About Keith Olbermann's Commentary Thursday night

[Greylyn58]

Once again, Keith Olbermann has given us another Earth shattering and truthful commentary about the current leadership in this country. Once again, he has zeroed in on the failings of our current President--George Bush.

As Keith so correctly pointed out, the man who presently resides in our White House has risen to a new low with his recent spate of fundraiser speeches around the country. The lies he now weaves throughout his "little chats" have made my head hurt. No longer is it good enough to twist, and manipulate, and spin everything connected to the "War on Terror".

Now this man has decided that he must lie.

I looked up the word lie in my Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus. Some of the alternate terms for lie are very telling—distraction—disinformation—dishonesty—distort...all words that Bush willingly embraces. I have come to the conclusion that he no longer knows or cares what the truth is. His only mission in what remains of his occupancy is to spread his propaganda and fabrications to anyone who is still willing to listen. I pray that there aren’t many left.

All of this would depress me mightily if not for Keith Olbermann and his incredible commentaries. His honest and straightforward observations have kept me from losing what is left of my sanity. I think the most defining part of his current commentary was and I quote:

"Mr. President, these new lies go to the heart of what it is that you truly wish to preserve.

It is not our freedom, nor our country—your actions against the Constitution give irrefutable proof of that.

You want to preserve a political party’s power. And obviously you’ll sell this country out, to do it."

No truer words have been spoken by anyone in the last 6 years. I only wish that there were more people like Keith on our airwaves, commentators willing to speak up and tell this mis-administration that we are sick of the lies. That anyone who lives in OUR White House has a duty to uphold everything that this country was founded on.

As I did with one of Keith's earlier commentaries, I decided to search for meaningful quotes about the Constitution and about telling the truth to the citizens of this country. It has become abundantly clear to me that Bush is in desperate need of some words of wisdoms from a few of the former holders of his office.

I realize that he will never listen, never accept, and never learn from any of these truths--Bush is long past that. These quotations are more for the members of DU and for me so that we can hold on to our sanity and continue to fight and preserve our Constitution, our Bill of Rights and our Declaration of Independence from men whose ultimate aim is nothing less than their destruction.

I hope these words speak to you as they did to me.


"Allow the president to invade a neighboring nation, whenever he shall deem it necessary to repel an invasion, and you allow him to do so whenever he may choose to say he deems it necessary for such a purpose - and you allow him to make war at pleasure."

"Don't interfere with anything in the Constitution. That must be maintained, for it is the only safeguard of our liberties."

"Our safety, our liberty, depends upon preserving the Constitution of the United States as our fathers made it inviolate. The people of the United States are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution."

"If once you forfeit the confidence of your fellow-citizens, you can never regain their respect and esteem."

~President Abraham Lincoln


"An enemy generally says and believes what he wishes."

"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them."

"When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty."

~President Thomas Jefferson


"Do not separate text from historical background. If you do, you will have perverted and subverted the Constitution, which can only end in a distorted, bastardized form of illegitimate government."

"I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments by those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations."

"It is a universal truth that the loss of liberty at home is to be charged to the provisions against danger, real or pretended, from abroad."

"Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives."

~President James Madison


"No man is justified in doing evil on the ground of expedience."

“It is unpatriotic not to tell the truth, whether about the president or anyone else.”

"That we are to stand by the president, right or wrong is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public."

~President Theodore Roosevelt


"In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way."

"The only sure bulwark of continuing liberty is a government strong enough to protect the interests of the people, and a people strong enough and well enough informed to maintain its sovereign control over the government."

~President Franklin D. Roosevelt


...and while these men are not former holders of the Presidency their words about the Constitution ring more true today than when they were first spoken.


"The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government - lest it come to dominate our lives and interests."

~Patrick Henry


"I prefer a man who will burn the flag and then wrap himself in the Constitution to a man who will burn the Constitution and then wrap himself in the flag."

~Craig Washington


"Our Constitution was not written in the sands to be washed away by each wave of new judges blown in by each successive political wind."

