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Julian Assange: "Don’t Shoot Messanger for Revealing Uncomfortable Truths."

Posted on December 7, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Comments Off on Julian Assange: "Don’t Shoot Messanger for Revealing Uncomfortable Truths."

By Julian Assange WIKILEAKS deserves protection, not threats and attacks. IN 1958 a young Rupert Murdoch, then owner and editor of Adelaide's The News, wrote: “In the race between secrecy and truth, it seems inevitable that truth will always win.” His observation perhaps reflected his father Keith Murdoch's expose that Australian troops were being needlessly sacrificed by incompetent British commanders on the shores of Gallipoli. The British tried to shut him up but Keith Murdoch would not be silenced and his efforts led to the termination of the disastrous Gallipoli campaign. Nearly a century later, WikiLeaks is also fearlessly publishing facts that need to be made public. I grew up in a Queensland country town where people spoke their minds bluntly. They distrusted big government as something that could be corrupted if not watched carefully. The dark days of corruption in the Queensland government before the Fitzgerald inquiry are testimony to what happens when the politicians gag the media from reporting the truth. These things have stayed with me. WikiLeaks was created around these core values. The idea, conceived in Australia, was to use internet technologies in new ways to report the truth. WikiLeaks coined a new type of journalism: scientific journalism. We work with other media outlets to bring people the news, but also to prove it is true. Scientific journalism allows you to read a news story, then to click online to see the original document it is based on. That way you can judge for yourself: Is the story true? Did the journalist report it accurately? Democratic societies need a strong media and WikiLeaks is part of that media. The media helps keep government honest. WikiLeaks has revealed some hard truths about the Iraq and Afghan wars, and broken stories about corporate corruption. People have said I am anti-war: for the record, I am not. Sometimes nations need to go to war, and there are just wars. But there is nothing more wrong than a government lying to its people about those wars, then asking these same citizens to put their lives and their taxes on the line for those lies. If a war is justified, then tell the truth and the people will decide whether to support it. If you have read any of the Afghan or Iraq war logs, any of the US embassy cables or any of the stories about the things WikiLeaks has reported, consider how important it is for all media to be able to report these things freely. WikiLeaks is not the only publisher of the US embassy cables. Other media outlets, including Britain's The Guardian, The New York Times, El Pais in Spain and Der Spiegel in Germany have published the same redacted cables. Yet it is WikiLeaks, as the co-ordinator of these other groups, that has copped the most vicious attacks and accusations from the US government and its acolytes. I have been accused of treason, even though I am an Australian, not a US, citizen. There have been dozens of serious calls in the US for me to be “taken out” by US special forces. Sarah Palin says I should be “hunted down like Osama bin Laden”, a Republican bill sits before the US Senate seeking to have me declared a “transnational threat” and disposed of accordingly. An adviser to the Canadian Prime Minister's office has called on national television for me to be assassinated. An American blogger has called for my 20-year-old son, here in Australia, to be kidnapped and harmed for no other reason than to get at me. And Australians should observe with no pride the disgraceful pandering to these sentiments by Julia Gillard and her government. The powers of the Australian government appear to be fully at the disposal of the US as to whether to cancel my Australian passport, or to spy on or harass WikiLeaks supporters. The Australian Attorney-General is doing everything he can to help a US investigation clearly directed at framing Australian citizens and shipping them to the US. Prime Minister Gillard and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have not had a word of criticism for the other media organisations. That is because The Guardian, The New York Times and Der Spiegel are old and large, while WikiLeaks is as yet young and small. We are the underdogs. The Gillard government is trying to shoot the messenger because it doesn't want the truth revealed, including information about its own diplomatic and political dealings. Has there been any response from the Australian government to the numerous public threats of violence against me and other WikiLeaks personnel? One might have thought an Australian prime minister would be defending her citizens against such things, but there have only been wholly unsubstantiated claims of illegality. The Prime Minister and especially the Attorney-General are meant to carry out their duties with dignity and above the fray. Rest assured, these two mean to save their own skins. They will not. Every time WikiLeaks publishes the truth about abuses committed by US agencies, Australian politicians chant a provably false chorus with the State Department: “You'll risk lives! National security! You'll endanger troops!” Then they say there is nothing of importance in what WikiLeaks publishes. It can't be both. Which is it? It is neither. WikiLeaks has a four-year publishing history. During that time we have changed whole governments, but not a single person, as far as anyone is aware, has been harmed. But the US, with Australian government connivance, has killed thousands in the past few months alone. US Secretary of Defence Robert Gates admitted in a letter to the US congress that no sensitive intelligence sources or methods had been compromised by the Afghan war logs disclosure. The Pentagon stated there was no evidence the WikiLeaks reports had led to anyone being harmed in Afghanistan. NATO in Kabul told CNN it couldn't find a single person who needed protecting. The Australian Department of Defence said the same. No Australian troops or sources have been hurt by anything we have published. But our publications have been far from unimportant. The US diplomatic cables reveal some startling facts: ► The US asked its diplomats to steal personal human material and information from UN officials and human rights groups, including DNA, fingerprints, iris scans, credit card numbers, internet passwords and ID photos, in violation of international treaties. Presumably Australian UN diplomats may be targeted, too. ► King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia asked the US to attack Iran. ► Officials in Jordan and Bahrain want Iran's nuclear program stopped by any means available. ► Britain's Iraq inquiry was fixed to protect “US interests”. ► Sweden is a covert member of NATO and US intelligence sharing is kept from parliament. ► The US is playing hardball to get other countries to take freed detainees from Guantanamo Bay. Barack Obama agreed to meet the Slovenian President only if Slovenia took a prisoner. Our Pacific neighbour Kiribati was offered millions of dollars to accept detainees. In its landmark ruling in the Pentagon Papers case, the US Supreme Court said “only a free and unrestrained press can effectively expose deception in government”. The swirling storm around WikiLeaks today reinforces the need to defend the right of all media to reveal the truth. Julian Assange is the editor-in-chief of WikiLeaks. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/in-depth/wikileaks/dont-shoot-messenger-for-reve… http://newmediadays.dk/media/profiles/2009/julian-assange.jpg added by: ThatCrazyLibertarian

