A LOT OF US ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE MEDIA GETTING BEHIND
THE PRESIDENT BECAUSE MISSILES ARE IN THE AIR, WE WRAP
OURSELVES IN THE FLAG, NOBODY WANTS TO BE UNPATRIOTIC -- WE
ARE JUST IN THE BEGINNING OF WHAT COULD BECOME A LARGER
CONFLICT OR IT COULD FIZZLE OUT.
BUT WE DID HAVE ONE NIGHT OF
MEDIA RESPONSE TO THE STRIKES IN SYRIA.
FIRST LET'S SHOW FAREED
ZAKARIA, THEN WE WILL GO INTO THE MOST DISGUSTING VIDEO I'VE
EVER SEEN ABOUT U.S. MILITARY ACTION.
I THINK DONALD TRUMP BECAME PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES,
I THINK THIS WAS A BIG MOMENT, BECAUSE CANDIDATE TRUMP SAID HE
WOULD NEVER GET INVOLVED IN THE SYRIAN CIVIL WAR, HE TOLD OBAMA
YOU CAN'T DO THIS WITHOUT CONGRESS, HE SEEMED UNCONCERNED
WITH GLOBAL NORMS.
PRESIDENT TRUMP RECOGNIZED THAT THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES DOES HAVE TO ACT, DOES HAVE TO
HAVE THIS BROADER MORAL AND POLITICAL PURPOSE.
I THINK IT'S
INTERESTING EVEN THE WAY HE JUSTIFIED HIS ACTIONS, PRESIDENT
TRUMP.
FOR THE FIRST TIME AS PRESIDENT HE TALKED ABOUT
INTERNATIONAL NORMS, INTERNATIONAL RULES, ABOUT
AMERICA'S ROLE IN ENFORCING JUSTICE IN THE WORLD.
IT WAS THE
KIND OF RHETORIC WE'VE COME TO EXPECT FROM AMERICAN PRESIDENTS
SINCE HARRY TRUMAN, BUT THE KIND OF RHETORIC PRESIDENT TRUMP
POINTEDLY NEVER USED EITHER ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL NOR IN HIS
INAUGURAL.
I THINK THERE WAS AN INTERESTING MORPHING AND KIND OF
EDUCATION OF DONALD TRUMP.
HE HADN'T BEEN PRESIDENT BEFORE BUT HE BECOMES PRESIDENT
BECAUSE HE USED TO SAY CATEGORICALLY, TWEET AFTER
TWEET, DON'T GO INTO SYRIA, AND NOW THAT HE'S IN POWER HE DOES.
IT SEEMS TO ME HE DIDN'T BECOME PRESIDENT, HE BECAME A
HYPOCRITE.
BUT ALSO HE USED TO NOT CARE ABOUT INTERNATIONAL
NORMS, AND NOW HE DOES?
WHAT ABOUT FUCKING NATIONAL NORMS?
HE
SUPPOSED TO GET AUTHORIZATION FOR THE USE OF MILITARY FORCE
AGAINST A FOREIGN GOVERNMENT AND HE JUST IGNORED THAT.
THERE IS NO U.N. RESOLUTION TO BOMB.
THEY HAVEN'T CONCLUDED ANYTHING.
HE'S BASICALLY STARTING A WAR ON A HUNCH.
THAT IS NOT AN
INTERNATIONAL NORM.
WHAT YOU DON'T BECOME PRESIDENT UNTIL YOU
EXERCISE POWER AT THE BEHEST OF THE MILITARY-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX.
AND IT'S SO WEIRD THAT THE SAME PEOPLE WHO SCREAMED AT ME THAT
DONALD TINY HANDS TRUMP IS A MANIAC ARE NOW CHEERING HIS
STARTING A WAR.
NOT ONLY THAT, THEY WERE SHAMING HIM IF HE
WASN'T GOING TO DO SOMETHING.
YOU BETTER GO DO A WAR.
