On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation with Noam Chomsky, celebrated linguist and leading critic of American foreign policy. As the U.S. sits down for direct talks with Iran, does Chomsky see a less confrontational foreign policy under Obama? What does the coup in Honduras mean for Latin America?
Join us live at 11 a.m. or drop us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. How does a self-avowed anarchist like Chomsky find common ground with one-time coup leader Hugo Chavez? It's Your Call, with Matt Martin and you.
Guest:
Noam Chomsky, noted linguist and a leading public intellectual.
Click to Listen: What's ahead for the U.S. in the world?
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Your Call 100109 What's ahead for the U.S. in the world?
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For those who missed yesterday's KALW, 91.7-fm, "Your Call" radio program (October 1, 2009), interviewing Noam Chomsky, *I WONDER* if 'the cult of Chomsky's' acolytes can 'SEE' -- and *HEAR* -- that Chomsky is not really an "Anarchist" (let alone Marxist, Socialist, or even just 'nondenominational' leftist) at all -- Chomsky is really just a _LIBERAL_!
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--Joseph Anderson, Berkeley, CA
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For those who missed yesterday's San Francisco, KALW-fm, "Your Call" radio program (October 1, 2009), with KALW General Manager Matt Martin interviewing Noam Chomsky:
Especially at around, or a little before, half-past the hour, a caller called in with a question about how a large number of so-called "leading leftist" academics, journalists and pundits supported Obama (yeah, where's the, "*Change* you [we] can *believe* in!"?), and where Chomsky stands in relationship to an alternative political development/movement in the Unites States -- where CHOMSKY, "THE ANARCHIST", POLITICALLY EXPOSED HIMSELF AS REALLY NOTHING MORE THAN JUST (EFFECTIVELY) A *_LIBERAL_*!
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--Joseph Anderson, Berkeley, CA
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Oh Chomsky '*talks* a good game', criticizing U.S. foreign policy, and while he says that the U.S. is effectively a 1-party system -- thus implicitly or explicitly admitting that Obama is just, more or less, carrying out and, in substance and materially, continuing Bush's and Republican military (imperialist) and economic (neoliberal and corporatist) foreign and domestic policy -- but then he says to keep *voting* for those supposedly "lesser evilism", at least right-of-center, DemoPublican presidents! He then, in true Chomsky fashion, rambles on in political platitudes from place to place in often situationally unrelated circumstances, that the listener almost forgets the specific question and analysis for which Chomsky was asked. (That's called *smoke & mirrors* in the white community -- when they can see it -- and *shuckin' an' jivin'* in the Black community.)
--Just like Chomsky (and Finkelstein) *talks* 'a good game' criticizing Israel, while *OPPOSING* any anti-apartheid style boycotts, divestments or sanctions against Israel, or any other *practical*, *material*, and *effective* grassroots international efforts to provide even nonviolent aid to the Palestinian people -- an historically *proven* means. Chomsky *claims* to be "anti-capitalist" and "anti-imperialist" (while repeatedly voting for blatantly imperialist, neoliberal, corporate presidential candidates), but he is *NOT* *ANTI-ZIONIST* -- so he claims to be against *some* forms of oppression, but, fundamentally, not against another form! (Hmmm, what an ironic and ethnically/tribalistically self-serving coincidence!)
That's *NOT* a real Marxist or, as Chomksy inexplicably calls himself, *"Anarchist"*, or otherwise true leftist, position and argument. That's a *LIBERAL* DemoPublican argument.
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--Joseph Anderson, Berkeley, CA
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If progressives and leftists are never willing -- *unlike right-wingers* -- to actually issue any *demands* for their votes, beforehand, or any *consequences* and political and electoral threats for violating those demands, afterwards; if they are *never* willing to go outside the '1-party' (duopolistic) framework of merely ratifying the real/"viable" corporate candidates set up for us, in the illusion of voter "choice", then we will continually and eternally be **TRAPPED** in RepubliCrat, lesser evilism politics. If progressives and leftists -- and especially their leadership and pundits -- never actually politically threaten the presidential "lesser evilism" DemoPublicans, then why should those candidates and presidents (who obviously, like Obama, demonstrate no core beliefs) ever change!?
If progressives and leftists don't ever actually *demand* anything -- and the left is the only 'lobby' that *doesn't* -- for which they are willing to draw a line in the sand -- unlike the right-wing grassroots and their street action -- you see Chomsky doesn't have to rhetorically go alll the way to *Bolivia* for his example -- of their presidential candidates, then why are progressives and leftists surprised that they DON'T *GET* anything (meaningful)?