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12 Simple Things You Can Start Doing Right Now To Prepare For The Coming Financial Apocalypse

Posted on December 2, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Comments Off on 12 Simple Things You Can Start Doing Right Now To Prepare For The Coming Financial Apocalypse

It is becoming increasingly apparent that the U.S. economy is heading for complete and total disaster. State and local governments across the nation are uncontrollably bleeding red ink. The federal government has accumulated the largest debt in world history. Every year we buy hundreds of billions of dollars more from the rest of the world than they buy from us. That means that we are getting hundreds of billions of dollars poorer as a nation every single year. Meanwhile, thousands of factories and millions of jobs continue to be sent overseas as American cities turn into post-industrial wastelands. Incomes are down, unemployment remains at depressingly high levels and very few of our politicians seem to have any idea how to fix things. Yes, things are really, really bad. So what are some things that we can all be doing to prepare for the coming financial apocalypse? added by: Revelation1217

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Bristol Palin Plays Baby Card on ‘Dancing’

Posted on September 19, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Filed under: Bristol Palin , Dancing with the Stars Politicians know the best way to drum up votes is to pose for pics with a cute baby — so it should come as no surprise Bristol Palin brought her super-cute son Tripp to rehearsals for ” Dancing With the Stars .” She’s not the only one — Audrina… Read more

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Bristol Palin Plays Baby Card on ‘Dancing’

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CBS: Eric Holder ‘Ignoring Political Pressure;’ Given ‘Hero’s Welcome’ After Bush ‘Cronyism’