THAT
SHOWS YOU HOW CRAZY THE ESTABLISHMENT MEDIA AND
ESTABLISHMENT POLITICIANS ARE, AND HOW CRAZY CONVENTIONAL
WISDOM IS.
IT FEELS EXACTLY LIKE THE RUN-UP TO THE IRAQ WAR TO
ME, THE BLATANT GAS LIGHTING OF THE AMERICAN PUBLIC, BLATANT
TAKING THE GOVERNMENT AT ITS WORD, IT'S SO WRONG.
IF THAT VIDEO BOTHERED YOU, WAIT UNTIL YOU GET A LOAD
OF THIS ONE.
WE SEE THESE BEAUTIFUL PICTURES AT NIGHT FROM THE DECKS
OF THESE TWO U.S. NAVY VESSELS IN THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN, I
AM TEMPTED TO QUOTE THE GREAT LEONARD COHEN, I'M GUIDED BY THE
BEAUTY OF OUR WEAPONS, AND THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL PICTURES OF
FEARSOME ARMAMENTS MAKING WHAT IS FOR THEM A BRIEF FLIGHT OVER
TO THIS AIRFIELD.
WHAT DID THEY HIT?
YOU COULD COMMENT AND SAY THEY ARE TERRIFYING OR TERRIBLE, LIKE
IN THE CLASSIC SENSE, THEY INSPIRE TERROR -- BEAUTIFUL?
FIRST OF ALL, THAT FOOTAGE OBJECTIVELY WASN'T BEAUTIFUL.
BUT THOSE ARE KILLING PEOPLE, THEY GO UP IN THE AIR AND THEY
HIT THE GROUND AND THEY KILL PEOPLE, THEY ARE NOT BEAUTIFUL.
WHAT IS HE TALKING ABOUT?
EVEN HIS MILITARY EXPERT, WHO IS LARGELY BROUGHT ON BY THE
MAINSTREAM MEDIA TO SAY WAR IS AWESOME, HAD TO SAY I GUESS THEY
ARE BEAUTIFUL BRIAN, BUT REMEMBER THEY DO KILL PEOPLE,
THEY ARE FOR DESTRUCTION.
EVEN THE MILITARY ANALYST WAS LIKE,
THAT IS KIND OF UGLY.
HE THOUGHT THEY WERE FIREWORKS.
BUT HE GOES FURTHER THAN THAT, I'M NOT AT ALL SURPRISED HE SAID
THAT BECAUSE I SAW THE PICTURES THAT THE PENTAGON RELEASED, AND
THEY WERE PURPOSELY DONE IN A WAY THAT WAS ARTISTIC.
I'M NOT
KIDDING.
YOU SAW THE LIGHT, THEY HAD ONE WORD FRAMED THE AMERICAN
FLAG, AND THE REASON THEY RELEASED THOSE PICTURES AND
THOSE VIDEOS IS NOT AN ACCIDENT.
THEY WANTED THE MEDIA TO SAY,
WHAT A BEAUTIFUL WAR.
THEY DIDN'T THINK HE WAS ACTUALLY
GOING TO LITERALLY SAY IT, THEY WANTED THEM TO IMPLY IT, TALK
ABOUT THE VALOR AND GLORY AND HONOR, THOSE ARE THE CODEWORDS
YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO USE, BUT BRIAN WILLIAMS, BECAUSE HE LIKES
TO BE POETIC, I'LL JUST CALL IT BEAUTIFUL, DO EXACTLY WHAT THE
PENTAGON PROPAGANDA WAS AIMED FOR ME TO DO.
THAT IS WHAT IS MORE DISTURBING ABOUT HIS REACTION.
IT'S WHAT JIMMY SAID, IT'S THAT RAH RAH, NOW YOU ARE
PRESIDENT, YOU BOMBED SOMEBODY, AND LOOK AT HOW BEAUTIFUL THE
BOMBS ARE.
BUT IT WORKS, THAT'S THE PROBLEM.
IT SELLS.
YOU ARE
RIGHT, THEY HAVE PEOPLE WHO KNOW HOW TO MAKE IT LOOK ARTISTIC AND
PATRIOTIC, BUT YOU KNOW SOMETHING?