~Hugo Black


"The liberties of our country, the freedoms of our civil Constitution are worth defending at all hazards; it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have received them as a fair inheritance from our worthy ancestors. They purchased them for us with toil and danger, and expense of treasure and blood. It will bring a mark of everlasting infamy on the present generation – enlightened as it is – if we should suffer them to be wrested from us by violence without a struggle, or to be cheated out of them by the artifices of designing men."

~Samuel Adams (Amen, Amen, Amen)

[dae]

1. Excellent post, thank you! eom

[Greylyn58]

2. Thank You!

[sweetpotato]

3. Great post

Beautiful Golden, too.

[Greylyn58]

4. Thanks for the compliment

Sheridan is my baby and I think he looks good for an almost 11 year old boy. :)

[bobthedrummer]

5. Welcome to the growing majority of DUers that understand information

warfare, propaganda, perception management, mind control, strategic influence, classical conditioning or whatever a citizen would want to call the lies and the delivery mechanism of Mr. Bush and his supporters.

Here's a background primer from our DU archives that's useful for understanding this anomaly.
"Reality vs. perception management" (January 2006)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x71919#top

[Greylyn58]

6. Thanks for the information, n/t

[Greylyn58]

17. K & R n/t

[Greylyn58]

67. kicked

[Saphire]

7. kick for later

[Greylyn58]

9. Thank you for responding

I don't post as much as some, and my comments sometimes drop without many responses, but I felt really strongly about this.

[Patsy Stone]

8. K&R

Good on ya, Greylyn! :thumbsup:

[Greylyn58]

11. Thank You Patsy

Just felt the need....

[bullwinkle428]

10. What a fantastic collection of quotes - I could use so many of them

as "siglines" on various boards, just to make Freeper heads short-circuit!

[Greylyn58]

13. Hehehehehehe

I say go for it! :evilgrin:

[SammyWinstonJack]

12. K & R!

[Greylyn58]

14. Thank You for the kick

I appreciate any and all recommendations.

[JABBS]

15. I liked Olbermann's special comment ...

but I thought it was long-winded, and toward the end I really wanted him to wrap it up. A little too "impassioned." It was almost like "PLEASE, RECOGNIZE HOW IMPASSIONED I AM."

[Greylyn58]

16. I understand your comment

and respect your right to say it, but I felt Keith was incredibly spot on with his commentary.

When not that may others are talking about the problem, I can't complain about the length of a speech when someone does.

[JABBS]

19. yes

but at the same time, I'm hoping that the length of the speech doesn't become fodder for the right-wing to make fun of it.

[Greylyn58]

24. Again, I understand,

but you do realize that the right-wingers already have Keith in their sights. It no longer matters how long or short his commentaries are as they have already tried to make political fodder out of him and his words.

[LiviaOlivia]

33. Free speech is a bitch.

You could always turn the channel.

[Greylyn58]

39. I couldn't agree more n/t

[G Hawes]

18. Excellent post.

I especially like this quote:

"I prefer a man who will burn the flag and then wrap himself in the Constitution to a man who will burn the Constitution and then wrap himself in the flag."

~Craig Washington

But I also agree with the poster who said that Olbermann's commentary was a little too long and repetitious. It was great, mind you, but I was also finding myself wondering when he was going to wrap it up.

[Greylyn58]

25. That was a favorite quote of mine also

one of the best I found.

[calimary]

68. Welcome to DU!

I LOVED Olbermann's commentary. Yes, it was a little long. Really the only problem with the length, which IS indeed something of a problem, its length will preclude it from being picked up and run on, say, the "NBC Nightly News" or other venue (besides Randi Rhodes and like-minded media friends who'll make the time and room for the entire piece). It REALLY belongs on the "Nightly News." Keith could be the Commentary Guy for Brian Williams. Once a week, on Fridays maybe, or even guesting on the dreaded Katie Couric's 'cast. After all, she did make room for limbaugh, did she not? Why can't Keith do a Free Speech segment for her? limbaugh is a media competitor, so why limit it to the wrong-wingers? Let's have some equal time!

