Webs’ Random Ideas

The other night I saw George Clooney’s new movie "Good Night and Good Luck".  What an awesome film.  Dynamite directing, acting, and writing; everything you need for a top-notch film.  Below are the famous words from Murrow that helped to lead our nation away from fascism.

No one familiar with the history of this country can deny that congressional committees are useful. It is necessary to investigate before legislating, but the line between investigating and persecuting is a very fine one and the junior Senator from Wisconsin has stepped over it repeatedly. His primary achievement has been in confusing the public mind, as between internal and the external threats of Communism. We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law. We will not walk in fear, one of another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason, if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine, and remember that we are not descended from fearful men — not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate and to defend causes that were, for the moment, unpopular.

This is no time for men who oppose Senator McCarthy’s methods to keep silent, or for those who approve. We can deny our heritage and our history, but we cannot escape responsibility for the result. There is no way for a citizen of a republic to abdicate his responsibilities. As a nation we have come into our full inheritance at a tender age. We proclaim ourselves, as indeed we are, the defenders of freedom, wherever it continues to exist in the world, but we cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home.

The actions of the junior Senator from Wisconsin have caused alarm and dismay amongst our allies abroad, and given considerable comfort to our enemies. And whose fault is that? Not really his. He didn’t create this situation of fear; he merely exploited it — and rather successfully. Cassius was right. "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves."

Good night, and good luck.

What a great speech, the bold text of course is from me. I thinks its an important line because it is what we as Americans forgot after 9-11. Just because you do not agree with the Bush administration, doesn’t mean your anit-American, it means your anti-Bush. I wish I was around to be able to watch his broadcast.  I takes a hell of a person to stand up in a time of fear and speak for what you believe in. The film was an excellent portrayal of the time period, from the clothing, to the mannerisms, to the way people talked.  I would highly recommend the film to anyone and plan on watching it again sometime.

Murrow is someone that is definitely missing right now.  I do not know if people are just lazy or do not care, but we are steadily approaching fascism with our current government, and no one really seems to want to step up and speak out.  How many people would protest in our country if we did not like what our government  was doing?  Just last week France had some 1.5 million protesters over youth labor laws. On 9-11 Bush stayed with a bunch of children instead of reacting and putting our government into high gear. Bush sent prisoners to Gitmo without trial. He and the rest of the White House still claims that they are terrorists picked up in Afghanistan and Iraq.  Over 80% of them came from Pakistan over a deal we have with Pakistan, that if they turn someone in we give them 5000-15000 American Dollars. These prisoners went to a trial after the Supreme Court said that they had to have a trial if we are going to hold them. The trial consisted of the prisoners trying to defend themselves without their attorneys or an appointed one, without knowing any evidence against them, and while being presumed guilty. Still there have only been small protests, and no one seems to care. Bush took us into a war under false pretenses, he lied, no one seems to care.  Bush knew hurricane Katrina was going to be bad, the day before it happened he was briefed, no one but Kanye West spoke out, and no one seems to care. I at least expected some protests over the wire taps on citizens in our own country WITHOUT GOING THROUGH THE JUDICIARY, but no one stepped up. I think America’s reaction to Bush are starting to change though with his new pull numbers, but what he has done as a president should lead him to be impeached. Bill Clinton lied about a blow job from Monica Lewinsky. What did Bush lie about?