Naomi Wolf - The End of America (video)

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Interesting video from an interesting lady. Watch the talk she gave on October 11, 2007 at the University of Washington, Seattle:

3 comments:

Anonymous said...: That's some passionate plea! Thanks for the link. I'll be posting it on my blog as well.

I don't know if you've seen her related post at Firedoglake. It's here.; October 28, 2007
Erik said...: Thanks Gene, no I had not seen that post. To be honest with you I had actually not heard of her before....

This is the funny thing when one immigrates to another country (I've been in Canada for 5 years now). At the beginning you learn a whole lot of "new" things. But after a while you're up-to-date with pretty much all things important in the "New World", except for the odd eureka moment.

This was one of them, and it was a good one, hallelujah!

Thanks for the link.; October 28, 2007
Anonymous said...: TEN WAYS OF LOOKING AT A FASCIST USURPATION (PER NAOMI WOLF)

(1)
There is a terrifying threat--
Hydra-like, secretive--
To be created (if not yet
Overtly too creative);

As like the Reichstag fire, alleged
To communists, by Hitler,
For, though the truth may not be dredged,
Let no one be belittler:

Efficacy of such an act
Is hard to controvert,
Though either fictional or fact,
As innocents get hurt--

Or it may be a widespread fear
If vaguely intimated
(Then, "global Jewry" did appear
Conspirators, much hated).

Today there is a new-coined word
"Islamofascists," which
Denotes no fact, but is absurd
Except for bait-and-switch.

(God knows the credo called "Islam"
Will never get my vote,
But ´tis not "fascist," though they bomb--
Practitioners--or gloat.)

Distorting of the facts, therefore
Created extra fear,
Justifies bedlam extempore,
Collapse of rights held dear.

(2)
Metastasizing Gulag, kept
Outside the normal law:
At first but reprobates get swept
Into its mealy maw,

Detained without right to defense,
Without a charge, you know--
Though scope expands by increments:
Today Guantanamo,

Tomorrow "black hole" prisons all
Off from the usual radar,
Where even torture may befall
Such as within waylaid are.

(3)
Allow a special caste of thugs--
Blackshirts, brownshirts, blackguards,
To reinforce (they don´t give hugs)
"Order," albeit hard´s

The manner of the installation
(So did the Khmer Rouge):
"Homeland Security´s" creation
Remains a first step huge,

As hired for domestic service
Upon occasion, such
"Enforcers," instigators nervous
Whom nobody can touch.

(4)
Set up internal spying, as
Already has begun--
The news reports what comes to pass,
Yet nothing can be done,

Apparently, so to prevent;
While, fearful, people grow
Afraid, self-stifle all dissent,
Lest any long-necks show.

(5)
Citizen groups may be harassed
As anti-war groups are
Targeted these days, as the cast
Expands who fail the bar:

That which defines a "terrorist"
Or "enemy combatant"
Expands, soon not a thinker missed
(Though it were only latent).

(6)
Detention and release as happens
Seemingly arbitrary,
Random, as closes and then opens
The jail doors on their quarry,

As is today, by euphemism
Sometimes declared "rendition,"
Spiriting without cataclysm
Because of supposition

Instead of what were provable:
A simple human being
Is eminently removable,
Though on occasion freeing

One captive: so it has transpired
Within these USA,
Yet fearful witnesses grown tired
Would wish the facts away.

(7)
Key individuals are removed
As have a higher profile,
As in the academe behooved
To register sweet offal:

Could it be Ward Churchill or Norman
Finkelstein? I don´t know:
Perhaps it´s best to ask the doorman,
Could trials be a show?

So also artists, civil servants--
Of these we see most rash
Culling and thinning: even fervent´s
The deed without abash,

As we have seen ejected out
The civil service foyers
Impartial prosecutors--doubt
Alleged, in work as lawyers,

And personal esteem, because
Theirs was effrontery
To have sought treating under laws
Both parties equally

(Democrat and Republican--
We know which side lost out,
We know it was a careful plan
For surreptitious clout).

So even artists, in which case
All access is denied
Unto right venue: truthful face
Has surely got to hide,

As even so "to wit" the chicks
As hailed themselves from Dixie
(I may not like their style, but thick´s
The malice zealous hicks see).

(8)
So journalists must be controlled:
We saw it with Joe Wilson,
As disabused the false lie sold
Of "yellowcake"--so spills one

Sensitive secrets of the state
To national detriment
Solely for to retaliate,
The which whole incident

(As many others, eh? Do you
Detect a pattern? I´ve
Noticed!) originated too
In branch executive.

Yet other pressures, large and small
So have been brought to bear,
So that the press seems not at all
In any manner fair,

Save one or two intrepid souls
As yet retain their conscience--
Not meting out for masters´ goals
Or but to fill fat paunches,

Adhering yes to standards higher
(I´ll take a Horace Greeley
Before the slanderous repeater, liar
Reporting rumors mealy).

A hundred megaphones at once
Spew loud false information,
As makes the listener a dunce
And stultifies a nation.

(9)
Dissent is known as treason. We
Have seen in the great rush
To war--nor yet elliptically
Came down the heavy crush

On any as did disagree
Or doubt the wisdom of
The action--which, in hindsight we
Admit no act of love;

But also subtler, yet as false
The "painted bird" name-calling,
At first the word was "liberals,"
But epithets keep falling.

As troublemakers treasonous
So any has been called
As doubted the best course for us
This present one: both bald

And sinuous the allegations
Against each honest voice
Concerned about a misled nation´s
Corruption, all by "choice."

(10)
The next step will be to suspend
All rule of law: prepared
Has been the ground. Then freedoms end,
While many, grown so scared,

Will not protest, but meekly under
Authority succumb,
And cauterize the mind of wonder
Pressed underneath a thumb.

(L´Envoi)
Think you it is not so? The ground
Has been prepared, if yet
Manifestation to astound
Hitherto is not let,

Because of habit--but in place
The mechanism´s trap
Stands ready: at a breakneck pace
Have springs sprung with a snap.

You are too dullard to react,
But I will fight and die
If need be--freedoms to retract
Were an ignominy.

.; November 17, 2007