Posted on September 13, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

In a puff piece on Attorney General Eric Holder on CBS’s Sunday Morning, correspondent Rita Braver praised his professionalism: “…ignoring political pressure is Holder’s constant message as he talks to Justice Department lawyers…. Though he was a key advisor to the Obama campaign and considers the President a friend, Holder says he now keeps it purely professional.” [Audio available here ] Throughout the interview, Braver portrayed Holder as lacking any political agenda: “And when he took office last February, he got a hero’s welcome. It was in part, he believes, a reaction to cronyism and questionable policies advocated in the Bush-era Justice Department.” As Braver mentioned Bush “cronyism,” a photo of former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales appeared on screen. Holder proclaimed: “Waterboarding, things like that, from my perspective, inconsistent with the great traditions of this department.” Braver began with some gentle criticism of Holder: “And with controversies over everything –  from his pushing to quickly close the U.S. prison at Guantanamo to his very public condemnation of the new Arizona law that cracks down on undocumented immigrants – even some Holder fans are saying, ‘he’s honest, he’s smart but sometimes he can be a little tone deaf about how things play out in public.'” That gave Holder the opportunity to declare: “I don’t have the same latitude that other politicians might have to put my finger up to the wind and figure out what’s going to be popular….So it’s not tone deafness. It’s a commitment to justice and a commitment to the law.” Braver then touted Holder “ignoring political pressure.” Near the end of the segment, Braver noted how “Holder raised a lot of eyebrows with his own comments on race last year.” After playing the clip of Holder calling America a “nation of cowards” on racial matters, Braver announced: “But he says he stands by those remarks.” Holder argued: “I mean that comment was really urging people to get out of what I call their – the safety of their cocoons.” Braver never questioned the offensive and unprofessional nature of the comment nor did she ever bring up the Justice Department’s refusal to prosecute members of the Black Panthers for voter intimidation during the 2008 election. Instead, she continued with a more sympathetic tone: “Because you’re the first African-American attorney general, do you put any extra pressure on yourself?” Braver concluded the interview by wondering: “And as for Eric Holder’s legacy? Is there one thing that you kind of keep in mind about how you see this job all the time?” Holder replied: “It’s what I tell the people in this department all the time. Do the right thing.” Here is a full transcript of Braver’s interview with Holder, aired on September 12: 9:33AM ET SEGMENT: CHARLES OSGOOD: This weekend’s anniversary of the 9/11 attacks focuses our attention once more on America’s war against terrorism. Attorney General Eric Holder plays a key role in that fight. And this past week he fielded questions from our Rita Braver. ERIC HOLDER: It’s something that I start my day with. It’s something that I end my day with. It’s the thing that I spend most of my time on. RITA BRAVER: For Attorney General Eric Holder, it’s not just ceremonies like this one- HOLDER: Today as we read the names of these fallen heros- BRAVER: Honoring law enforcement officials who died on September 11. Every day for him is a reminder of terrorist threats. So this is where you meet with your staff and what else here? HOLDER: We have a meeting every morning. BRAVER: But outside the confines of the Justice Department, Holder has been subject to criticism for his handling of trials of accused terrorists. JEFF SESSIONS: I believe this decision is dangerous. I believe it’s misguided. LINDSEY GRAHAM: I think you’ve made a fundamental mistake here. BRAVER: Especially for the decision he announced – and then had to retract after it provoked an outcry – that Khalid Sheik Mohammed and four other alleged September 11 plotters would be tried in New York City. HOLDER: I’m not scared of what Khalid Sheik Mohammed has to say at trial. BRAVER: The trial date and place are now in limbo. And with controversies over everything –  from his pushing to quickly close the U.S. prison at Guantanamo to his very public condemnation of the new Arizona law that cracks down on undocumented immigrants – even some Holder fans are saying, ‘he’s honest, he’s smart but sometimes he can be a little tone deaf about how things play out in public.’ HOLDER: No, I’m not tone deaf. But I understand what the nature of being attorney general is. I don’t have the same latitude that other politicians might have to put my finger up to the wind and figure out what’s going to be popular. BRAVER: Does the criticism- HOLDER: So it’s not tone deafness. It’s a commitment to justice and a commitment to the law. It is not tone deafness. BRAVER: That got you. HOLDER: Yeah, it does. Because I think that is a criticism that is fundamentally unfair and is political in nature. We want to make sure that this department of justice is true to its great traditions. BRAVER: In fact, ignoring political pressure is Holder’s constant message as he talks to Justice Department lawyers in places like Mobile, Alabama. HOLDER: The only thing that I want you to do is to make sure that you do justice. BRAVER: At 59, Eric Himpton Holder Jr. is the first U.S. attorney general to spend most of his career at the Justice Department. Starting just out of Columbia Law School. HOLDER: I mean, this Department of Justice formed me as a lawyer. BRAVER: And when he took office last February, [cheering crowd] he got a hero’s welcome. It was in part, he believes, a reaction to cronyism and questionable policies advocated in the Bush-era Justice Department. [ON-SCREEN: PICTURES OF ALBERTO GONZALES] HOLDER: Waterboarding, things like that, from my perspective, inconsistent with the great traditions of this department. And when I say traditions, I really want to stress under Republican as well as Democratic attorneys general. Let’s go look. BRAVER: May we go see? So in Holder’s personal office- HOLDER: As you can see, it’s not very large. BRAVER: -there’s a portrait of Attorney General Janet Reno, the Democrat for whom he served as deputy. HOLDER: He is the ultimate symbol of independence. BRAVER: But in his conference room, Holder has a portrait of Republican Elliott Richardson, fired by President Nixon when he refused to stop the Watergate investigation.                                              HOLDER: There are times when you have to do what Elliott Richardson did, which is too simply to say, no. And resign. BRAVER: Though he was a key advisor to the Obama campaign and considers the President a friend, Holder says he now keeps it purely professional. Do you and the President ever get into it? HOLDER: Without characterizing what they are, I will say we have heated conversations. BRAVER: Holder says the person who keeps him on an even keel is his wife, Dr. Sharon Malone, an OBGYN. And he cheerfully admits that she made a lot more money than he did for many years. HOLDER: You know, I’m a 21st century guy, secure in who I am. And so I was more than happy to have these great government jobs while she was bringing in all the money that she made and was giving birth to three children. BRAVER: Holder says his sense of what is right comes from his parents, immigrants from Barbados. You have said that your father faced discrimination. How so? HOLDER: While he was in the service in the South and in Oklahoma, he was refused service at a couple of places where he was in uniform and was told that African-Americans, blacks, negros, were not served. And in spite of that, I have never known a man who loved this country more than my father did. BRAVER: Holder raised a lot of eyebrows with his own comments on race last year. HOLDER: In things racial, we have always been and we, I believe, continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards. BRAVER: But he says he stands by those remarks. HOLDER: I mean that comment was really urging people to get out of what I call their – the safety of their cocoons. BRAVER: Because you’re the first African-American attorney general, do you put any extra pressure on yourself? HOLDER: Yeah, I certainly feel that. I feel there’s a certain responsibility I have, a pressure that I feel that I think is not something that’s been imposed on me as much as it is internal. BRAVER: And as for Eric Holder’s legacy? Is there one thing that you kind of keep in mind about how you see this job all the time? HOLDER: It’s what I tell the people in this department all the time. Do the right thing.

