Far out! Glenn Greenwald (blogger extraordinaire) on Bill Moyer's Journal tonight.

[scarletwoman]

Happening right now in my Central Time Zone, don't know when Bill Moyer's Journal is on in other parts of the country -- but here's a heads up for those who might be interested.

sw

[gblady]

1. thanks for....

the heads up....
will definitely tune in!

[gblady]

2. dupe....

[scarletwoman]

3. "What's been demonstrated is that the Political Class does not have to answer to the Law."

"While ordinary citizens are subjected to the most stringent penalties possible." Not direct quotes, but my paraphrases.

Glenn is pointing out that the U.S. holds 25% of the world's prison population -- 25 fucking percent!!!!

Great stuff...

sw

[Dover]

4. Yeah. If they are not accountable then they should just open our prison gates wide

and let EVERYONE WALK!!!

[scarletwoman]

5. Great show! I didn't see your thread when I started this one. And there's still half an hour left

to go in my time zone.

Now watching the "bailout" segment...

sw

[noise]

6. He did an excellent job

I watched it on the web. It's 20 minutes of to the point analysis.

Moyers made one of the best documentaries I have seen on the very same issue during the time of the Iran Contra scandal. Evidently Moyers wrote a book on the same topic but I remember this exchange from the documentary:

MOYERS:

Assume I'm president, and I'm going to say, Professor Firmage, that's all wonderful, but I deal in an ugly world. The United States is a wonderful place, relatively, because of this document, because of the values the founders inculcated in us, but the world beyond these borders is a pretty ugly world. People don't like us, people don't share those values, people are out to get us. And if I don't do the ugly things that are necessary to protect us from an ugly world, you won't be able to exercise the right of free speech out at that university."

PROFESSOR FIRMAGE:

I would say poppycock, Mr. President. That is simply nonsense. The whole fight is over means, not ends. Every president with every good intention, and every tyrant, with whatever his intention, has used precisely the same argument. That is, don't constrain me by means, and I will get you there safely and well. And I think any time we accept a reason of state argument to justify means that are totally incongruent with the values of our state, we're on the high road to tyranny and we deserve to be there.

The Secret Government by Bill Moyers

My only objection to Greenwald's analysis is his evident take on 9/11. One shouldn't be intimidated or thrown by the prospect of being labeled an unpatriotic conspiracy nut for having the gall to question across the board bizarre conduct by US agencies in the lead up to 9/11. For example, Tenet's CIA withheld crucial intel for 20 months even after US sailors were killed in the Cole attack and during a threat period in which the "system was blinking red." Hayden failed to use FISA even though al Qaeda operatives were inside the US. The White House evidently did nothing despite receiving all these dire warnings. The FBI UBLU blamed the wall to justify their withholding of intel from the FBI criminal side investigators (those investigating the Cole attack). Investigations after 9/11 demonstrated that the wall excuse wasn't applicable. Besides, what sort of FBI agents would act in such a cautious manner in relation to pursuing al Qaeda operatives? It's bizarre conduct.

The same officials who acted in such a strange manner were advocates of the illegal counterterrorism policies. IMO, that association isn't worth dismissing because one fears being branded a conspiracy nut.