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Should the Left Cheer the Dollar's Drop? How to make the bankers scream: Robert Pollin, world's best obituarist of Clintonomics, explains it all for you. Do police states make people feel safer? Vicente Navarro on Franco's Spain, Cockburn on Ireland in the Fifties under the Catholic Hierarchy, Alevtina Rea on growing up in Brezhnev-time. Capitalism's true utopia? St Clair on the Pentagon's no-bid arms contracts. How's the press doing in Iraq? Patrick Cockburn tells all to Omar Waraich. Get the answers you're looking for in the latest subscriber-only edition of CounterPunch... CounterPunch Online is read by millions of viewers each month! But remember, we are funded solely by the subscribers to the print edition of CounterPunch. Please support this website by buying a subscription to our newsletter, which contains fresh material you won't find anywhere else, or by making a donation for the online edition. Remember contributions are tax-deductible. Click here to make a donation. If you find our site useful please: Subscribe Now! or write CounterPunch, PO BOX 228, Petrolia, CA 95558 |
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Other Lands Have Dreams: From Baghdad to Pekin Prison by KATHY KELLY  Today's Stories May 7, 2005 Gary
Leupp May 6, 2005 Patrick
Cockburn Erin
Yoshioka Sam
Husseini Dave
Lindorff Kevin
Zeese Joshua
Frank Dan
Bacher P.
Saineth
May 5, 2005 Carles
Mutaner Carl
G. Estabrook Farrah
Hassen Kevin
Zeese Michael
Leonardi Bennett
Ramberg Ray
McGovern Norman
Solomon Nicole
Colson Brian
Concannon, Jr.
May 4, 2005 Colin
Kalmbacher John
Walsh Greg
Moses Ali
Khan Chris
Floyd Linda
S. Heard Dave
Zirin William
S. Lind Gary
Leupp Website
of the Day
May 3, 2005 Dave
Lindorff Brian
Cloughley Ira
Kurzban Seth
Sandronsky Gilad
Atzmon Michael
Donnelly Alex
Sanchez Peter
Linebaugh
May 2, 2005 Ron
Jacobs Stan
Goff Karyn
Strickler Joshua
Frank Kevin
Zeese Vicente
Navarro
April 30 / May 1, 2005 Alexander
Cockburn Gabriel
Kolko Jennifer
Loewenstein Lee
Sustar Saul
Landau T.W.
Croft Nikolas
Kozloff William
Blum Dave
Lindorff Joshua
Frank Doug
Giebel Steven
Erlanger Fred
Gardner Mike
Whitney Kurt
Nimmo Joe
DeRaymond Michael
Dickinson Mickey
Z. Justin
Taylor Poets
Basement Website
of the Weekend
April 29, 2005 W.
John Green Luke
Brothers Norman
Solomon M.
Junaid Alam Jackie
Corr Hunter
Greer Sharon
Smith Website
of the Day
April 28, 2005 Omar
Waraich Kevin
Zeese Dave
Lindorff Greg
Moses Toni
Solo Niranjan
Ramakrishnan Werther
April 27, 2005 John
Ross Joshua
Frank Ray
McGovern Mark
Donham Dan
Smith
April 26, 2005 Dave
Lindorff Alevtina
Rea Greg
Moses Joshua
Frank Diana
Johnstone
April 25, 2005 Uri
Avnery Alison
Weir Lee
Sustar Leonardo
Boff Gary
Leupp
April 23 / 24, 2005 Alexander
Cockburn Gary
Leupp James
Petras Harry
Browne Fred
Gardner Ron
Jacobs Elizabeth
Schulte Chris
Floyd
April 22, 2005 Saul
Landau Kevin
Zeese Joshua
Frank Mike
Whitney Michael
Flynn Lee
Sustar Website
of the Day
April 21, 2005 Bill
Quigley Dave
Lindorff Jason
Leopold Kathleen
Christison
April 20, 2005 John Ross Kevin Zeese Uri Avnery Website of the Day
April 19, 2005 Jean-Guy Allard Dave Lindorff Neve Gordon Brian Concannon, Jr Murray Hudson Frank B. Ford Monty Python Michael Dickinson Paul Craig
Roberts Website of the Day
Linda Schade
/ Kevin Zeese John Ross Brian McKenna Mike Whitney Patrick Cockburn Dave Zirin Eli Stephens Harry Browne Website of
the Day
April 16 / 17, 2005 Alexander Cockburn Mark Dow Omar Waraich Robert Buzzanco Sherry Wolf Fred Gardner Ron Jacobs Mark Weisbrot John Pardon Yoshie Furuhashi Mike Roselle Ralph Nader Ramzy Baroud Jackson Thoreau Michael Dickinson Richard Neville Poets' Basement Website of the Weekend
April 15, 2005 Brian Cloughley Bill Glahn Mickey Z. Stephanie McMillan Josh Mahan David Russitano Jorge Mariscal Rodolfo "Corky"
Gonzales Tom Reeves
April 14, 2005 Karyn Strickler Pat Williams Jessica Pupovac Joshua Frank Jerzy Mankowski Talli Naumann Antony Loewenstein Virginia Rodino Saul Landau
/ Farrah Hassen Website of the Day
April 13, 2005 Maria Carrión Mike Whitney Terry Jones Dave Lindorff Nathaniel Livingston, Jr. Kurt Nimmo Don Fitz Tom Crumpacker JG Jack McCarthy Kevin Zeese Jeffrey St.