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CBS: Eric Holder ‘Ignoring Political Pressure;’ Given ‘Hero’s Welcome’ After Bush ‘Cronyism’

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The Pathetic Promo for CNN’s Pathetic ‘Parker Spitzer’ Program

Posted on September 7, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Just what you’ve all been waiting for – the pathetic promo for CNN’s pathetic “Parker Spitzer” program premiering October 4 (video follows with commentary): Our dear friend Ace of Spades comically wrote Tuesday this reminded him of the sexual tension between Sam and Diane on the hit ’80s sitcom “Cheers.” Hot Air’s Allahpundit noted :  This feels exactly like a trailer for a Nora Ephron comedy about two TV journalists bantering their way through life. Even the whimsical jazzy soundtrack is Ephron-esque. Is that what they’re going for? The coveted “When Harry Met Sally” demographic? I could be down with that, but if they’re going to try it, I want other conceits from the movie too. Like, they could have Kyra Phillips and John King on occasionally in the Carrie Fisher/Bruno Kirby quirky best-friend roles. Even worse, I see more of a “Sleepless in Seattle” or “You’ve Got Mail” dynamic. After all, despite oozing with saccharin, “When Harry Met Sally” was a darned good film. As for the silly giggling noises Parker was making during this promo, I don’t want to have what she’s having. Exit question: Do you care what either of these people has to say about anything?

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The Pathetic Promo for CNN’s Pathetic ‘Parker Spitzer’ Program

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ABC’s Diane Sawyer Promotes ‘Change Agent’ Arianna Huffington and Her ‘Innovative Solutions’

