Mickey Z
Cool Observer
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
Hello? Is anyone "mad as hell" yet?
While flipping around the on ‘lobotomizer’ this past Sunday I was surprised to hear a MSM rebuke of the insanity of the Iraq oil occupation. It was none other than Andy (the eyebrows) Rooney on 60 minutes riffing on the sage advice of Prez Ike concerning the rise of the American military industrial complex.
It can be seen (in Quicktime) right here…
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10504.htm
Posted by Youngfox on from Canada 10/04 at 07:34 AMWhat a disturbing picture Mickey. The documentary Liberty Bound had horrific pictures of Iraqi children after the first gulf war and up through the UN sanctions. The other day I got in argument with my philosophy teacher about Vietnam. He was spewing the propaganda line on how tough the communist were and how we lost that occupation…I mean war. I had to set him straight that 2 mil plus Vietnamese died and are still dying. Kids are still blown away by land mines and bombies, and thousands of acres of farm land lie fallow from chemical bombing. Needless to say I was mad as hell and was not going to take it. I think I’ll watch rent Network this week.
Posted by Rich on from NY 10/04 at 08:01 AMHey Rich, Youngfox, Mickey…
This is what made me made as hell this morning, Lynndie England’s comments:
“I know worse things were happening over there,” admitted the 22-year-old convict.
She said one night she heard blood-curdling screams coming from the block’s shower room, where non-military interrogators had taken an Arab detainee.
“They had the shower on to muffle it, but it wasn’t helping,” she recalled. “They never screamed like that when we were humiliating. But this guy was like screaming bloody murder. I mean it still haunts me I can still hear it just like it happened yesterday.”
Posted by JOS on from Isla Grande Airport 10/04 at 08:29 AMHi everyone...Mickey, thanks for posting the photo of the Iraqi man and child.
That is one of the photos that I carried with me at my trial. The jury was NOT allowed to see it or any of the others. The CBS channel did honor my request and show a few of the photos on the news that night. Everyone should see all of the Fisk photos. Many others are even more emotion-evoking. Possible captions under that photo today could be, “U.S. TAX DOLLARS AT WORK” or “THIS IS WHAT YOUR GOVERNMENT DID TODAY” or “HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF THIS WAS YOUR CHILD” or “THIS IS WHY THEY HATE US.” I could go on and on......Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 10/04 at 09:15 AMAll four comments here help explain why “they” hate us...and how can anyone blame them?
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 10/04 at 09:31 AMI’d be yelling along with you, Mickey, but as I am in school, my teacher might not look kindly on me screaming out the windows.
Posted by kaitlin on from Mass. 10/04 at 09:43 AMA question for all of you: why do you think hollywood allowed such a movie as Network to be made? It seems pretty radical in its message. I don’t know, I’ve only seen it once so I don’t really remember everything that happened, but I mean the message is pretty much anti-industry.
Posted by RB on from 10/04 at 09:45 AM“You get up on your little twenty-one inch screen and howl about America and democracy. There is no America. There is no democracy. There is only IBM and ITT and AT&T and DuPont, Dow, Union Carbide, and Exxon. Those are the nations of the world today.”
I’ve never seen the movie, though I have seen the famous scene several times. The line you quoted above should have been enough to prevent that movies from being made before it was even started...strange.
I guess we should credit Bronx-born writer Paddy Chayefsky:
http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/C/htmlC/chayefskypa/chayefskypa.htm
Posted by JOS on from Isla Grande Airport 10/04 at 09:55 AMMornin, Mickey & JOS & Rosemarie & Youngfox & Rich -
JOS, I suspect that, until recently, Lynndie England didn’t even know what planet she lived on. I’m sure that her “superiors” told her exactly what to do, and when and how to do it. Had she been working for the CIA, those “non-military interrogators” who function always beyond all law, all restraint, she’d be pulling down a hefty salary and would receive secret letters of “merit” from mucky-mucks in the government.
She was programmed to do what she did. Her programmers are still on the loose, still at work, still destroying the innocent, wherever they go…Rosemarie, you were prosecuted for disrupting traffic flows, while the very system which prosecuted you, freely continues to murder and torture and terrify thousands of innocent people every day - and does so without the risk of prosecution.
