Gore Vidal rips * a new one on Democracy Now, calls media "corrupt."

[proudbluestater]

RUSH TRANSCRIPT
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AMY GOODMAN: As we continue our discussion of President Bush's inaugural address, let's hear a section of that speech.

PRESIDENT BUSHAmerica will not impose our own style of government on the unwilling. Our goal, instead, is to help others find their own voice, attain their own freedom, and make their own way. The great objective of ending tyranny is the concentrated work of generations. The difficulty of the task is no excuse for avoiding it. America's influence is not unlimited; but fortunately for the oppressed, America's influence is considerable, and we will use it confidently in freedom's cause.

AMY GOODMAN: President Bush, his second inaugural address. Today we're joined by Gore Vidal, one of America's most respected writers and thinkers. Author of more than twenty novels, five plays. Author most recently of, Dreaming War and Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace. His latest book is, Imperial America: Reflections on the United States of Amnesia. Yesterday we caught up with Gore Vidal and I asked him his reaction to the inaugural address.

GORE VIDAL: Well, I hardly know where to end, much less begin. There's not a word of truth in anything that he said. Our founding fathers did not set us on a course to liberate all the world from tyranny. Jefferson just said, “all men are created equal, and should be,” etc, but it was not the task of the United States to “go abroad to slay dragons,” as John Quincy Adams so wisely put it; because if the United States does go abroad to slay dragons in the name of freedom, liberty, and so on, she could become “dictatress of the world,” but in the process “she would lose her soul.” That is what we -- the lesson we should be learning now, instead of this declaration of war against the entire globe. He doesn't define what tyranny is. I’d say what we have now in the United States is working up a nice tyrannical persona for itself and for us. As we lose liberties he’s, I guess, handing them out to other countries which have not asked for them, particularly; and what he says -- The reaction in Europe-–and I know we mustn’t mention them because they're immoral and they have all those different kinds of cheese–but, simultaneously, they're much better educated than we are, and they're richer. Get that out there: The Europeans per capita are richer than the Americans, per capita. And by the time this administration is finished, there won't be any money left of any kind, starting with poor social security, which will be privatized, so that is the last gold rush for (as they say) men with an eye for opportunity.

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/01/25/1458238
full transcript, or listen to it

[Kerrytravelers]

1. But we're spreading freedom. Freedom is on the march...

And you what a hard job it is to lead liberty. :eyes:

[rqstnnlitnmnt]

2. kick for amy goodman

:toast:

[Dinger]

3. I Saw The End Of That Interview; I'll Watch The Repeat

and tape it.

[rainy]

4. Awesome interview

great, sent it to friends.

[Generator]

5. I saw it

What stuck with me is his contention that Americans are so badly educated. They know so little of history, and therefore, have no idea what's really happening to them now. I don't have the best education, but I can certainly look and see things happening in my country that are akin to fascism with propaganda and war and all the rest. Things that look very similiar to other times in history. As I said in other post, it's not like Bushco invented the wheel on lies and evil.

It's all been done before.


And you can't argue your way with facts with true believers. Which is why when Skinner asked days after the election what we can do-I said I don't think you can really convince ignorant people to become smart. Beyond the religious that follow Bush, ignorance is it's own belief system. It's easier to go along and believe what you are told and think everything is okay and you are the good guy. Looking at the Abu Gharib pictures and seeing that what you were told is not true and not rationlizing it is a little harder.

They need their own epiphany. Maybe a few years under a dictator, extreme poverty, something like that. Some people must suffer to get out of their fog of ignorance and belief.

This country is ready to be dumb until it costs them something.

[LibertyorDeath]

6. "This country is ready to be dumb until it costs them something."

I think that "something" will be along sooner rather than latter.