Posted on September 7, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

ABC’s Diane Sawyer gave Arianna Huffington a rare gift on Tuesday night: An entire World News segment devoted to promoting the left-winger’s new book, Third World America: How Our Politicians Are Abandoning the Middle Class and Betraying the American Dream , and her Huffington Post site. Though a matching ABCNews.com posting described Huffington as a “liberal commentator,” no iteration of liberal passed Sawyer’s lips. As if Huffington’s book does any such thing, Sawyer wondered: “What if we pulled together in one place all the innovative ideas for creating jobs?” The generous on-screen heading beneath Huffington’s picture: “Change Agent.” After highlighting Huffington’s wish to absolve troubled mortgage-holders of much of their responsibility, Sawyer trumpeted: Arianna Huffington’s new book is called Third World America, and on her Web site, she’s been gathering innovative solutions to keep that Third World from happening. The articles posted on the Huffington Post page with “innovative solutions ,” a page the ABC segment displayed, sound more like the usual liberal carping: “Work Until You’re Dead? That May Be the Only Option for Many Americans,” “Thousands Crowd Atlanta Area Housing Authority for Section 8 WAITING LIST, Fights Break Out,” “The 10 Highest-Paid CEOs Who Laid Off the Most Workers: Institute for Policy Studies” and “Income Inequality: ‘The Most Profound Change In American Society In Your Lifetime.’” Huffington hailed: “It’s one person’s idea, like, that’s what I love. It’s like, somebody imagined that, and is making it happen.” Sawyer then showcased an idea that’s failed: “One solution we heard about, Gene Epstein, a self-made millionaire who’s going door to door in Philadelphia, asking every small business to hire one more employee, just for six months. He says if ten percent of businesses do that, one half million people will be employed.” She had to acknowledge, however, he’s “got only one signature.” Not raised by Sawyer in her friendly session with Huffington – the title’s racial overtones. Imagine if a conservative had written a book warning President Obaam’s policies could turn the U.S. into a “Third World” nation? From the Tuesday, September 7 ABC World News: DIANE SAWYER: And finally tonight, what if we pulled together in one place all the innovative ideas for creating jobs? Arianna Huffington has just written a book which begins with some tough statistics about Americans faltering in this economy. SAWYER TO HUFFINGTON, IN MOCK DISBELIEF: Every 30 seconds, someone goes bankrupt in America. Every 30 seconds? ARIANNA HUFFINGTON: Every 30 seconds. And almost three million homes were lost in the last year and about three million or more are expected to be foreclosed in 2010. SAWYER: Foreclosures on mortgages. You think it should be required that every one be negotiated? HUFFINGTON: We need to help people in the middle class who are losing their homes. SAWYER: You don’t think there will be a wave of people shouting, “it’s just not fair, I scraped and saved to make my mortgage payment”? HUFFINGTON: There’s an awful lot that’s happening that’s not fair. But I feel that’s something that, in the end, is going to have a positive impact on every community in the whole country. SAWYER: Arianna Huffington’s new book is called Third World America, and on her Web site, she’s been gathering innovative solutions to keep that Third World from happening. HUFFINGTON: It’s one person’s idea, like, that’s what I love. It’s like, somebody imagined that, and is making it happen. SAWYER: One solution we heard about, Gene Epstein, a self-made millionaire who’s going door to door in Philadelphia, asking every small business to hire one more employee, just for six months. He says if ten percent of businesses do that, one half million people will be employed. GENE EPSTEIN, BUSINESSMAN: People will be buying, stocks will be moving, people will start spending the cash that they’ve had in hand, waiting to spend. SAWYER: So far, he’s undaunted, though he’s got only one signature, a carpet company. EPSTEIN: Businesses have created what we are in the United States. Why can’t they be the salvation for what we are in the United States? SAWYER: Just one person, six months. You think you can pay it forward that way? HUFFINGTON: Yes, I totally believe you can pay it forward. Truth is that democracy’s not a spectator sport. When people take action, it’s the greatest antidote to despair. SAWYER: The rest of the interview’s on ABCNews.com, and give us your innovative ideas.

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ABC’s Diane Sawyer Promotes ‘Change Agent’ Arianna Huffington and Her ‘Innovative Solutions’

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Shameful News Industry Willing To Sacrifice Wikileaks To Get Shield Law | Techdirt

Posted on August 31, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

http://techdirt.com/images/topic_journalism.gif A few weeks ago, we noted, with some disappointment, that the politicians who had been pushing for a much needed federal shield law for journalism, Senators Chuck Schumer and Dianne Feinstein, were taking the politically expedient route of adding a specific amendment designed to keep Wikileaks out of the bill's protections( http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100804/10343410497.shtml ). Apparently, a bunch of newspaper folks have apparently stepped forward to support this move. Douglas Lee, at The First Amendment Center has an opinion piece calling those people out for sacrificing their overall principles just to get the shield law approved( http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/commentary.aspx?id=23303 ). The whole thing is a great read, but a few key snippets: > > It doesn't seem all that long ago that representatives of the newspaper > > industry would have recoiled from working with Congress to deny legal > > protection to anyone who leaked confidential or classified documents. > > Today, however, they seem happy to be doing so. Lee the goes on to quote various industry reps distancing themselves from Wikileaks and putting it down as “not journalism.” He also quotes them admitting that they feel they have to throw Wikileaks under the bus, or the law won't get passed, and then calls them out on the impact of that decision, hinting at the fact that at least some of this might be due to traditional journalists simply not liking new upstarts that are changing the game — like Wikileaks. > > As comforting as it might be to “real” journalists to incorporate editorial > > oversight into a shield law and to use it to distinguish further between the > > “us” who are entitled to the law's protections and the “them” who are not, > > at least two dangers exist in that approach. > > First, does anyone — including the most mainstream of traditional journalists > > — really think it a good idea that Congress and judges define, analyze and > > evaluate what is appropriate “editorial oversight”? For decades, news > > organizations have struggled to resist those efforts in libel cases and, > > so far, those struggles have succeeded. If those same organizations > > now invite legislators and judges into their newsrooms to see how worthy > > their reporters are of protection under a shield law, they shouldn't be > > surprised if the legislators and judges decide to stay. > > Second, is the free flow of information really served if the act's protections > > are denied to those who don't have or practice editorial oversight? > > As Schumer acknowledged in his statement, the act already contains > > language that would limit or deny protection to those who provide or > > publish classified military secrets. Specifically exempting WikiLeaks and > > other organizations that might otherwise qualify for protection under the > > act in at least some cases seems designed not to enhance the free flow of > > information but to channel that information to mainstream sources. It is the nature of politics today to compromise principles to get things through, but this move certainly seems unfortunate — and one that I imagine many news organizations will regret down the road. added by: toyotabedzrock

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Help Us Take NewsBusters to the Next Level!