Clair
April 12, 2005 John Wheat
Gibson Kevin Zeese Alan Farago Dave Lindorff Ron Jacobs Nelson P. Valdes Dave Zirin Website of the Day
April 11, 2005 Tom Barry Saul Landau Monique Dols Phil Gasper Mike Whitney Edwin Krales Paul de Rooij Website of the Day
April 9 / 10, 2005 Jeffrey St.
Clair William A. Cook Gary Leupp Alan Maass Laura Carlsen Joe DeRaymond Nikolas Kozloff Dave Lindorff Greg Moses Fred Gardner Justin Smith Ron Jacobs M. Junaid Alam Ira Kay Elizabeth Schulte Jackie Corr Christopher
Brauchli Leslie A. Fiedler Ben Tripp Poets Basement Website of
the Weekend
Hot Stories Alexander Cockburn Subcomandante
Marcos Norman Finkelstein Steve Niva Dardagan,
Slobodo and Williams Steve
J.B. Sheldon
Rampton and John Stauber Wendell
Berry CounterPunch
Wire Cindy
Corrie Gore Vidal Francis Boyle
Subscribe Online
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Weekend Edition Hard Right Rage Against the TruthFree Speech in the CrosshairsBy MIKE WHITNEY Seattle, Washington
Looking back over the last 5 years we can see that the dismantling of the Constitution has been anything but haphazard. From the time the Bush administration began to illegally round up 1100 Moslems after 9-11 (incarcerating them for up to 6 months without charges) it was evident that they had a plan to bulldoze the Bill of Rights. At that time they experimented with 3 rationalizations for overturning the protections elicited in the 5th and 6th amendments; the material witness clause, SAMs (special administrative measures) and a term which they invented themselves for eviscerating due process; "unlawful combatant". The administration finally settled on unlawful combatant as the most effective way to confer absolute power on the executive; allowing him to arrest indefinitely anyone he arbitrarily accuses of terrorism. The 4th amendment proved even
less difficult to rescind. Following 9-11 the administration
miraculously produced a 300-plus page "wish list" for
state repression cynically named the Patriot Act. The Congress
passed the bill without even reading it; opening up every area
of the citizen's life to unlimited government intrusion. The
Bill of Rights' protection against "unreasonable searches
and seizures" no longer exists in Bush's America, nor does
the "reasonable expectation of privacy". Having eviscerated the 4th, 5th, 6th and 8th amendments, the administration has moved on to the cornerstone of American life and culture; the 1st amendment. The Bush strategy for attacking "free speech" has been much more subtle and requires more serious analysis. It will never be possible for the state to simply issue an edict that "free speech" has been summarily repealed. Instead, the administration is trying to affect this change by operating through its many surrogates in the right-wing media. Wherever you travel in America today you can tune into at least one or two 24 hour-a-day far-right radio programs. The estimated 45 million Americans, who listen to these stations, enjoy hearing a perspective that is compatible with their own world view; it's a matter of "predisposition" to ideas that are similar to one's own. The news becomes a form of "wish fulfillment". The hard-right in America has used this tool to much greater advantage than the left, which is clearly playing catch-up. The fact that we're 2 years into a foreign occupation and over 50% of the public are still confused about the basic facts which provided the rationale for the war (which is readily available) demonstrates the triumph of this propaganda-model. The ideological culture of right wing radio, and its implicit intolerance of alternate viewpoints, is a direct attack on free speech. The assault is not the blaring trumpet of McCarthyism that intimidated its victims with accusations of being a communist sympathizer. It's much more subtle than that, and involves the discreet workings of so-called free market coupled with the efforts of quasi-fascist radio hosts to marshal public rage against divergent points of view. At one time, the founders of this nation provided the resources for the free distribution of political materials through the postal system. They understood that the circulation of many differing points of view was the life's-blood of democracy. Compare that thinking to the logic that guides today's media, where ideas that oppose war or the evisceration of civil liberties or the savaging of the economy with "unsustainable" tax cuts for the wealthy are scrupulously kept off the airwaves. Today's media aims