Now these are *not* new positions for Chomsky, while otherwise 'talking a good leftist game', but *I WONDER* _*HOW MANY TIMES*_ progressives and leftists have to *HEAR* it before they stop calling Chomsky "AMERICA'S FOREMOST LEFTIST INTELLECTUAL"!? ...Is *this* all we leftists have to offer as AMERICA'S *FOREMOST* LEFTIST EXAMPLE???
This is a major part of the reason -- along with other leftist RepubliCrats -- why the only __"**mmasss mmilllitant dirrect grrassrroots acction in the strreets**"__ (btw, how's that going, all you leftist organizations that were going to hold Obama's feet to the fire from day 2 of his presidency: you 'got his *ear*' yet, now that you're "on the inside"?) that we, so far since his presidency, see in this country (especially in and around those town hall meetings or in D.C.) is from *THE RIGHT-WING MASSES* (who obviously want their demands met more than the left wants its)!!
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--Joseph Anderson, Berkeley, CA
High preaching, low practicing, and the Democrats' long-suffering spouse:
How can all those high leftist icons and pundits *scoff at* and *chide* the white working-class for "repeatedly and continually voting (for the Republicans) against their interests"...
when those same leftist icons -- and they tell us to -- do (voting for the DemoPublicans / RepubliCrats) _the very same thing_ in this 'Good Cop, Bad Cop' elite governing class system.
The left has a low self-esteem co-dependent relationship with the over-all Democrat leadership, like a chronically abused wife has with her chronically abusive husband: to keep her from leaving, after every serious abuse, he keeps promising her, over and over again, that he'll do better, with a few more sweet words ("Baby you know I'm yourrrs...") -- and, no matter what, how he takes her for granted ("What else are you gonna *do*...?", he says) or abuses her again, she keeps staying with him.
No wonder the Democrats, as a whole, don't respect us, but just humor and smooth talk us when necessary.
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--Joseph Anderson, Berkeley, CA
"Chomsky not only opens the door, he closes it as well!"
The Chomsky/Blankfort Polemic
http://www.sott.net/signs/editorials/signs_TheChomskyBlankfortPolemic.php
"Chomsky has been the doorway for so many people to become involved in politics. They read Chomsky, and they become excited about political work. And it is only later, if they are fortunate, that they discover that Chomsky not only opens the door, he closes it as well!"
- Jeffrey Blankfort, anti-Zionist Jewish-American progressive journalist-writer-activist
[posted by JA]
Dear Comrades,
I listened to an extended excerpt of Chomksy's speech at the Paramount Theater in Oakland (I think about maybe 20 minutes on KPFA, around 6:35am this morning) and (probably in part because I'm Black and his style just wouldn't cut it with a Black audience), first, he really *really* drr-rronnned on in *perfect* Chomsky style (okay I guess that's to be expected, although this excerpt was *really* drrroney) but, second, IT JUST SEEMED TO BE A DRONING WARMED-OVER *REHASH* -- LIKE A MISH-MASH MEDLEY (you know, like those sappy Las Vegas stage show musical medleys, not that I know first-hand) -- OF OLD CHOMSKY SPEECHES OR WHATEVER HE'S SAID ON "DEMOCRACY NOW" -- or political punditry that you could even hear from a liberal-left Democrat pundit on Bill Moyer's Journal or, in general, on some other PBS roundtable show!
(You can hear the Chomsky speech excerpt on KPFA this morning at the *KPFA.org* [not Democracy Now] audio archives, where Amy was helping to pitch for fundraising this morning. KPFA will probably play it again and/or more of it on other shows for their fundraising segments, and eventually play most/all of the entire speech at some point soon, maybe on some show after the fundraising is over. Btw, KPFA is extending the fundraising into this week because they said they were $200,000 under their goal!: gee, I wonder *why*?...)
Actually, *seriously*, even though I don't care for Chomsky much anymore, I wondered (Amy said it was a packed Paramount Theater [of at least 3,040 seats]) if the people attending thought they got ROYALLY RIPPED OFF! Unless I, hypothetically, were just a Chomsky fanatic, I can't help but think I'd be sitting there disappointedly shifting in my seat and thinking, "Awww, hhhelll nawww...!: is this what I spent *$32* -- minimum (well, *$22* for "lower income") -- to come hear!!???" He didn't say anything *new* (at least not from that extended audio excerpt)!
