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October
13, 2001
Alexander
Cockburn
War
Can't Save the Economy
October
12, 2001
Imran
Khan
Try
Them in Court
Vijay
Prashad
War
in a Passive Voice
Patrick
Cockburn
Bombing
the Taliban
October
11, 2001
David
Vest
Bob
Dylan and 9/11
Amb.
Edward Peck
Bush
War Plan "Dumb"
Hani
Shukrallah
West
Is As West Does
Patrick
Cockburn
Looming
Humanitarian Crisis
October
10, 2001
Tom
Turnipseed
Earth
is Our "Homeland"
Steve
Perry
What
Is To Be Done?
Simon
Jenkins
The
Dumbest Weapon
Tariq
Ali
The
Pakistan Maelstrom
Cockburn/St.
Clair
The
Empire Strikes Back
October
9, 2001
David
Vest
The
Rout That Wasn't
Michael
Mandel
This
War Is Illegal
Patrick
Cockburn
Bombs
Weaken Taliban
Lenni
Brenner
Powell
the Owl
Zha
Marginalization
and Terror
Steve
Perry
It
Begins
October
8, 2001
Zbigniew
Brzezinski
How
Jimmy Carter and
I Started the Muj
Philip Agee
The
USA and Terrorism
Mahajan
and Jensen
A
War of Lies
Patrick
Cockburn
Northern
Alliance
Builds an Airport
October
7, 2001
John Pilger
Hitchens'
Slurs
Tariq
Ali
Who
Said History
Stopped Being Ironical?
October
6, 2001
Vijay
Prashad
US
War Aims
Kevin
Gray
The
Trap:
Blacks and 9/11
October
5, 2001
Ronnie
Gilbert
Déjà
Vu: The FBI's War
on Civil Liberties
Patrick
Cockburn
Taliban
Cluster Bombs
Dave
Marsh
John
Brown, Woody Guthrie
and the Secret Music of 9/11
Babak
Nahid
A
Suspect's Perspective
October
4, 2001
David
Vest
Send
in the Cons
Robin
Blackburn
Road
to Armageddon
Noam
Chomsky
Chatting
with Chomsky
Tony
Blair
The
Dossier on bin Laden
Resources:
100s of Links
About 9/11
CounterPunch:
Complete
Coverage of 9/11 and Its Aftermath
Five
Days That
Shook The World:
Seattle and Beyond
By
Alexander Cockburn
and Jeffrey St. Clair
Photos by Allan Sekula
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Published Oct. 3, 2001
8-Page Special
Issue
Aftermath
Diary
Ashcroft's Onslaught
on
Civil Liberties
Ridge Long Groomed
for
Cheney's Job
Those CIA Killing
Bids
Never Stopped
The Not-So-Great
Mayor Giuliani
Crop Duster
Ban
Will Save Lives
Madeleine Albright's
Deadly Legacy
How the Bin
Laden Women
Fled Bel Air
Tom Ridge's
Vietnam
Same as Kerrey's?
A CounterPunch
Journey
to Ramallah
A Word About
God
Nostrodamus
Jam-maker
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CounterPunch
Read Whiteout and Find Out
How the CIA's Backing of the Mujahideen Created the World's Most
Robust Heroin Market and Helped to Finance the Rise of the Taliban
and Osama bin Laden
Whiteout:
CIA, Drugs & the
Press
by Alexander
Cockburn
and Jeffrey St. Clair
A Pocket Guide to
Environmental Bad Guys
by James
Ridgeway
and Jeffrey St. Clair
The
Phoenix Program
by Douglas
Valentine
Al
Gore:
A User's Manual
by Cockburn
and St. Clair
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This Explosive
New Book at an
Amazing Discount!
Reviews of Gore:
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New Stories:
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October 13,
2001
War on America:
The Procter & Gamble
Perspective
By Molly Secours
It's getting more and more difficult
these days for Americans to differentiate between reality and
fantasy. It's no surprise really. In the midst of successful
shows like "Survivor" and "Big Brother",
the events of September 11th have taken on a surreal quality.
Watching major network war
coverage can be like gawking at an eerie episode of Saturday
Night Live in which cast regulars are replaced by self-possessed
men in Armani suits. These political stars recite poorly memorized
lines and read cue cards determined to convey a convincing and
reassuring message. Unlike Saturday Night Live, there are no
jokes and no punch lines. It is serious business. We are at war.
Even the editorial staff of
the New York Times beat the war drum while singing the praises
of George W. on Public Television several weeks ago. It seemed
more like a commercial than a panel among serious journalists.
So why not a program called
"War on America: the Procter and Gamble Perspective?"
It is an appropriate title considering that TV executives-who
are paid by advertisers--ultimately select the images of patriotism,
war and terrorism which we ingest each day. In the world of high-dollar
broadcasting (don't forget General Electric owns NBC), any conflicting
messages about the current war on terrorism--means that viewpoints
other than the ones being sold on major networks--will not be
broadcast. To many, all dissenting sentiments are considered
the ultimate betrayal.
For most of us, wrapping our
minds around the September 11th tragedy and attempting to reestablish
some sort of normalcy in our lives is difficult. So it is even
more unsettling when a news anchor glibly predicts that Halloween
fashions will be "ultra patriotic" this year. One in
particular giggled as she reported that the hottest sellers this
season are army fatigues and helmets for the little trick or
treaters. I couldn't help wondering if her laughter was rooted
in embarrassment or titillation. For just a moment, I half expected
the following commercial to feature a new line of lipstick called
"Afghani-red"--the lipstick of patriots.
Is this Mad TV or the news?
It's hard to tell. In the middle of massive layoffs across the
country, advertisers insist that we buy, buy, buy. Most automobile
commercials have at least two or three flags flowing as the screen
flashes "Zero money down". It is truly American to
spend money and now, more than ever, the message is that we must
be patriotic Americans. We must consume--for the good of our
country.
In its own way, Hollywood has
made some attempts to acknowledge the gravity of recent events.
Just this week the Emmys were cancelled in Los Angeles due to
security concerns and respect for those who have gone to fight
in the war. When reporters quizzed publicists and stars about
the awards ceremony cancellation, an alluring young woman wearing
sequins smiled seductively into the camera lens. She stated that
although it is important to be acknowledged for hard work, "there's
a much bigger news story out there that deserves to take center
stage." Afterward, she gazed longingly at the invisible
audience, as if to say, "I'll be here waiting for you."
Although I too was entranced by her beauty, I was forced to remind
myself that the "bigger news story" she alluded to
is the bombing in Afghanistan.
As Americans we have an insatiable
appetite for news and drama--but only as long as it is served
up in sound bites that are easily digestible. Unfortunately,
many Americans swallow the six-o-clock news whole and then regurgitate
major network rhetoric as if it were gospel truth. Perhaps it
is comforting to have ready-made answers to combat disquieting
questions behind American foreign policy.
But let's be mindful that healthy
skepticism of our leaders doesn't make us disloyal, unpatriotic
or subversive. Democracy and freedom means being able to challenge
those elected to represent us without fear of reprisal. And for
those who insist that now is not the time to challenge leadership,
if not now, when?
If Americans are going to espouse
democratic values, we have a duty to hold our public officials
accountable. But we can only do that if we are well informed.
Having a global perspective requires much more than reaching
for the remote during the 5 0'clock news. It demands asking difficult
questions and hearing voices of dissent. Isn't it rather dangerous
to rely on a medium that thrives on blurring the lines between
reality and fantasy?CP
Molly Secours is a writer, activist and racial dialog
facilitator in Nashville TN. She can be reached at mollmaud@earthlink.net
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