for uniformity of opinion by presenting two modestly-contrasting points-of-view that support the basic tenets state power, free markets and consumerism. The opinions that are at variance with these views are consigned to smaller audiences on the internet. Even there, these opinions are picked off the web sites and used as an example of "threats to the status quo"; the errant thinking of enemies of the state whose thoughts are not in line with the goals of regimentation and homogeny. Free thinking is the sworn enemy of conformity and, as such, a threat to the objectives of autocratic government. The current system does not allow the administration to attack individuals by itself, but to act, as it did with John Kerry, through its operatives in the private sector who carry out their wishes. (Never the less, no one was confused about whose interests were served by the Swift Boat campaign) In the case of individuals whose views pose a challenge to the state, the institutions that are already in place, swing into action to destroy the person in question. (Ward Churchill) We have already seen how the media can tilt all its cameras in one direction (like Michael Schiavo or Clinton) with the expressed intention of destroying its victim. Human interest stories (like these) and weather-related tragedies now form the bulk of what we Americans call the news. It is a purely diversionary strategy intended to keep the public from getting the economic and political news they require to be participants in the democratic process. The real objectives of the modern media are to depoliticize the American people and to cultivate the next generation of consumers. On both these counts the media has succeeded admirably. The current strategy for undermining the 1st amendment is a two-pronged attack:
Unpopular ideas have virtually disappeared from the mainstream. When they do appear, as in the case of Bill Moyers investigative program NOW, there is such a furor, that all the forces of the political establishment are brought to bear to abolish the show. The case of NOW demonstrates the pathological fear that arch-conservatives have to ideas other than their own. Moyers alternate view turned out to be the catalyst for revamping the PBS leadership and replacing the top people with Bush loyalists. Ideas that conflict with the corporate-friendly vision of reality are now quickly scrubbed from the media and consigned to the dust-bin. Right-wing radio operates differently; taking on the unpopular ideas and savaging both the idea and its author. In fact, most of the programming is devoted to denigrating people whose ideas directly challenge the business-friendly, flag-waving jingoism espoused by the conservative establishment. It is an effective way to annihilate dissent, eliminate threatening opinions and crush the opposition. We all know from listening to these programs that the aim is not to provide a fair-airing of differing viewpoints, but to hector, confuse, intimidate and wipe-out the person with the alternate opinion. This extends to putting out information about that person that will incite others to threaten or harass him; to discredit groups he is connected to, and to humiliate his family and friends. Right-wing radio and blog sites are now being used to bludgeon 1st amendment and stifle free speech. They have tapped into that bottomless reserve of white-male rage and directed it towards the adversaries of conformity and state power. Behind the incoherent fury of their listening-audience, the "institutions" are now in place to carry out the work of targeting dissidents and shutting people up. These institutions run counter to our fundamental principles and are the direct enemy of democratic government. They must be exposed and then challenged through an open debate of the issues. Democracy does not function without a "marketplace of ideas". Unpopular ideas must be defended more rigorously than those that are held by the majority. Media that does not provide an open forum for the disseminating of unpopular ideas betrays its mandate under the Constitution to maintain an "informed public". By abandoning that mandate, the media has become little more than a propaganda-service for special interests. The reclamation of democracy in America will require a complete overhaul of the existing media-paradigm. Its time we started removing the dead-wood. Mike Whitney lives in Washington state. He can
be reached at: fergiewhitney@msn.com
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