although they say it only takes 5 minutes, it will take you much more than 5 minutes to straighten out all the spam.
Not sure how they did it, but they spam
~p