Posted on August 31, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Last year, we made some major changes on the back end of NewsBusters to help us keep up with demand as NewsBusters has grown in popularity. Those technical changes paid off and now we’re on the verge of completing phase two of these changes. We occasionally make fund-raising requests from our readers, but know that this is one instance in which your help is absolutely essential. We literally cannot do it without you. We’ve set a goal of $30,000, which will cover the upgrade. We need your help to reach this goal. Something you may not be aware of is that because the Media Research Center, NB’s parent company is 501c3 non-profit, we cannot take certain advertisements that would allow us to easily pay such expenses. That is where you, our loyal NB readers can help with a tax-deductible donation . You can also donate to NewsBusters via PayPal – be sure to enter “NewsBusters” in the Description field at the top of the page! Thank you for your continued support. It’s already paid off in spades as NB has become the go-to destination for conservatives who want to combat liberal media bias. We’re cited daily by such top radio talk show hosts as Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, Glenn Beck, and many more. This increased attention has meant more costs for our server expenses, though. Please take the time today to support NB’s continued expansion to meet the new political climate. You’ve come through for us before and we’re confident that you can do so again. With 2010 the most critical year in America in our lifetime, we need to make sure that NewsBusters is ready to force the media to tell the truth about President Obama and other politicians. Click here for more details on the new NewsBusters.org.

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NBC’s Today Show Invites on Two Liberals To Analyze Glenn Beck Rally

