BuzzFlash
presents Southern Style
by Rebecca Knight
August 26, 2002
The New Silent Majority
by Rebecca Knight
Come on up for the rising
Come on up, lay your hands in mine
Come on up for the rising
Come on up for the rising tonight-- Bruce Springsteen
Last week was a very interesting week politically. Events of historical significance took place, but don't expect the average John and Jane Doe in America to "get it!" Sadly, the revolution will not be televised. John and Jane will glean their information from the propagandized mainstream media, which is hardly interested in reporting any disapproval of George W. Bush.
How will the news of the revolution reach the truly informed? Ladies and gentlemen, I submit to you that for the first time in our nation's history the revolution will be supported through the Internet. Thank you, Al Gore!
Since I rarely watch televised news programs, for obvious reasons, I consider myself fortunate indeed to have witnessed two of the most astounding interviews I have ever seen conducted on television. Yes, thanks to the Internet we are able to know in advance whom the guests and topics will be on news discussion programs, which allows us to be there for the best.
Phil Donahue, while not one of my favorite people due to his unfortunate support of Nader during election 2000, is giving voice to the liberal point of view on MSNBC at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time. Donahue's show is apparently suffering from low ratings and I encourage you all to write MSNBC in support of his program.
Last week Donahue interviewed an amazing American, Studs Terkel, for the entire hour. On that night Studs Terkel, the Pulitzer winning author, became one of my heroes. At ninety years old, Studs Terkel maintains his brilliance, his political insight, and his determination to speak his mind no matter how controversial the topic. He is walking American history and he is none too keen on George W. Bush or John Ashcroft. Studs gave us a new nickname for George: "wanton boy." If you did not see the Terkel interview, you really missed a treat. Do yourself a favor and read the entire transcript.(1)
TERKEL: I don’t know about that. I've got the memory, for some reason or other. But now and then, words fail me. I still have, fortunately, the indignation. When something is cock, as I think things are today, I say it.
See, what have I got to lose? I’m 90 years old. So I can be subversive right now of the wanton boy we call our appointed chieftain, or of our attorney general, who was born 300 years too late. Because he belongs in Arthur Miller's play, "The Crucible." He was the judge, you know, who had people spy on each other, witchcraft.
DONAHUE: You speak of John Ashcroft.
TERKEL: Well, I hope so. In any event, the point is, I'm subversive in that sense. I like to speak the truth as I see it. What have I got to lose?
TERKEL: I think right now-remember all these books I've written. The ordinary American, the noncelebrated American, we know the basic decency of them. We didn't need 9/11 to tell me that. I knew that all the time.
But there’s also an intelligence there that right now is under assault. In other words, the intelligence of the American people right now is being insulted by a wanton boy. When I called Bush a wanton boy, it's a Shakespearean quote. In "King Lear," he speaks of wanton boys swatting flies. That is, mindless boys swatting.
We have a mindless boy right now with the most powerful job in the world. And that is perilous. We have an attorney general who is like the guy Arthur Miller described in "The Crucible" in Salem, Massachusetts, 300 years ago, who urges people to spy on other people, witchcraft, and all women are hanged. So we have this.
So am I being subversive now? Because we were told, to criticize George Bush now, in view of 9/11, is un-American. I'm very un-American in that respect. Except that I’m really American.
Because we were founded with the idea of somebody being free. That's the idea of Thomas Paine. He was the one who was admired by Washington and Jefferson. And he wrote of a new society-we never had one-in which a person speaks his mind of his public servant.
Bush is my public servant and yours. Does something wrong, you must speak out. It’s not simply your right, it’s your duty to do so. And I speak my mind right now. And that’s American.
TERKEL: I really feel there's a new silent majority that may agree with me to some extent, and that’s to you. There’s a new silent majority, if I may use a Nixonian phrase...
Yes, Studs Terkel is my new hero. He covers it all – corporate scandals, polls, intimidation, the media, the Democratic party, third parties, bombing, McCarthyism, etc.
The second amazing interview occurred on Crossfire when James Carville, another hero, literally exploded when a right wing guest said that all of Islam is evil. Carville didn't just speak in opposition to the guest's ignorance, he screamed in rage and pounded the table. It was great television and it was free speech at it's finest!
