Elizabeth The Great

Elizabeth Warren Embarrasses GOP Financial Exec

Liz, Liz- I think I'm in love. If only you were in that big white house!

 - Alas, you'd be dead within months...

Hugh Thompson- Hero, Role Model, Rebel

Talk about the ultimate unholy trio of overused, overrated buzz words in existence- made only the worse (if humanly possible) by using them in tandem! Yet, there is no question that Hugh Thompson owns the whole lot in every way imaginable for the actions he executed one insanely murderous day in Viet Nam. Namely, it was his direct intervention that prevented even more people from being butchered that infamous afternoon in 1968 at a hamlet called My Lai. And it was his basic sense of common decency that ignited his moral outrage into action- not the wanton blood lust of a rampaging Rambo, but the righteous indignation that allows someone to assume the role of one who saves lives, no matter the cost.

Thompson was the man responsible for turning US arms in the direction of... US troops, and threatening to shoot them down should they advance to kill one more baby, one more innocent human being. With the temporary cessation of the slaughter, he then went about rescuing whoever was still alive, reporting what he had seen, and in so doing so, possibly saving countless other innocent lives in similar operations to come.

He received many a death threat (and many a dead animal on his doorstep) for his courage to speak out; and his partner revealed that his four chopper crashes in the following two months after My Lai may have not all been attributable to the Viet Cong. Ironically, it was Thompson who proved that at least some Americans were, in fact, still the good guys- by his ability to think beyond the myopic xenophobia of "My country, right or wrong," by his willingness to call out Nazi atrocities, no matter who conducted them. Rather than shirk from a showdown with authority, as had innumerable others who diligently murdered with military approval (and dutifully remained silent)- he made it live up to its stated moral obligation.

This humble helicopter pilot, who a whole nation should look up to with pride, has no streets or schools, stadiums or ships named after him, there are no statues standing nobly in his honor. And Clint Eastwood will never have the balls to make a movie about him- but he damn well should, someone should...

Salt Of The Earth: Epilogue

Finally, saw Salt Of The Earth. And what can I say... a better than expected film about a great photographer who has seen, experienced and documented many incredible, as well as horrendous things that life has created, and man has wrought. And as alluded to before, with all that said and done, with all the good he has (obviously) done in his life- why oh why, would he then so casually ally himself with an entity whose very existence threatens and belies everything he's ever stood for? 

Picture That!

Woulda done anything to get a picture of this...

Wish the Right would question their leaders as directly... (see 13 min into video below)

Wanna Lay Odds?

You can bet this guy would've been one very dead hero in the U S of A! 

(just ask FOX)

Gary Webb- Kill The Messenger

If we had met five years ago, you wouldn’t have found a more staunch defender of the newspaper industry than me … I was winning awards, getting raises, lecturing college classes, appearing on TV shows, and judging journalism contests. So how could I possibly agree with people like Noam Chomsky and Ben Bagdikian, who were claiming the system didn’t work, that it was steered by powerful special interests and corporations, and existed to protect the power elite? And then I wrote some stories that made me realize how sadly misplaced my bliss had been. The reason I’d enjoyed such smooth sailing for so long hadn’t been, as I’d assumed, because I was careful and diligent and good at my job … The truth was that, in all those years, I hadn’t written anything important enough to suppress.   --Gary Webb




Before Assange, before Snowden, there was Gary Webb, not anywhere near as famous or internationally known, but a true American patriot and hero, who as overly dramatic as it may sound- yes, died for our collective sins. Repeatedly warned, by both fellow professionals and government officials alike, to keep his nose out and mouth shut, he divulged corruption to its deepest core- no matter the cost. Up until recently, I had always believed his death a suicide, end of story. But as most laypersons and professionals alike would naturally (and correctly)  assume... it's rather difficult to shoot yourself twice in the head...

On Dec. 1, 2005 I spoke with Ted Gunderson about Webb's death. Mr. Gunderson is a retired FBI agent who enjoyed a distinguished career with the FBI that spanned 27 plus years. Prior to his retirement in 1979 Mr. Gunderson was a "senior special agent-in-charge" with a $22 million annual budget at his disposal and over 700 persons under his charge. Mr Gunderson told me, "my expertise is analyzing and reconstructing crime scenes." He said, "Gary Webb was MURDERED. "He (Webb) resisted the first shot {to the head that exited via jaw} so he was shot again with the second shot going into the head {brain}." I asked Mr. Gunderson what he thought about the "two shots" to the head suicide theory that posits Webb "simply missed " his brain with the first shot, so he had to shoot himself again, this time successfully hitting the brain with a .38 revolver? Without hesitation Gunderson exclaimed, "impossible!"

 

 

I have yet to see Kill The Messenger; Jeremy Renner is one good actor, and whether the movie is good, bad or indifferent is inconsequential in the long run- I'm just glad more people will be exposed to the type of person Gary Webb was, and the work he sacrificed his life for... as opposed to the scum clothed in the aura of respectability that control so much of this country, who continue to propagate their horrors worldwide, unchecked and undeterred.

