World in Peril, Chomsky Tells Overflow Crowd

[Clara T]

World in peril, Chomsky tells overflow crowd
By Brian Liberatore
Press & Sun-Bulletin

VESTAL - There are dire consequences to the current direction of the U.S. foreign policy, said Noam Chomsky in a speech Saturday at Binghamton University. Among those consequences, he said, is a nuclear Armageddon.

"Under the current U.S. policies, a nuclear exchange is inevitable," the 77-year-old MIT professor said in his presentation, "Imminent Crises: Paths Toward Solutions." He spoke to an over-capacity crowd in BU's Osterhout Concert Theater. Chomsky cited nuclear proliferation and environmental collapse as the two greatest crises that "literally threaten survival."

<snip>

About 1,500 people crammed into the main theater, while a television broadcast the speech to a room of about 500 next door. Ushers were forced to turn hundreds of people away as the building filled beyond its capacity. Asked whether he had anticipated the number of people, the building's operations director, Darryl Wood, responded, "Not this many, no."

Inside the theater, Chomsky delivered an account of the world's ills. He addressed the history of the Iraq conflict, the unrest it has fostered, and Iran's intentions for nuclear armament - a path, he said, that is directly tied to U.S. aggression in the Middle East. Chomsky outlined a course of action. "All of this is under our control if we're not willing to observe passively and obediently," he said. "Take democracy seriously."

http://www.pressconnects.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060305/NEWS01/603050342&SearchID=73237580048595

[Whoa_Nelly]

1. Chomsky is a featured speaker on the DVD "Arsenal Of Hypocrisy"

Arsenal of Hypocrisy:The Space Program and the Military Industrial Complex is a documentary everyone should see.

First saw it on Free Speech TV (FSTV), and it scared the shit out of me. All that seems so strange with so much of what BushCo and the neocons of the PNAC have done over the last several years really makes sense after seeing this one-hour documentary.

If you're interested, you can get it from PeaceProject in Arcata, CA at http://www.peaceproject.com/books/dvd50.htm

And here's their home page: http://www.peaceproject.com/

[NMDemDist2]

2. that is one scary ass video and should be mandatory viewing for all

progressives IMO

[Whoa_Nelly]

7. The intensity of the truth revealed in that DVD, prompted me to buy

two copies of it from http://www.peaceproject.com

One of the copies is currently circulating around my little rural part of CA.

Sure hope more people become aware of the bigger picture as to why the US is being purposely destroyed financially, why Americans are having their rights eroded, and why there is a push for supporting some in nuclear proliferation and creating utter chaos through preemptive strikes in the Middle East.

[marmar]

3. Cool about the overflow crowds...

To quote Howard Zinn: "...and so to will the people wake up."

[peacetalksforall]

4. We are a waking crying disaster of a country.

A PNAC Baron cyclone struck us and disbelief and inaction rules. We have not yet acknowledged the breadth of our plight and joined together to rid ourself of our inability to speak freely and vote confidently and find non-corporate representatives in Congress who will demand that they are allowed to function in their role and retain our constitutional structure instead of all of us watching it be stolen by a few for a few.

They are destroying our ability to trust that a grouping of words is truthful.

[fshrink]

5. Exact. Probaly more so than

during the so-called "cold war". Because of the uprising of religious thinking, the economic competition between blocks, the increasing scarcity of resources and the political necessity to control masses in an increasingly meaningless life. In addition, since most political life has now become virtual, war itself, the continuation of politic with other means, has become a video-game.

[niyad]

8. anybody here remember an episode of the original Star Trek where

two warring planets were killing themselves in response to commands from some computer?

[Demeter]

16. Let This Be Your Last Battlefield

I think was the title of that episode.

[Mechatanketra]

24. "A Taste of Armageddon", actually

I know, geek check. :-)

[lovuian]

6. Chomsky gave the same hope as the Dalai Llama

the hope here is that deep down the majority knows and supports the right things to do here... they just need to be organized.......

Theres the hope...

[staticstopper]

21. I think that most "know" by now.

but I think we are a weakened group of people.

Through enviromental pollutants, bad medicine, and unwise choices we are just struggling to keep our heads above water. We have been kept away mother nature.

I hope I'm wrong, but we may not have the emotional capabilities to organize.

[Warren Stupidity]

9. K&R

One can only hope that a critical mass of truth tellers will tip the balance.

[Clara T]

10. If we do not speak, who will?

"What needs to be done now is for all the left-liberal people to clarify their positions and join forces and resources for a common front. I think we have to gather under a banner , coalition for survival. And push for measures that we all agree on. Universal Healthcare, Nuclear Disarmament, Ratifying and Adherence to Kyoto protocol, Corporate responsibility and accountability These are perhaps the big item issues we all agree on. Short term goals to push could be total withdrawal from Iraq and limiting the aid to Israel.
To achieve these goals we need a media , we already have "Democracy Now" and we all should unify and strengthen so that every one across US can get it if they want to. We need a nationwide newspaper with commentary and broadcast to counter NYT and the like."

Read this on a comment board.

[fshrink]

20. Bizzarely,

I don't think the US can unite... Tons of fluff on "community", "togetherness", "united we stand" and the like but a sheer inability, maybe geographical, to actually push as a mass, to rebel. All over-compensation. This is why there is no accountability whatsoever in this country: no popular pressure to balance out the power of greed, the deeply entrenched capitalistic structure. I am pessimistic. Hope will come from somewhere else, perhaps somewhere in Europe. Or South America.

[CrazyOrangeCat]

11. !

:kick:

[ClayZ]

12. Kick

:kick:

[burrowowl]

13. KICK!

[EuroObserver]

14. n/t

[Voltaire99]

15. As usual, Chomsky delivers the unpleasant truth. (nt)

[Ouabache]

17. kick

once

[katinmn]

18. Chomsky is right on, as usual.

Bush just ushered in WW3 by agreeing to export GE's nuclear reactors to India.
And we get mangoes.

[blindpig]

19. So, this is a "looney leftie"?

:sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm:

Some people refuse to "get it". Chomsky does.

[mom cat]

22. Does anyone have an audio link to the speach yet?

[Pharaoh]

23. funny I can't find any audio

or anything on the speech via google............

I fear the internet may be .............toast in the future, the bastards!