This past Sunday, just as the big WikiLeaks.org story was breaking, I happened to be watching a great movie called The Most Dangerous Man In America. In case you haven't seen it, it's about a man named Daniel Ellsberg who, beginning in the 60's, works for think tank organization the Rand Corporation (still around!) in support of the US government's efforts in the Vietnam War. Simply put, through a series of events, his viewpoint switches from one of hawk to one of dove. With a top secret report in his possession called "The Pentagon Papers," which reveals a much more realistic history of the war than the one sold the US people, he attempts to gain the attention of the Congress with it, and failing that, goes first to the NY Times, and then a series of other national and respected US newspapers. The report is eventually published, and helps bring about an end to the war a few years later. It also unknowingly begins the unraveling of the Nixon administration pre-Watergate. It's a fascinating story, and a really well made film - I highly recommend it. It's the sort of thing that Oliver Stone would base a movie on.
Anyway, so this WikiLeaks story breaks, and I just thought to myself what a coincidence! How little things have changed...we were fucked then, and we're fucked now. Just as the country was lied to about the origins of the US involvement in Vietnam, and our reasons for being there, the whole current situation is whitewashed. The stats are juked. Lyndon B. Johnson says near the beginning of The Most Dangerous Man..., "We are going to win." Win what? There is nothing to win except contracts for huge weapon making companies. Welcome to the endless war cycle. War is peace, etc, etc. Yes we can, my ass.
3 comments:
Anonymous
said...
How can I put this? Americans are being lied to but that's because they are listening to what they want to hear. Many people can't be bothered to do all the research that's involved with getting to the truth. Vietnam is a good example. If you wanted to know one reason we were involved in the war, you'd have to research that Vietnam was a French colony with a puppet prime minister put in place with the help of the US who made a fine mess of things and the people revolted, the US freaked, we owed France for a bunch of stuff going way back to the Revolutionary War and we needed Vietnam because of the pesky Russians who were hot on our heels in Cuba where we also placed a puppet prime minister who made a fine mess of things so the people revolted and we owed France who lost Haiti when we put in a puppet prime minister.........
My facts may be all screwy but you get the idea. I don't trust Wikileaks, NPR, the US or Al Gore or anyone else for that matter. Julian Assage said that he was afraid that someone else would get the big scoop on the leaks if he didn't act fast. All media is suspect.
Thanks for your comment whoever you are. Here's an interesting article about this from the Columbia Journalism Review: http://www.cjr.org/campaign_desk/bubble_boys.php?page=all
Interesting article and it pretty much sums up what I thought. Assage has dumped all this info which, by his own admittance, is largely unverified and therefore, suspect. What good is all this info when I don't know what's in the mix?
It's bad reporting as far as I'm concerned and we have plenty of that.
3 comments:
How can I put this? Americans are being lied to but that's because they are listening to what they want to hear. Many people can't be bothered to do all the research that's involved with getting to the truth. Vietnam is a good example. If you wanted to know one reason we were involved in the war, you'd have to research that Vietnam was a French colony with a puppet prime minister put in place with the help of the US who made a fine mess of things and the people revolted, the US freaked, we owed France for a bunch of stuff going way back to the Revolutionary War and we needed Vietnam because of the pesky Russians who were hot on our heels in Cuba where we also placed a puppet prime minister who made a fine mess of things so the people revolted and we owed France who lost Haiti when we put in a puppet prime minister.........
My facts may be all screwy but you get the idea. I don't trust Wikileaks, NPR, the US or Al Gore or anyone else for that matter. Julian Assage said that he was afraid that someone else would get the big scoop on the leaks if he didn't act fast. All media is suspect.
Thanks for your comment whoever you are. Here's an interesting article about this from the Columbia Journalism Review: http://www.cjr.org/campaign_desk/bubble_boys.php?page=all
Interesting article and it pretty much sums up what I thought. Assage has dumped all this info which, by his own admittance, is largely unverified and therefore, suspect. What good is all this info when I don't know what's in the mix?
It's bad reporting as far as I'm concerned and we have plenty of that.
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