THAT SELLS.
WHEN THEY
TALK ABOUT A PICTURE BEING WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS, PEOPLE SEE
THAT IMAGE AND THEY ARE LIKE, WE ARE DOING THE RIGHT THING.
THEY
DON'T NEED TO HEAR ANY LOGIC BEHIND IT, THE REASONS, ANY
COLLUSION WITH RUSSIANS, THEY SEE A BEAUTIFUL, BIG-ASS BOMB
GOING TOWARD THE ENEMY WITH AN AMERICAN FLAG BEHIND IT AND THEY
STAND UP AND SALUTE.
AND I'M NOT SAYING THE PEOPLE ARE WRONG, I'M
SAYING THE PEOPLE WHO USE THESE IMAGES KNOW HOW TO USE THESE
IMAGES TO MANIPULATE PEOPLE'S THOUGHTS.
WE SIT HERE, WE
ANALYZE THIS STUFF, WE HAVE TIME TO.
MOST PEOPLE DON'T.
MOST
PEOPLE ARE WALKING PAST THE RESTAURANT AND THEY SEE A TV
SCREEN OR THEY HAVE -- THEY ARE JUST LIKE, YES, THAT LOOKS LIKE
WHAT WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING.
IT'S SO HARD TO FAULT PEOPLE FOR BEING THAT SIMPLE, BECAUSE
THEY ARE BEING MANIPULATED BY EXPERTS.
I WILL TELL YOU THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MSNBC, CNN, AND SAY AL
JAZEERA -- MSNBC SHOWS THE BOMBS TAKING OFF, AL JAZEERA SHOWS YOU
WHEN THEY LAND.
THAT WOULD BE THE DIFFERENCE WITH OUR PRO-WAR
ESTABLISHMENT MEDIA, AND ANOTHER OUTSIDE VIEW OF WHAT WE ARE
ACTUALLY DOING.
THEY NEVER SHOW YOU WHAT HAPPENS WHEN OUR BOMBS
BLOW UP AND KILL BABIES, WE JUST KILLED 150 CIVILIANS, WHICH WE
TOLD TO STAY IN THEIR HOUSES AND THEN WE BOMBED THEM IN RAQQA --
AND REMEMBER, BRIAN WILLIAMS WORKED FOR GENERAL ELECTRIC ALL
THE WAY THROUGH THE IRAQ WAR AND USED TO BRING ON GENERALS ONTO
HIS SHOW THAT WERE BEING PAID BY DEFENSE CONTRACTORS, HE SAID THE
GENERALS WERE GIVING US THE STRAIGHT DOPE ON WHAT WAS
HAPPENING IN IRAQ, WHEN WE FOUND OUT THOSE GENERALS WERE ON THE
PAYROLL OF DEFENSE CONTRACTORS AND WHAT THEY WERE DOING WAS
COMING ON TO LOBBY FOR MORE WAR, THE GUY WHO TOLD US ABOUT THAT
WON PULITZER PRIZE FOR IT.
BRIAN WILLIAMS STILL NEVER TOLD HIS
AUDIENCE THAT THOSE GUYS HE BROUGHT ON AS IMPARTIAL
EXPERTS WERE ON THE TAKE.
THAT WAS A MUCH WORSE LIVE IN WHATEVER HELICOPTER HE WAS ON
THAT HE GOT IN TROUBLE FOR.
TO JIMMY'S POINT ABOUT THE BOMBS
LANDING -- IF A) THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT WANTED TO OR B)
THERE
WERE ANY REPORTERS IN THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA, NINE CIVILIANS
WERE KILLED AND OUR STRIKES, THEY COULD SHOW THE NINE DEAD
CIVILIAN BODIES AND GO, DOES THAT LOOK BEAUTIFUL?
THEY CHOOSE
NOT TO, THEY CHOOSE TO SHOW YOU THE PICTURES AND VIDEOS THE
PENTAGON SENT FOR PROPAGANDA, AND THEY CHOOSE NOT TO SHOW THE
RESULTS OF OUR BOMBINGS.