Posted on August 30, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

NBC’s Matt Lauer, on Monday’s Today show, invited on the not-so balanced panel of the Reverend Al Sharpton and the NAACP’s Ben Jealous to analyze Glenn Beck’s “Restoring Honor” rally that took place on the 47th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream speech” with Jealous proclaiming that “if Dr. King stood up there” the conservatives in attendance would not have “responded well” to him. Jealous went on to say Dr. King’s “last campaign” was the “poor people’s campaign. To make sure that all people…can find a good job, all kids can go to a great school. And Mr. Beck, that’s not what he talks about. And that’s not, that doesn’t seem to be what he actually wants.” This led Lauer, ignoring the fact that rally attendees also want those things, that they just differ on the methods to get there, to observe: “It seems like you guys are saying, without saying, that you’re looking at what happened and you’re looking at Glenn Beck as somewhat of a wolf in sheep’s clothing.” The following Kelly O’Donnell set-up piece and Lauer interview with Sharpton and Jealous was aired on the August 30 Today show: ANN CURRY: As Brian mentioned, talk show host Glenn Beck drew a big crowd at the National Mall in Washington this weekend including guest speaker Sarah Palin for a controversial rally he called “Restoring Honor.” NBC’s Kelly O’Donnell has a wrap-up now. Kelly, good morning. [On screen headline: “Rallying The Faithful, Glenn Beck ‘Restoring Honor’ Rally Draws Thousands”] KELLY O’DONNELL: Hi, Ann. There is still so much to debate this morning. From the size of the crowd — was it 80,000 or as Brian mentioned, more than 300,000 — to the motives behind calling the rally for this place on a very famous anniversary. Now Glenn Beck did try to set one rumor straight. He says he and Sarah Palin won’t be running for anything. Beck says he has zero political aspirations. GLENN BECK: It has nothing to do with politics! It has everything to do with God! O’DONNELL: Conservative media star Glenn Beck insisted on that “no politics” distinction. Still, the massive rally easily looked like a political event. SARAH PALIN: We must restore America and restore her honor! O’DONNELL: Beck did not criticize President Obama from the stage but has been harsh, even calling Mr. Obama racist last year. BECK: This president, I think, has exposed himself as a guy over and over and over again who has a deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture. O’DONNELL: Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Beck said he now regrets that comment. BECK: It shouldn’t have been said. It was poorly said, and it was not accurate. O’DONNELL: Back at the rally, many who came from around the country did criticize the President’s politics. UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: I believe in our Constitution, and this administration doesn’t. UNIDENTIFIED MAN: I, I cannot disagree with our president more. I believe he’s leading this country in the wrong direction. O’DONNELL: Others criticized the time and place, held on the 47th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech. Beck called that timing a coincidence. He and Palin praised King. PALIN: We feel the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. O’DONNELL: But civil rights activist Reverend Al Sharpton led a smaller, competing rally. REVEREND AL SHARPTON: They want to disgrace this day! And we’re not giving them this day! This is our day, and we ain’t giving it away! O’DONNELL: The context is full of tension. Beck also said his rally would reclaim the civil rights movement. BECK: Meaning people of faith that look at equal justice and look at every man the same. That’s who needs to reclaim it, not the politicians. Not the parties. Not white people or black people. O’DONNELL: And Beck tried to sort of shape some of the imagery here. He had asked some of the followers not to bring signs and often signs at these sort of events, if they have controversial images or words attract a lot of negative attention. And interestingly Beck said he regretted those words calling the President a racist but said he was not retracting them, simply amending them. Matt? LAUER: Kelly O’Donnell, Kelly thanks very much. As you just heard the Reverend Al Sharpton led his own rally this weekend. Ben Jealous is the president of the NAACP. Guys, good morning to both of you. AL SHARPTON: Good morning. BEN JEALOUS: Good morning. LAUER: So much talk leading up to this rally, Reverend Sharpton, and now so much analysis afterward, people worried about the timing, the date, the location, the 47th anniversary of Dr. King’s speech, thinking it was some kind of political rally masquerading as a non-partisan rally for patriotism and responsibility. In the end, wasn’t it fairly uneventful? SHARPTON: Yeah and, and you wonder whether that was designed that way because, just remember now it was Mr. Beck himself that was saying this is gonna be to “reclaim civil rights. I’m gonna do this and that,” attacking the President. And then he comes and does none of that. So I don’t know if it was his promotion or whether we’re seeing the true political strategy. LAUER: But when I, but when I saw you speaking there at your own rally saying “we’re not gonna let him have this day, this is our day,” in the end is it a case of “never mind?” I mean was there no offense? SHARPTON: No, what the offense is to try and cast that as civil rights. Blacks, whites, we had many speakers of all races that are legitimately in civil rights, union leaders, the Secretary of Education, people that are trying to deal with the inequality in this country. We’re not talking about the day didn’t belong to blacks or whites. The day does belong to those that believe in what Dr. King’s dream was about. LAUER: Mr. Jealous there were many people at that rally who said we need to honor the legacy of Dr. King. When you watched and listened to what happened on the Mall there, what was your gut reaction? JEALOUS: My gut reaction was that if Dr. King stood up there, if he came back or somebody read his speech, that, that crowd wouldn’t have responded well to the full text of his speech. You know we are here to finish Dr. King’s last campaign, the poor people’s campaign. To make sure that all people in this country can find a good job, all kids can go to a great school. And Mr. Beck, that’s not what he talks about. And that’s not, that doesn’t seem to be what he actually wants. LAUER: Here’s from an op-ed in the New York Times this morning: “One could also call the day a strange, unlooked for fulfillment of King’s prophecies. Forty-seven years after the “I have a dream” speech here were tens of thousands of white conservatives roaring their approval of its author.” SHARPTON: But not applauding the content, because it was never discussed. Because in the speech Dr. King addressed unemployment and the plight of the poor, police brutality. And when we have an America where we can applaud where everyone is treated the same, that is the fulfillment of Dr. King. LAUER: It seems like you guys are saying, without saying, that you’re looking at what happened and you’re looking at Glenn Beck as somewhat of a wolf in sheep’s clothing. SHARPTON: No I think it’s a political strategy, possibly. I think every time we see the right wing, when we get in an election, they bring out God and country. Jerry Falwell did it one era. We had to deal with it, with same-sex marriage with George Bush. So I think now we see – Barry Goldwater did it in Dr. King’s day. Now I think Mr. Beck has started the, what we’re seeing in the midterm, that they’re going to again, try to use religion rather than really deal with the real issues. I’m a minister, I want us to turn to God- LAUER: Right. SHARPTON: -but I want us to turn to God but I want us to turn to God in a fair and equal way. LAUER: Is perhaps the most disappointing thing, Mr. Jealous, that we have two rallies, same city, same day, and one is predominantly white and the other is predominantly African-American? Would that not disappoint Dr. King? JEALOUS: You know we are, on October 2nd, we’ll have a rally called “One Nation.” It’ll be a large rally. It will be there at the Lincoln and you’ll see people of all faiths coming. We have 3000 buses confirmed right now and you can look at who’s gonna be driving those buses and you will see Dr. King’s dream made manifest. But let’s not forget that, that the rally was in D.C. and our crowd is very much a local crowd. You saw from the speakers there at, you know Gianette Margia, Secretary Duncan, a wide range of people, and those are the folks who are coming together for the “One Nation” rally and will be leading their folks there. SHARPTON: But I think Matt- LAUER: Quickly if you will. SHARPTON: -you’ve got to remember Dr. King was also criticized so criticized in ’63 for having mostly blacks there. We are trying to transform the country to make it one. The difference between Al Roker and an Al Sharpton, he gives the climate. I try to help change the climate. LAUER: You saved up for that one, didn’t you? SHARPTON: I always save one for you. LAUER: Nice. Appreciate it. Guys, good to have you here.