Platon On Snowden; Snowden on NSA

Edward Snowden, Photo: Platon

“They still haven’t fixed their problems. They still have negligent auditing, they still have things going for a walk, and they have no idea where they’re coming from and they have no idea where they’re going,” Snowden said. “And if that’s the case, how can we as the public trust the NSA with all of our information, with all of our private records, the permanent record of our lives?” 

-Edward Snowden

The Most Wanted Man in the World: Behind the Scenes with Edward Snowden from WIRED on Vimeo.

Signs Of... Intelligence On American TV!

This was truly... SHOCK AND AWE!!!  

And in a very BIG way. No bachelorettes, no pseudo-reality pretension, none of the incessant and purposely dumbed down, celebrity obsessed programming that perpetually constipate our national airwaves. Instead, we were treated to the most intelligent and frank talking head interview on prime time TV that I can recall in years, decades, one helluva, very long time...

I'm talking, of course, about the Edward Snowden interview on NBC. The honesty and clarity of his responses, the complete lack of bombast and subterfuge, the sincerity and commitment to the very core of what this country supposedly stands for- all of it laid bare for those with eyes to see and ears to listen.

And still, there are those who call him traitor, coward and worse, who want to see him jailed, humiliated, and yes, executed. Truth is such a rare commodity these days; it sounds shrill and foreign to so many ears. We have been trained to ignore it, dismiss it, lampoon the ever lovin' hell outta it. We dare not risk recognizing and acknowledging what we have been conditioned to avoid and fear- the word of a man who for no personal gain, has exposed the lies we trust, swear to and live by.

PS- Two things: First, he did (repeatedly) alert his superiors to the illegalities being committed- all to no avail. Second, for those who say he should face the music- remember, just about anything and everything that he could possibly bring up in his defense can be (would be) automatically dismissed "in the name of national security." It would be a "trial" in name only, the only question- the severity of his sentence.

Actually, three- many members of Congress, and even POTUS himself now grudgingly agree that the NSA "overreached." Translation: OK, technically he's right, but... he must be punished anyway to set the example. Right- soon as they indict, convict and imprison each and every bankster who broke our laws...

UPDATE: The Snowden Effect

The Man Who Saved The World

Why every Tea Party Republican (and every single American) should kneel down and KISS this ever lovin' Red Commie's Ass!!!

The ONLY Thing That Stops A Bad Guy...

...with a gun, is a good guy with a gun. Just don't tell that bullshit to Antoinette Tuff...

God Bless Edward Snowdon

"I had been looking for leaders, but I realised that leadership is about being the first to act."    

-- Edward Snowdon

He had it all. He could have easily kept his well paying job, his beautiful beyond words girl friend, and his successful lifestyle and career. No one ever threatened him, no one ever pressured him in the slightest, and there was certainly no prize to be had when all was said and done. He didn't have to do anything but continue living his rather fortunate life, unscathed and unconcerned- and yet act he did, and for the right reason... not that most people will ever give a flying fuck that he did it for them.

And now he must forever look behind his back for the remainder of his young life, looking back at a life that was once his.

"I will never feel safe," he said. "Things are very difficult for me in all terms, but speaking truth to power is never without risk."

Particularly when  hypocrisy in the realm of power knows no bounds...

Heroes Past And Present

The Berlin Wall may have come a topplin' down, but The Blue Wall of Silence still stands tall.  Same as it ever was...

Imagine...

If all, most... a few more cops were like this!

If Only He Was The Irish-American President!

    

“Be proud to be a decent American rather than being just a wanker whipping up fear.”

Ai Wei Wei- Never Sorry

What manner of man is Ai Wei Wei... someone who can resurrect as lame and tired a gesture as giving the finger into a fresh and provocative symbol of both hope and defiance. I have to admit, I really didn't know shit about Ai Wei Wei before this movie and he's probably definitely the most important artist in the world today if only because he's inspiring an entire country (and audience worldwide) by directly challenging a corrupt, authoritarian  political system. And art could have no greater or more noble cause to validate and exclaim its very existence. What he makes clear is that you cannot separate the two, you cannot have one without the other, for art is the fullest expression of individual and collective freedom.

And he risks his life and safety in that very cause... 

Risking It All...

Beautiful Souls they are- throughout history, throughout social class and setting! They serve to warn us when all others look away for fear or greed- and sometimes even save us... punished in turn for their effort: socially, financially, or worse.

Heroes...

Both foreign and domestic.

How Many Remember This Unsung Hero?

The Power Of One- Elissa Montanti

I've often posted on photographers who make me embarrassed and ashamed to even occasionally refer to myself as one... Then there are those people on this earth like Elissa Montanti who make me ashamed to even consider myself as any kind of responsible, compassionate human being.

War Hero Myth V Reality...

 Who's the kid?

Although thoroughly and innately opposed to war (particularly the "voluntary" type- and, yes, I much rather laud the efforts of "working class heroes"), there are, nevertheless, some desperately awesome things that human beings do when thrust into the absolute insanity that is war. Hollywood chooses to accentuate the visual and glamorize the "warrior ethos;" the reality is much more mundane, the destruction  prevalent well beyond the battlefield...

Perhaps one day, Hollywood, The History Channel, Washington, DC, etc will focus less on wartime theatrics and more on the heroism of those at home who choose to challenge the policies of death, the economics of greed, and the worship of all things material- America's one true religion.