THEY CHOOSE TO SHOW YOU THE DEAD
CIVILIANS WHEN WE THINK SYRIA DID IT.
THAT DOESN'T MEAN
ASSYRIA DOING IT IS OKAY -- WHAT WE WANT YOU TO DO IS GET THE
FULL PICTURE.
AND THEN, BY THE WAY AT THAT POINT, IT'S NOT LIKE
THE ANSWERS ARE EASY.
I HATE WHAT ASSAD HAS DONE IN SYRIA,
IT'S HORRIFIC, I WISH THERE WAS A WAY TO STOP IT.
I'M NOT SURE
US GETTING INVOLVED IS THE RIGHT ANSWER.
BUT LET'S HAVE AN HONEST
CONVERSATION ABOUT IT.
SHOWING THESE PICTURES AND SHOWING HOW
-- WHAT DID FAREED SAY?
HE SAID WE ARE BACK TO ENFORCING JUSTICE IN THE WORLD.
COME ON.
BACK TO?
WHEN WERE WE EVER ENFORCING JUSTICE IN THE WORLD?
IN VIETNAM, AND IRAQ, AND LIBYA, AND AFGHANISTAN, SYRIA,
HONDURAS, THE BANANA WARS?
PROBABLY PARTS OF WORLD WAR II.
THE MARSHALL PLAN.
WE ARE USING MILITARY FORCE AT THE BEHEST OF CORPORATIONS
LIKE WE ALWAYS HAVE, AND TRYING TO STEAL NATURAL RESOURCES FROM
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE.
DID FAREED DID EVER ASK WHY THERE IS A WAR
IN SYRIA IN THE FIRST PLACE?
THEY ARE TRYING TO PUT A NATURAL
GAS PIPELINE TO SYRIA, THAT'S WHY RUSSIA DOESN'T WANT ASSAD TO
BE OVERTHROWN, BECAUSE RUSSIA'S ECONOMY IS ABOUT SELLING FOSSIL
FUELS FOR EUROPE, THE UNITED STATES SAYS SAUDI ARABIA,
ANYTHING YOU WANT US TO DO WE DO, THAT'S WHY WE SELL THEM
CLUSTER BOMBS THAT MAY USE ON THE POOREST PEOPLE IN YEMEN.
WE
MANUFACTURE THOSE IN THE UNITED STATES, MOST OF THE WORLD
CONSIDERS THOSE OF WAR CRIME, SAUDI ARABIA DROPS THOSE IN
FISHING VILLAGES IN YEMEN,
90% OF THE PEOPLE KILLED BY THEM ARE CIVILIANS.
I CAN'T HELP DOUBLE DOWN ON THE YEMEN STORY.
OUR ALLIES,
SAUDI ARABIA, ARE MASSACRING CIVILIANS IN YEMEN.
THE UNITED
NATIONS IS AN HONEST ACTOR IN THOSE CASE, THEY GO OF WAR
CRIMES, THEY SHOULDN'T DO THAT, YET ALMOST NO PICTURES -- I
HAVEN'T SEEN ANY PICTURES OF THE CIVILIANS AND BEAUTIFUL BABIES
DYING IN YEMEN.
WHAT ABOUT THE 26 CIVILIANS TRUMP KILLED IN HIS RAID?
EVERY WAR IS ABOUT LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES, THAT'S WHAT A
WAR IS ABOUT.
EITHER ONE COUNTRY IS TAKING IT AWAY FROM ANOTHER,
ONE COUNTRY IS PROTECTING THEIRS -- AGAIN THE CIVILIANS,
AS SAD AS IT IS, ARE ALWAYS THE PAWNS.
SADLY THEY WILL ALWAYS BE THE VICTIMS OF ANY WAR.
IT'S HORRIBLE BUT IT'S REALITY.