--Joseph Anderson
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Unless the $50-&-above ticket holders were just glassy-eyed Chomsky superfans (and at that price they probably were), I could otherwise imagine that they were *really* pissed! For $32-$50 (or $100), you could go hear some great music concert (or for $100 get *2* tickets and go with a friend/girlfriend/boyfriend) and **really** enjoy yourself!
For $32 or less you could hear a jazz headliner at Yoshi's (and maybe get a nice glass of wine too); for $50 you could hear a jazz headliner, plus a couple of drinks and apetizers at Yoshi's; or, just a really nice dinner out in the Bay Area (for $10 more, a prix fixe dinner at Chez Panisse on Mon/Tues/Wed); and for $100 you could go splurge on yourself, anywhere, or treat someone to a very nice dinner date in San Francisco!
Hell, since it was a fundraiser for MECA, I'd have preferred that MECA just have some gala catered dinner party (I mean, they already have *really nice* hors d'oeuvres, cheese, fruit and wonderful dessert spreads when they only ask $10/$15 for an event. Just imagine what they could do for $32/person!?: they could have a linen table cloth & napkins, wine crystals, catered gala reception & (at least buffet) dinner, have a few speeches by Baraba and local Mideast travelling notables and hire some good political comedian -- *plus* hire a live instrumental soft acoustic background music group!!!? Hell, I'd easily go for *that*!
For *$50(I'd even go for *that*!)-$100/person*, MECA could hire a big black stretch SUV/limousine to pick those people up from their homes (undoubtedly in the Berkeley/Oakland/Albany/Kensington/etc./Orinda hills), or maybe from a central hotel gathering place (like the Sheraton Palace, the grand Marriot or Embarcadero Hyatt in San Francisco) and drop them back off afterwards!! And for *$250/person*, MECA could have the limo driver pull down the back of your suit pants, or pull up the back or of your dinner party gown, and kiss your bare ass just before and afterwards at your house, while they serve you a glass of champagne and an appetizer on a small crystal dish on the way over to the event!
Sh*t -- from that excerpt I'd say that -- those people at the Chomsky speech got *ripped*!!: He was the equivalent of progressive political *muzak*!
In solidarity,
Joseph Anderson, Berkeley, CA
The Goldstone Report on Israel war crimes and crimes against humanity:
I just heard that Chomsky said *NNNOTHING* about the Goldstone Report in his, Oct 4, big Oakland, CA, speech: I guess because it didn't blame the *U.S* WASP goy "ruling class", U.S. imperialism, or world capitalism -- but *Israel* itself!
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Joseph Anderson, Berkeley, CA
Quote: "Chomsky's comments on the USS Liberty (it was all just a big mistake - the Israelis thought it was an Egyptian freighter, so of course it was alright to bomb it)"
I didn't know that about Chomsky! Geee!: why should I not at all be surprised...? This is what I would say: a la Joseph Welch to Senator Joseph McCarthy at the Senate Army-McCarthy hearings in 1954:
"Alas, Mr. Chomksy..., let us not assassinate those lads on the Liberty any further -- any further than Israel already has... You, Mr. Chomsky..., have done enough. ...Have you, Mr. Chomsky, no sense of decency sir, at long last? Have you no sense of decency left? Is *nothing* too tragic for you to not find a way to deflect from and ultimately defend the state of Israel?": this is what I would ask Noam.
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Joseph Anderson, Berkeley, CA
Thanks guys for the interview.
I am a bit disappointed to hear the moderator veer off, whenever the Professor tries to get to the cause, of what you call capitalism.
If you only let him develop the thought in completion, we would all suddenly understand that the undesirable effects of our global economy are just symptoms, not the cause.
The real cause, namely scarcity of finance as set out by our global debt finance is not recognized, AND never, ever questioned !!!
WHY on Earth would we want to continue with this diabolical debt system ?
It causes scarcity of finance, therefore competition, conflict and wars, an imperative to make a profit with any transaction we must do on ourselves and the environment, poverty of the third world, and it is an in-stable cyclical boom/crash system destroying values and life on a periodic basis. HUH?!
We cannot save the planet and compulsively exploit it at the same time. But we can survive momentarily with some future damage of the Earth. We cannot survive to save it by just ignoring the financial underlying demands.
I'm sure that the Professor will privately agree, but as he has a lot to lose, it will not be public, just as with all the other academics in this field of expertise.
Anyway lets all crawl to the inevitable collapse,
martin
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