Reporting from Baghdad......Viva La Revolution

[Viva_La_Revolution]

okay, okay, it was the Baghdad Theatre, Portland, Oregon.
:P

from the press release:

Internationally acclaimed journalist Amy Goodman --host of the
national daily radio/TV program Democracy Now!-- is on a national tour to mark the launch of her first book "The Exception to the Rulers: Exposing Oily Politicians, War Profiteers, and the Media That Love Them.

Join us for this exciting event.
(so I did.)

The whole main level was full, so we had to sit in the balcony – between 150 - 200 people attended. They said it was the biggest audience so far.

David Goodman spoke first, for about 20 min.

“It’s great to be here in the Republic of Portland.”

He talked about Vermont having the most people over in Iraq right now (Oregon is #2).

He was told by a young med. officer who just returned, that he was having to dope up the soldiers to get them out to fight because they are suffering so much trauma, having nightmares, etc.

US is targeting Journalists – they were just over in Iraq with the brother of one of the Al Jazera journalists that was killed.

He told a story about a man here who was protesting b*sh, had a sign that said “No War for Oil” . He was charged with “threatening the President” because when they tried to move him to a “Free Speech Zone” he said… “I thought the whole country of America was a free speech zone!”

Danny Glover was set to be the speaker at an MLK event, they tried to have him cancelled because of his outspoken opinions that we shouldn’t be in Iraq.


Then Amy spoke for about 45 min.

More than any other weapon in this war, the government has deployed the Media (as a weapon against us). Un-Imbed the Media! (applause)

We are not allowed to see the personal stories of the people around the world, and the people of Iraq, so we have no personal connection with those people. When we all saw the devastation of the Tsunami, millions of people were touched and sent $ and aid. We aren’t allowed to see the dead in Iraq, the victims of our war, so we don’t care.

“Our” image of the Iraq war is the Statue of Saddam being toppled
“the rest of the World’s” image of the Iraq war is a prisoner in a black hood attached to electrodes.

The media manufactures the consent for war – Norm Chomsky

“We need Reality TV!! “ (silence) “When it comes to the Reality of WAR!” (loud applause)

She spoke about the Italian Reporter, and the fact that US Govt still won’t release the car to the Italians.

Public TV is under siege – when contracts for public TV stations come up for re-negotiations, they are trying to take back OUR channels.

Dissent in the military is rampant, but is not being discussed.

She told the story about being on the Sally Jesse Raphael show – VERY FUNNY!

"Years ago, I went on the Sally Jesse Rafael Show during the Persian Gulf War; she had six women three for; four against the war."
One of the women made an anti-war comment and Sally had a fit. The show was supposed to run 2 days later, but it didn’t. They finally ran it a few weeks later, and had cut Sally’s hissy fit out. (paraphrased,I tried to find the whole story online, but no luck.)

She said to look up Exxon Mobile, Indonesia (Ochoa) and the Tsunami. They are the biggest corporate doners to the Tsunami relief, but that's because the have holdings there they are trying to protect.

At the end, she told the story of Timor in 1991 – when she saw all those people massacred, and they were beaten and had guns to their head.

From Buzzflash -
In 1990 and 1991, Amy traveled to East Timor to report on the US-backed Indonesian occupation of East Timor. There, she and colleague Allan Nairn witnessed Indonesian soldiers gun down 270 East Timorese. Indonesian soldiers beat Amy and Allan, fracturing Allan’s skull. Their documentary, "Massacre: The Story of East Timor" won numerous awards.

http://www.buzzflash.com/interviews/04/01/int04006.html

She’s one tough cookie!


I had a great time, and I highly recommend catching this event if you can. She makes me want to be a highly principaled Independant Journalist when I grow up!