GENERAL SMEDLEY BUTLER, THE MOST DECORATED MILITARY GUY WHEN
HE RETIRED, WROTE IN 1935 -- IT IS POSSIBLE THAT WAR IS A
RACKET, POSSIBLY THE OLDEST, EASY, MOST PROFITABLE, THE ONLY
ONE INTERNATIONAL IN SCOPE, THE ONLY ONES WHERE PROFITS ARE
RECKONED IN DOLLARS AND LOSSES IN LIVES.
A RACKET IS BEST
DESCRIBED BY SOMETHING THAT IS NOT WHAT IT SEEMS TO THE
MAJORITY OF PEOPLE, ONLY A SMALL INSIDE GROUP KNOWS WHAT IT IS
ABOUT, IT'S CONDUCTED FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE FEW AT THE
EXPENSE OF THE MANY.
OUT OF WAR A FEW PEOPLE MAKE HUGE FORTUNES.
THAT'S A GENERAL WHO WROTE THAT IN 1935.
FINALLY, FOR ME IT'S NOT PERSONAL, I THINK FAREED IS A
SMART GUY, I THINK BRIAN WILLIAMS IS DECENT TO ME, HE WAS
DECENT TO ME WHEN I WAS BRIEFLY AT MSNBC, HE CAME ON THE YOUNG
TURKS WHEN HE DIDN'T HAVE TO WHEN WE FIRST STARTED, IT'S NOT
PERSONAL AND THESE ARE GENERALLY SPEAKING GOOD GUYS.
BUT WHAT
THEY DON'T KNOW, AND IT WILL BOTHER THEM GREATLY TO HEAR IT,
BUT I HAVE TO SAY IT, IS THEY WERE SELECTED TO SAY ABSURD
THINGS ON TV.
THERE ARE 330 MILLION PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY,
YOU COULD HAVE PICKED JIMMY DORE TO GO ON MSNBC, YOU COULD HAVE
PICKED GLENN GREENWALD, OR SOMEONE NEUTRAL, SOMEONE WHO
WOULD DO ANALYSIS -- THEY CHOSE BRIAN WILLIAMS BECAUSE THEY KNOW
HE WOULD SAY THOSE WERE BEAUTIFUL PICTURES.
THEY CHOOSE
FAREED ZAKARIA BECAUSE THEY THINK HERE IS A GUY WHO'S GOING
TO SOUND SMART AND WILL TELL US ABOUT THE EDUCATION OF DONALD
TRUMP, AND IF YOU ARE EDUCATED YOU WOULD KNOW THAT DOING MORE
BOMBING AND STARTING MORE WARS IS US ENFORCING JUSTICE IN THE
WORLD.
THAT'S WHY THEY WERE SELECTED TO TELL US PRETTY
LITTLE LIES.
IN THE OLD DAYS THAT'S ALL THEY HAD AND THAT'S
ALL THE MEDIA WE HAD, IT WOULD'VE WORKED.
BUT I THINK
THEY ARE OVERPLAYING THEIR HANDS AND THEY ARE UNDERESTIMATING THE
INTERNET, AND I THINK ON THE INTERNET RIGHT NOW IS
CIRCULATING, WAIT A MINUTE, I DON'T THINK THAT MAKES SENSE AT
ALL AND I THINK THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THESE GUYS.
IN FACT THE MINUTE BRIAN WILLIAMS SAID THOSE ARE
BEAUTIFUL PICTURES, IT ERUPTED ONLINE.
PEOPLE SCREAMING LIKE,
YOU MONSTER, DON'T CALL THAT BEAUTIFUL.
I DON'T THINK BRIAN
WILLIAMS IS A MONSTER, BUT I THINK THE FA«ADE OF TELEVISION,
AND HOW IT HAS BEEN USED AS PRO-AMERICAN, PRO-PENTAGON,
PRO-WAR PROPAGANDA FOR DECADES AFTER DECADES, IS NOW FINALLY AT
AN END.
NOT THAT THEY ARE AT AN END OF DOING IT, BUT AT THE END
OF GETTING AWAY WITH IT.
I THINK THE REST OF US CLEARLY SEE THE GAME BEING PLAYED.