That's the ONLY problem I have with the length - it limits the further marketability of his pieces just because they'd take such a big bite out of the regular program. Not that I don't think every second of his commentaries aren't worth it. They are. But they'd be more easily plugged in elsewhere if they were shorter. Unless of course I was the Vice President for News and/or Information/Public Affairs Programming. I'd plug it straight in. Maybe run it more than once - on different vehicles on my network, if I were programming one.

[calimary]

69. In fact... I'd go so far as to suggest that those of us here who DO call

in to MSNBC or write snail mail or send email or whatever - suggest that Keith's commentaries be picked up by the "NBC Nightly News." I mean, seriously! They're VERY MUCH aware of Keith's following and how it's growing. They're VERY MUCH aware of the changing of the mood in America at large, and how there's just so much more shit from bush and the rest of his republi-CON friends against which to inveigh. Perhaps, as this trend continues (bushco dropping, Keith's liberal voice trending upwards) they might even be kicking the idea around now - perhaps giving him a slot on the "NBC Nightly News." It REALLY would enhance the programming. And if they did a commentary, it'd be much more appropriate coming from someone OTHER THAN Brian Williams, who as their lead anchor is supposed to be dispassionate. When Cronkite was on, they let Eric Sevareid do commentary. Brinkley did commentary for, I believe, John Chancellor's newscast. With ABC's evening newscast, earlier on, it was Frank Reynolds as anchor and then Howard K. Smith offering a commentary at the end. They have the makings of a new century update of that here.

I'm gonna start suggesting it myself, the next time I send some communication their way.

And if they somehow ever decide to go with the idea, I will guarantee they'd have Keith do a shorter version - like the single version for "Nightly" and his own album version for "Countdown," as it were.

[me b zola]

20. k&r

:thumbsup:

[Greylyn58]

22. Thanks for the recommendation!! n/t

[bdamomma]

21. Great post, and those quotes get to the heart of the matter

there were true back then and ever so more today, but apparently this reign of terror in the WH does not abide by those laws.

[Greylyn58]

23. How very true!!

[Greylyn58]

26. K&R n/t

[monk24]

27. Consider this post . . .

Bookmarked! A masterful, well-crafted piece. Easy to see why it made the "Greatest" forum. Thanks, Greylyn58.

BTW, Sheridan is a beautiful guy. Thanks for sharing his pic with the rest of us.


:thumbsup:

[Greylyn58]

30. Thanks for the compliments

for me and for my boy Sheridan. He is my baby and I love to share him when possible.

[indepat]

28. Tis a shame KO is a such lonely voice in the vast libral MSM wasteland

where propagating the administration's propaganda is job number one, where failing to connect the dots is comical in view of the mountains of information available, and continuing to be apologists for the administration has reached the absurd. Disingenuous dissemblers, the almost whole lot of them except for KO and a very few others.

[Greylyn58]

29. Boy have you got that right

I'm sick of hear the words "Liberal Media". It makes me want to puke. There is absolutely nothing liberal about the media anymore.

I pray one day that will all change.

[Greylyn58]

34. K & R

[Mme. Defarge]

31. Mais ...

c'est magnifique!

[Greylyn58]

32. Thank you very much

[Mme. Defarge]

35. De rien

mon cher!

[Greylyn58]

36. Welcome to DU

by the way!!!

[tbyg52]

37. The advancement and diffusion of knowledge

is the only guardian of true liberty.

James Madison

[Greylyn58]

38. President Madison

had some of the most interesting quotes when I started looking.

[Greylyn58]

42. This is a favorite Madison quote of mine

No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare.
~James Madison

[TOhioLiberal]

40. Kicked and recommended...

...good job, Greylyn58.

[Greylyn58]

41. Thank You very much

for the K&R.

It means a lot to me.

[TOhioLiberal]

43. No problemo...

...from one KOEB'er to another. :)

[Greylyn58]

45. dupe

[Greylyn58]

46. Hehehe

:evilgrin:

[Poiuyt]

44. Excellent post. Those quotations should be burned into everyones minds

Kick and recommended

[gkhouston]

47. indeed they should. Maybe we could start with our "leaders"

who seem to be willfully ignorant of the principles underlying many of these quotes.