CARVILLE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) people in these mosques in these countries that are praying, that are working, that are good Americans, that pay taxes here. They're not evil people. They're good people. And for you to suggest that and Franklin Graham to suggest that is just wrong, god damn it, it is wrong. (2)
Yes, James and Paul Begala are doing a great job standing up for the progressives who oppose the illogical, dictatorial Bush administration. They deserve a standing ovation and when James set that right-wing nut straight, I actually gave him one in the privacy of my own home!
Norman Solomon of FAIR.org wrote an on-target essay regarding the new Bush "wag the puppy" scenario.(3) Wag the puppy, a slightly condensed version of wag the dog, is defined as a lowered drumbeat for a war against Iraq. Instead of pounding the big bass drum, perhaps they will play the bongos for a few months, at least through the November elections. Bush and company, slightly thrown off pace by the GOP critics of rushing into an invasion of Iraq, have decided it might be prudent to take a public posture in support of a "healthy debate." Be careful America! Be very careful, those of you in the House and Senate!
Iran announced on Saturday that it would not remain neutral if the U.S. attacks Iraq. (4) Iran announced its opposition to any unilateral action by the U.S. and supports the right of the Iraqi people "to determine their own fate." This declaration by Iran proves that an invasion of Iraq has the potential to enflame the Middle East further, an extremely hazardous move being contemplated by the Bush administration. Be very careful Mr. Bush!
What will you do with this little news nugget, Mr. Bush? It was reported that the royal family of Saudi Arabia paid Osama bin Laden and the Taliban millions of dollars in protection money, which was used to fund training camps in Afghanistan.(5)
The underlying motivation behind the Bush and Cheney actions in the Middle East is oil. It always has been and it always will be. Iraq possesses the second largest oil reserve on the planet and potentially has undiscovered reserves, which would rank it right up there with Saudi Arabia. It is quite a coincidence that the two countries with the headquarters for the four largest oil companies in the world just happen to be the United States and the United Kingdom, also the two countries that will act almost alone if Iraq is invaded.(6)
Thomas Friedman wrote a brilliant opinion piece in the New York Times in which he explains in a reasoned manner how the U.S. dependence on oil has subverted Middle East policy.(7) As he rightfully points out, this is the reason the U.S. cannot afford to tell the truth about some repressive Middle Eastern countries.
Mr. Friedman writes: "Yet, since Sept. 11, the Bush-Cheney team has not lifted a finger to make us, or the Arab-Islamic world, less dependent on oil. Too bad. Because politics in countries dependent on oil becomes totally focused on who controls the oil revenues — rather than on how to improve the skills and education of both their men and women, how to build a rule of law and a legitimate state in which people feel some ownership, and how to build an honest economy that is open and attractive to investors."
An invasion of Iraq will do nothing to change this. Invading Iraq is not about bringing democracy to the Iraqi people. It is about a Bush family fixation with getting Saddam Hussein and the control of oil.
On the home front, inquiring minds want to know what is the rationale behind calling up additional National Guard units to active duty for Operation Noble Eagle, the official title given by Bush in September 2001 to the homeland defense and civil support services.(8) The Iowa National Guard units recently called into active duty are artillery specialists using weapons accurate from 11,000 to 12,000 meters.(9) For what purpose is artillery is needed within the U.S. boundaries?
The new U.S. Northern Command will officially stand up on October 1, 2002, putting into place the most sweeping changes since the unified command system was set up in 1946. It will be headquartered in the Washington vicinity.(10)
"The command's mission is the preparation for, prevention of, deterrence of, preemption of, defense against, and response to threats and aggression directed towards U.S. territory, sovereignty, domestic population, and infrastructure; as well as crisis management, consequence management, and other domestic civil support."
Is "crisis management, consequence management, and other domestic civil support" just governmental doublespeak for controlling the masses? There are 100,000 soldiers being trained for internal security checkpoints. Is the Office of Homeland Security gaining a militarized division?(11) This is very frightening. Be careful America!