I’ve already been to the window, many times, Mickey, shouting about my anger. Occasionally someone shouts back: “Quiet down! I’m sleeping, here!”Mickey, I enjoyed your interview with Mr. Zamparini. It’s telling, I think, that though he’s from Italy, a place where most of the major media - newspapers, magazines, television - is owned by ONE guy -
Zamparini STILL thinks it’s even worse here, and I believe it! I think, too, that his quote from Orwell is worth repeating:
“But the proles, if only they could somehow become conscious of their own strength, would have no reason to conspire. They needed only to rise up and shake themselves, like a horse shaking off flies. If they chose, they could blow the party to pieces tomorrow morning. Surely, sooner or later, it must occur to them to do it? And yet --”Posted by joe on from Oregon 10/04 at 09:55 AMHey, Joe. Yeah, Lynndie gets three years...anonymous MI agent, none...original issuer of the orders which led to these crimes (Rumsfeld), none.
The whole thing makes me want to see if the old man still has any of his college wrestling skills left by shooting a vicious takedown on his ass.
Posted by JOS on from Isla Grande Airport 10/04 at 10:34 AM...and I keep saying that we all should be demanding WAR CRIMES TRIALS, not impeachment !!!! For those of you who missed the Bush Press conference a few minutes ago, Bush said, “...we are not leaving Iraq...”. Well, we all knew that. How many bases are we building there now? But, I keep reminding myself that Bush could do nothing if the people really objected. If the troops refused to kill, the killing would stop. Right? OOps, sorry, I know that no one is allowed to hold the troops responsible unless they are on the bottom of the pecking order and caught on tape. Even then, many who were caught on tape are not held accountable.
Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 10/04 at 10:59 AMHello Expendables…
There was a window in the 1970s, post-Vietnam, post-Watergate, when Hollywood took a few risks. Movies got made that today could only be done as indies (if at all). “Network” is a fine example of this (although they gave the Oscar to “Rocky” that year). Once Reagan got elected, the shift came: “Rambo,” “Top Gun,” all the flicks that inspired Lynndie and other soldiers.
Kaitlin: You can yell later, okay?
JOS: Yep, Chayefsky rocks…Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 10/04 at 11:19 AM‘All four comments here help explain why “they” hate us - and how can anyone blame them?’
Another phrase worth repeating Mickey! And they increasingly hate Australia because it is such a willing member of the ‘coalition of the willing’ - just note the most recent Bali bombings last Saturday.
Great post - as always!Posted by Helga Fremlin on from Daylesford, Australia 10/04 at 02:38 PMComment just in re ‘Network’from someone who lives in LA and reviews films there: Chayevsky had clout but the film is not as daring as it first appears. However, he also thinks that ‘Good Night and Good Luck’ is much much better than ‘Network’. I have heard very good things about this latest from George Clooney.
Posted by Helga Fremlin on from Daylesford, Australia 10/04 at 02:47 PMHow many billions are they spending in NO? They can’t spare several million to keep 3000 city workers employed? I’m mad as hell:
Posted by JOS on from Isla Grande Airport 10/04 at 04:22 PMI’ve been mad as hell since Vietnam… just got your “50 American Revolutions..” Mickey, and I love it! Some great examples of what to do when you just can’t take it anymore.
Just scanned thru reading a few choice ones - my daughter loved the one on Hepburn, who’s her big hero - can’t wait to read a few to my classes! Occurred to me that it would make a great classroom poster - maybe you can team up with a graphics person, come up with something…
Thanks for a great work!
By the way, wondering why Amazon says “No Good War” is not available yet - I thought it was older. Is there a new edition?
Posted by John Eden on from Georgia 10/04 at 04:47 PMThey say the colleges are liberal but I just had another argument about US occupation within 1 week. I just hope my views on Vietnam do not affect my philosophy test tomorrow! My history teacher, however, has taken an interest in your 50 AR book.
Posted by Rich on from NY 10/04 at 05:06 PM...checked out the Network trailer. Ya know what’s really sad, ironic, whatever? At the end it proclaims so dramatically, “Television will never be the same!”
...but it is.Ain’t that America…
Posted by John Eden on from Georgia 10/04 at 06:27 PMHello everyone...glad to hear we’re all getting madder by the minute. Don’t let ‘em grind you down.
John: “No Good War” is the paperback re-release of “Saving Private Power” and it’s already 6-7 months late. Such is life in the indie publishing world. Glad you liked 50AR...thanks for buying it and sharing it.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 10/04 at 06:50 PMAh yes, now I remember! I do want to read that. I’ve read your Seven Spins and really liked it, too!
Posted by John Eden on from Georgia 10/04 at 07:02 PM
Next entry: When Chomsky and Greenspan ruled the world?
Previous entry: "The truth has to be repeated..."
Copyright © 2005-2007 Mickey Z.