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NBC’s Today Show Invites on Two Liberals To Analyze Glenn Beck Rally

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Blackwater vs. Pinkwater: Erik Prince’s Wife Picks a Fight With CODEPINK

Posted on August 24, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

@huffingtonpost: Blackwater vs. Pinkwater: The Wife of Erik Prince Picks a Fight With CODEPINK http://huff.to/8YUjhz It felt surreal to be inside the home of Erik Prince, the founder, owner and chairman of Blackwater (or Xe, as it is now called). Prince, a former Navy Seal, provides security for the CIA, the Pentagon and the State Department. His company trains 40,000 people a year in skills that include personal protection. Yet his home in McLean, Virginia, has no security. None. Not even a fence or a guard dog or a No Trespassing sign. And his mother-in-law, who helps care for his young children, invited a total stranger — me — into his home without hesitation. I had gone to Prince's home, together with two CODEPINK colleagues, assuming it would be empty. I'd read in the New York Times that Mr. Prince and his family had moved out of the country, fleeing from a series of civil lawsuits, criminal charges and Congressional investigations stemming from his company's contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan. According to the news, “In documents filed last week in a civil lawsuit brought by former Blackwater employees accusing Mr. Prince of defrauding the government, Mr. Prince sought to avoid giving a deposition by stating that he had moved to Abu Dhabi [which is in the United Arab Emirates] in time for his children to enter school there on August 15.” Susan Burke, the lawyer seeking the deposition, announced that she was flying to the Emirates to find him. I had been feeling particularly upset about Blackwater lately. Seeing the combat troops leaving Iraq, I'd been thinking about the banner CODEPINK members held in countless anti-war vigils: “Iraq War: Who Lies? Who Dies? Who Pays? Who Profits?” Politicians lied about weapons of mass destruction, Iraqis and American soldiers died, U.S. taxpayers paid, and companies like Blackwater make a killing. In just a few years, Blackwater received over $1 billion in U.S. government contracts, contracts that accounted for 90 percent of its revenue. Erik Prince, the company's sole owner, was now taking his profits, trying to sell the company and running away to the Emirates, a country that has no extradition treaty with the United States. So we decided to make a symbolic gesture of visiting his home in McLean to bid good riddance to bad rubbish. On Friday, August 20, five days after the Prince children were supposed to be starting their new lives as schoolchildren in the Emirates, we MapQuested the old McLean home and drove there, ready to take a photo with our “Adios Diablo Prince” sign and leave. But when we got there, to our surprise we could see through the window that the house was full of people and furniture. There were no moving boxes, no empty rooms. Could the new owners have settled in so quickly? Curious, I rang the doorbell and before I knew it, I was invited in and found myself inside the living room with a bunch of young children and several adults, who turned out to be grandma, grandpa and wife Joanna Prince. The rest happened very quickly. Joanna asked who I was and why I was there. I asked the same questions: Was this the Prince family and if so, why weren't they in Abu Dhabi? She freaked, told the grandparents to call the police, and she pushed me out the door. We hung around outside waiting for the police. We wanted to assure them that there was no problem — that I had indeed been invited inside and left when asked to leave. In the meantime, I wrote a letter to Erik. Dear Erik Prince, On behalf of U.S. taxpayers, we say “Shame on You.” Through your company Blackwater, or Xe as you now like to call it, you made — or should I say stole? — hundreds of millions of dollars and your employees also killed innocent civilians in Iraq. You should be held responsible. Don't run away to the Emirates to escape prosecution. Stay here in the USA and face the consequences of your actions, like a good Christian. Sincerely, Pinkwater When the police arrived, Joanna Prince lied and said I'd been told to leave the house and refused. I was arrested, charged with trespassing, held for 5 hours and forced to pay $500 in bail. I have to appear in court on September 28. So does Joanna Prince. Will she show up in court or will she — like her husband — run away to Abu Dhabi? Will the court subpoena her to appear? Will her husband, a man who shuns publicity, tell her that she is crazy to pick a public fight with CODEPINK (or Pinkwater, as we now call ourselves) and make her drop the charges? Will I be able to sue her for false arrest? Stay tuned for round two of Xe (formerly Blackwater) vs. Pinkwater (formerly CODEPINK). You can see the video of this episode above. — Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CODEPINK and Global Exchange added by: pinkpanther

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