What really happened to the story that the Bush administration was considering summary execution assassination squads? The original story by Reuters first appeared on ABC News online. It was also reported in The Washington Post. Suddenly and mysteriously all the articles disappeared – poof – gone!(12) The only article on this subject still available on the Internet is one by Guardian Unlimited.(13)
Bush stated recently, "One of the challenges that I knew I would have is that the further we got away from Sept. 11, the more likely it would be people would forget, would forget the challenge, would not remember the pain and suffering." No, George, you are wrong again. We well remember the horrible events of Sept. 11. They are indelibly etched into our memories. We remember the tears, sorrow, fears, anger, and bitterness. We mourned.
The problem for you, George, is not that we don't remember, but that we abhor your use of the victims and their families as an excuse for promoting and initiating your right wing agenda. We strongly denounce the chickenhawks on the right who promote war as a remedy for all that went wrong on that day. We find your efforts to disrupt or delay an open investigation into the events of Sept. 11 to be appalling and disgusting. We protest the use of the events of 9/11 as an excuse to crack down on American citizens who have every right to speak their minds openly and freely.
We dissent! Bush was opposed last week through peaceful demonstration by the heroes of Portland, Oregon in numbers estimated to be as high as 3,000. Those brave souls faced police intimidation and stood their ground. According to personal accounts by those present, the police gave no warning when they began using pepper spray and fired on the crowd using rubber bullets. They demanded that the crowd disperse and then refused to let them leave, blocking their paths.(14)
In Stockton, California the largest crowd of protestors since 1967 gathered to express their disapproval of Bush policies. They were ushered into a protest zone measuring 20 by 100 feet conveniently blocked from Bush's view by buses and big rig trailers at the request of the Secret Service. Organizers complained to no avail that their civil rights were being violated.(15)
In Central Point, Oregon protestors attempted to block the presidential motorcade by sit-in. Democratic congressional candidate Peter Buckley participated in the protest and said, "I never thought that in America, we'd be seeing something that looks like an amendment zone. The only place you can now exercise your First Amendment rights is behind a 6-foot cyclone fence. It's a sad day for America. We're a democracy."(16)
Welcome to America with a "wanton boy" president, the kind of person who thinks he can get away with anything. Well, George, don't "misunderestimate" the character and strength of the American people. Don't pee on our leg and try to tell us it's raining. It won't work because Studs Terkel is right. There is a silent majority and millions proudly belong!
We who protest, read, investigate, and write about the truth are the foundation of the silent majority. It is high time that we gather our courage and follow the great examples set by Studs Terkel and James Carville. Now is the time to get in touch with what could be called our "inner Carville," the determination to speak the truth forcefully, demanding to be heard. We all have an inner Carville just waiting to be tapped in our fight to save America.
Yes, I believe those who grasp the reality of the current situation in America are the vast majority. I also believe that we have the power to turn things around, but it is high time we stopped being so silent!
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(1) http://www.msnbc.com/news/796617.asp
(2) http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0208/20/cf.00.html
(3) http://www.fair.org/media-beat/020822.html
(4) http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2002-08/24/content_537012.htm
(5) http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30200-1062074,00.html
(6) http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/83314_sean20.shtml
(7) http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/25/opinion/25FRIE.html
(8) http://www.usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/aa091601a.htm
(10) http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/dod/northcom.htm
(11) http://www.almartinraw.com/column37.html
(12) http://www.rense.com/general28/exe.htm
(13) http://www.guardian.co.uk/bush/story/0,7369,773574,00.html
(14) http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/08.25A.wrp.portland.htm
(15) http://www.recordnet.com/daily/news/articles/082402-gn-4.shtml
(16) http://www.mailtribune.com/archive/2002/0823/local/stories/05local.htm
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"There are senators who are more worried about the special interests in Washington than they are about protecting the people."
-- George W. Bush: Winner of "The Pot Calling The Kettle Black" Award
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Rebecca Knight is a native Tennessean, who grew up in Nashville, and currently resides in a small town near Nashville. Ms. Knight's political awareness evolved through the civil rights movement, the Vietnam era, the Watergate era, and the cold war. The debacle of the 2000 election increased her sense of responsibility for political activism. You may contact Rebecca Knight via e-mail at tennessee_gal655@yahoo.com.
© 2002 by Rebecca Knight
