No Questions Asked

Norman Solomon has made a career out of telling it like it is. Recently he told an audience that Bush and his gang are avoiding prosecution for war crimes because our media “licks the boots of those in power in Washington.” He added that the “news media should be part of the discourse and encourage us to think, not shut it down.”

I could not agree more. In the buildup to war our media encouraged submission and silent obedience. Now, even after learning that the intelligence used to “sell” the war to the public was created to justify the administration’s goals, the media continues to avoid the real issues.

It is up to us to insist that the questions we need answered are asked and that those committing crimes are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Discussion and debate is what differentiates democracies from dicatatorships and fascist states.

We need to take our democracy back. How? Question what you hear. Demand more information. Ask newly elected democrats why they are not being diligent about righting wrongs. Write to Nancy Pelosi and tell her you think Bush should be impeached and Cheney charged with war crimes. Take to the streets in protest. Remind people that it is possible to support our troops and be against war. In fact, being against war is the best support you can give our troops because they would be safe at home.

Norman wrote the foreword to No Questions Asked. You can read his foreword here.

I recently gave a lecture at Fordham University about the passivity of the American media. You can read what they wrote about the lecture here.

Finally, an American judge decides that this war very well may be illegal. Three cheers for Watada for standing firm in his beliefs. The administration seems to be falling apart at the seams.
Mistrial Declared in Lt. Watada Court Martial

The ruling by the military judge, Lt. Col. John Head, does not mean that Lt. Watada is off the hook. After moving for the mistrial, the prosecution asked for a new trial and the judge tentatively scheduled a one for mid-March. But it does mean that a new trial could offer Watada’s defense team more flexibility in arguing that the officer had a legitimate reason for refusing to fight in Iraq.

This is significant because, as Richard Swain, a retired military officer who now teaches ethics at West Point, testified this week: Officers do not have to follow orders that they determine to be illegal. Of course, Swain explained, “if they make that determination, they have to be right. And if they’re not right, they will be held accountable.”

There is no guarantee that Watada’s defense will succeed in convincing a military jury that the war in Iraq is illegal — in fact, there is every reason to believe the officer and his lawyers will have a very hard time doing so — but the prospect that they might be afforded more of an opportunity to mount such a defense could change the dynamic of a second trial.

Because of what is at stake — not just for Watada but for the Army and for the Bush administration — the trial has drawn international attention. And the scene in the courtroom on Wednesday was remarkable.

A review in Booklist, February 2007

With the passage of time, it has become more and more apparent how the American press failed to question the Bush administration response to the 9/11 attacks on the U.S., according to independent journalist Finnegan, who explores those failures and what they may have cost the nation. Fear of being perceived as unpatriotic and willingness to accept information doled out by the administration led many journalists to retreat from their responsibility to question policies on the war on terror. The administration was not adequately probed on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, the need to topple Saddam Hussein, and the Patriot Act and a host of other policies that have been set in place since 9/11. Finnegan describes the buildup to war and the psychological manipulation the administration used on the public and the press. Finnegan also compares U.S. coverage of 9/11 and the war on terror and coverage by the press abroad. This is a penetrating look at American news coverage at a critical time in U.S. history.
– Vanessa Bush
Booklist , February 2007

Please go to your library and ask the librarian to order the book if it is not available. You’ll be putting your taxpayer dollars to good use. No Questions Asked, News Coverage Since 9/11. Publisher Praeger. ISBN 0-275-99335-3.

Thanks!

Molly Ivins is dead. The news is heartbreaking for so many reasons, including the fact that the US has lost a great and powerful force who told us so simply that we are responsible for the actions of our government. In her columns and her actions, she fought injustice and government irrationality. She pushed for an open government and accountability. In her last column she reminded us all that despite what George W. Bush says,

We are the people who run this country. We are the deciders. And every single day, every single one of us needs to step outside and take some action to help stop this war. Raise hell. Think of something to make the ridiculous look ridiculous. Make our troops know we’re for them and trying to get them out of there. Hit the streets to protest Bush’s proposed surge. If you can, go to the peace march in Washington on Jan. 27. We need people in the streets, banging pots and pans and demanding, “Stop it, now!”

Yes, Molly. That is exactly what we need.

I will miss Molly’s wit and wisdom. But mostly I mourn the loss of a great woman of conscience who was not afraid to tell the truth. As a memorial, let’s all be the deciders that she so simply reminded us that we are.

Let’s get our troops out of Iraq. And possibly even more important, let’s keep out of Iran. Let’s stop it all. Let’s impeach this bunch of murdering crooks. Let’s get to the bottom of what happened on 9/11. Let’s make it as right as we can.

Let’s make Molly proud. For more information on Molly, see her editor’s tribute.