Thanks for finding all these wonderful quotes, Grey.

[Greylyn58]

56. I agree

I've thought about emailing some of these quotes about the Constitution and sending them to the more prominent members of Congress.

I think they all need a kick in the ass as a reminder about why they are in DC.

[Dem2theMax]

48. Wonderful post.

And a Golden to boot! Give him or her a big old hug for me, will ya? (Grew up with two Goldens and I miss them SO much.) :)

[Poiuyt]

50. Hey Dem!

At least goldens can't talk back to you like parrots can!

:hi:

[Dem2theMax]

51. Yeah. And they don't have sharp, REALLY sharp beaks either.

Hi Poiuyt!

:hi:

So sorry to have read that your nephew is going back to Iraq. He'll be in my thoughts and prayers. A nephew of mine was supposed to leave soon for his second tour. Haven't talked to his side of the family in a while so I don't know if he's already over there or not. Dang. I just want them all home, safe and sound. And hugging Goldens! :)

[Greylyn58]

52. Thanks for the compliment

and I will indeed give my boy, Sheridan a big hug. He'll love that.

[Dem2theMax]

54. Good. But lucky you. You'll get all the sloppy wet kisses!

He sure is a beauty. I saw a Golden pup at the vets last week. Name of "Lola." LOL.
Oh, I could have just hugged her to death. But she was too busy licking everyone to death. :)

[Greylyn58]

55. Yeah, that's my boy

he's a definite lover. He'll be 11 years old in Dec and hasn't slowed down one bit as the years have gone by.

[Berry Cool]

49. This is terrific!

Cuts right to the bone--thank you!

[Greylyn58]

53. Thank You

[calimary]

57. Some really elegant quotes there.

So much of America has lurched so far off track, and part of that is because we've forgotten what the concepts of freedom, libery, democracy, and everything that makes us Americans really mean. We've just forgotten. It's drowned out by so much media bullshit and cultural "junk food." We forget. It's not hammered home in school anymore. It's not part of the national dialogue. And it should be in the very air we breathe.

[Greylyn58]

58. Absolutely...you are so right

I think most Americans need to be reminded of where we began because I think most have forgotten...or they don't care.

And I find that equally disturbing.

[OneBlueSky]

59. the best thing about what Olbermann is doing is . . .

not so much that HE's doing it -- but that ANYONE is finally presenting the truth about BushCo on national tv (albeit cable) . . .

this is the first time that anybody -- anchor, commentator, columnist, celebrity, politician -- has been allowed to express these thoughts, to this extent, national television . . . it may -- MAY! -- be the precursor to more and more truth-telling on tv . . .

not because the networks are "finding truth," or feel in any way responsible for doing anything other than spreading the BushCo gospel, mind you . . . but because the truth can only be kept hidden for so long, and pretty soon they aren't going to have a choice . . .

caution, though . . . the meetings and discussions are now taking place . . . the topic is how to get rid of Olbermann -- and FAST! -- without totally pissing off the audience, and the nation . . .

[Greylyn58]

66. Agreed, but Keith is so much better than all the others

I've been a fan of his for years. The man is brave to be this vocal considering the times we live in.

I applaud the fact that he is willing to stand up and be counted while the rest of the so-called "Liberal Media" only parrots the Bush talking points.

[RevCheesehead]

60. This is great work, Grey!

Thanks for your insightful thoughts! :applause:

Proud to know you, my KOEBuddie! :hug:

and :woof: to Sheridan, too! :)

[Greylyn58]

61. Thanks Rev

and here's to you and your furbabies.

[Catchawave]

62. Very nice !

K&R :loveya:

[Greylyn58]

63. Thank You for the Kick

[focusfan]

64. I really like Keith Olbermann

he tells it like it is and he backs up everything he says.what
a great guy. 

[Greylyn58]

65. I agree

Keith Olbermann is a wonderful man and tells it like it is.

By the way, in case no one has said it...Welcome to DU