Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Once Again - Glenn Greenwald, Standing Almost Alone Against the Wikileaks Myths

Monday, on CNN's Politics, Glenn Greenwald endured 12 minutes of bizarre hostility from CNN host Jessica Yellin, who seemed to be setting Greenwald up for being pilloried by former Bush national security apparatchik, Fran Townsend.

Yellin opened up by questioning Assange's motives in making a book deal. From the start, she attempted to paint Assange's motives for doing this as something that must be added to the list of things which prove Assange not to be someone we can trust. It went downhill from there.

Greenwald was more combative than I've seen him in most media appearances of this magnitude. The only thing about Glenn that amazes me more than the vast reservoir of facts he seems to be able to accurately throw out at media hacks without looking away from the Skype camera, is patience as he endures what essentially is one hostile talking head after another.

Townsend was challenged to say even one true thing. Greenwald had to go beyond saying she was misstating or disambiguating or whatever. He called her a liar. He should have called her a Goddam fucking liar.

Greenwald is almost alone in being asked to do segments in visual media that are longer than ten minutes. Hopefully, his degree of mastery over these two shills Monday will gain him more media on this important subject, rather than less.

In passing, Greenwald paid tribute in his Monday blog post, as he has in the past, to firedoglake's efforts on this set of subjects.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I, too, question Assange's motives. I look forward to the tell all book his former and very dissillusioned business partner is writing. Assange has turned into a cult leader and that is not a place for healthy people. I also find it sickly ironic that Assange cries foul when info about his own operation is "leaked". Pot, meet kettle.

Anonymous said...

'cult leader'? Jim Jones was a 'cult leader', Assange is not.

I'm glad Glenn can keep his head together, and on the relevant facts as well as he does.

Belle said...

I think what Assange is doing is for the good of America as long as no agents are killed because of what he leaked. I have read that nothing in his leaks has caused anyone any danger.

Compare what he has done to what Cheney and Novak did in exposing a CIA agent to get back at her husband. People were probably killed over that.

vilca said...

Thank you for keeping Greenwald's work in the forefront, and expressing your views, which I share. Only a few courageous reporters / bloggers are deffending Assange today. Now just wait, in ten years from now, all the other reporters falling over themselves to say how they believed that Assange / Manning were right. I think the same thing happend in the Ellsberg case.

Celia Harrison said...

Sorry, I'm long winded today:
The money Assange will get for this book will not begin to cover the legal expenses for him or Wikileaks. What other choices does he have to get money? They have cut off several sources. He can only use the money to survive, no wealth will come from it. CNN is no longer a viable news network. Those two women who interviewed Greenwald are not even capable of logical thinking.

My theory about Assange which is certainly not verified at all (based on my knowledge of Aspergers because I am a female Aspie which is different than a male Aspie) is he is a Neuro-diverse person, most likely with Aspergers. Men with Aspergers don’t do the social nice-nice things women want. They tend to tell them directly they would like to have sex with them(wanting to skip the social BS talk and games which they see as a complete waste of time), then go on about their obsessive business and do not contact them afterwards. This enrages most women. So, that means some Aspie men who realy have no intention of hurting anyone have the behavior of a cad. They also have sensory issues which can lead to problems like hating condoms (which of course can lead to unsafe situations ). They have gigantic senses of justice which get them enmeshed in all kinds of situations. They have problems with co-workers who have issues like bullying and may complain that the person wants things done his way (which he of course will say is because it is the right way). The danger here as I found out the hard way is Aspies are affected more by bullying and can have meltdowns from PTSD, so Assange needs to be given the information that he is supported. If incarcerated he would tolerate solitary better than most people, but the psychological torture from the prison staff would make him very ill. Support from others is the best prevention of the harm from bullying and this is certainly a worldwide case of mobbing (group bullying/demonizing). People who are bullied or mobbed are usually abandoned by others due to fear of retaliation by some authority which in this case is the U.S. government and the oligarchy. This is why it is so important that Bradley Manning be allowed information from the outside. That support will keep them from destroying him.

@annonymous 9:37,“America Deceived II” looks like an interesting book and I may read it, however it is for sale on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, as well as Alibris, some banning.

Dancewater said...

I support Assange and Manning.

And I think Greenwald is terrific!