Bio: Peter Dale Scot a former Canadian diplomat and Professor of English at the University of California, Berkeley, is a poet, writer, and researcher. His most recent books are Drugs, Oil, and War (2005), The Road to 9/11: Wealth, Empire, and the Future of America (2007), The War Conspiracy: JFK, 9/11 and the Deep Politics of War (2008) and Mosaic Orpheus (poetry, 2009).
TRANSCRIPT
Peter David Scott Interview (Part 1)
PAUL JAY, SENIOR EDITOR, TRNN: Welcome to The Real News Network. I’m Paul Jay, coming to you from Washington. Now joining us from Berkeley, California, is Peter Dale Scott. He’s a former Canadian diplomat, professor of English at the University of California Berkeley. He’s a poet, writer, and a researcher. His books include Drugs, Oil, and War; The Road to 9/11: Wealth, Empire, and the Future of America; and The War Conspiracy: JFK, 9/11, and the Deep Politics of War. Thanks for joining us, Peter.
PETER DALE SCOTT: I’m glad to be here.
JAY: So, Peter, it’s been a year of Obama’s presidency. He promised in the election campaign a new mindset for American foreign policy. How has he done?
SCOTT: Well, I’m afraid that by my analysis of things it’s not in the power of a president to announce a new mindset out of Washington. The mindset in Washington chooses the people who become president.
JAY: You spoke to this or you wrote to this in a piece you did recently called “Obama in Afghanistan: America’s drug-corrupted war”. You wrote, “the war machine that co-opted Obama into his escalation of a drug-corrupted war is not just a bureaucratic cabal inside Washington. It’s solidly grounded in and supported by a wide coalition of forces in our society.” Further on you wrote, “the determining factor is less likely to be either the will of a reluctant president, or the reigning strategic doctrines of the Pentagon, but a third factor: the dominant mindset in Washington of a drug-corrupted war machine.” Explain what you mean by that, Peter.
Albert Speer was a talented, young architect in Germany when he caught the attention of a charismatic politician named Adolph Hitler. The star-struck Speer was drafted to be a part of Hitler’s inner circle. Hitler, once an aspiring architect himself, greatly admired Speer’s ability. When Hitler came to power, Speer was put to work building the structures that represented the Third Reich such as the Reich Chancellery. To Speer, this was a dream come true. His parents tried to warn him about this new, charismatic leader, but they didn’t understand that opportunities like this present themselves only once in a lifetime.
When the war started, Speer realized that sometimes war is necessary to protect the welfare and honor of a country. He thought about the recent threats to the Germany, both internal and external. Hitler’s political enemies burned the Reichstag. The Polish army destroyed a German radio station on the border. (Of course, we now know that both of these events were false flag operations perpetrated by Hitler himself.)
When the war intensified, Hitler pulled Speer off of architecture and put him in charge of armaments and munitions. This was an area that he had little experience, but he would do anything for his Fuhrer. After all, Hitler had the safety and security of the Heimatland (translated “homeland”) in mind. It also made sense to round up those undesirables — Jews and others — who were a threat to the liberties of the German nation. It was appropriate for them to be put in work camps so that they could contribute to the German cause. Speer was in charge of this forced labor. There were rumors, of course, that terrible atrocities were occurring there, but Speer had no time to verify these and besides, one should not believe every rumor, especially in time of war.
AE911Truth Highlighted in the “Time Magazine of Japan”
“The official story is not convincing.” – Councilor Yukihisa Fujita, National Diet of Japan
This past December, Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth and Councilor Yukihisa Fujita provided a stunning presentation to the National Diet of Japan. Now Asahi Weekly (circulation 268,000) has just published a four-page article with the headline “9/11, Terror in NYC – American Architects Group Demands Reinvestigation!”
In provocative contrast with the United States, whose major media outlets and legislative body won’t touch the issue with a 30-foot steel column, Japan is now asking serious questions about how exactly the World Trade Center buildings were destroyed, and who was responsible for the attacks.
And who can blame them?
Twenty-four innocent citizens of Japan were killed in the terrorist atrocity of 9/11, and their deaths (together with the deaths of the citizens of more than ninety countries who perished on 9/11) pose real questions that require real answers.
“Asahi” means “morning sun” in Japanese. That the Asahi Shimbun (the national newspaper with a daily circulation of over eight million – making it one of the largest newspapers on our planet) would afford respectful coverage of AE911Truth’s message in its newsmagazine, Asahi Weekly, is, we hope, further evidence that the mainstream dawn of 9/11 truth is just around the corner.
See related (excerpted) story from the Miami Herald: “Haiti cruise stops: ‘Without this, we don’t eat’”
With the Celebrity Solstice cruise ship anchored just offshore this beautiful expanse of white sand Friday, vacationers stretched out on beach chairs in the sun, sipped cold beer and pina coladas with pineapple slices on the rim and listened to Haitian folk music.
The beach resort of Labadee is just 60 miles (100 kilometers) from Port-au-Prince, but it’s a world away from the devastation of the Haitian capital, where some 200,000 people are believed dead in an earthquake.
The cruise ships that stop here have become the center of a controversy: Should vacationers relax and have fun with so much suffering elsewhere on the island? Or would it be worse to halt the port calls and deprive locals of what they earn from tourism?
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
Shortly after the start of Campaign for Liberty, Congressman Paul gave a special order speech on the House floor in July 2008 entitled “Something Big is Going On,” where he laid out how our country had gone off a sound economic path, and he again predicted what would turn out to be the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression.
In this follow-up to that momentous speech, entitled, “Is That All There is to a Recession?”, Dr. Paul argues that, contrary to establishment thinking, we are by no means out of the woods. Urging a return to common sense and sound money, Congressman Paul looks at what lies ahead for our country if we continue to spend beyond our means and rely on a fraudulent money system. Prosperity is waiting for our nation, but its return hinges on our ability to change our way of thinking in order to pursue liberty.
(Thanks to Minnesota Chris for the full playlist!)
Yes, the distinction between earned and unearned wealth is indeed critical. And yes, I agree with your identification of monopoly control of resources as being at the root of the problem.
Of course the chief monopoly is that of creation of money which governments share with the international banking oligarchy. It is through the monopoly of money-creation that the oligarchs and militarists gain hegemony. Keynesian economics was the stroke of genius by which unlimited wealth could be funneled into the hands of the war-mongers with the bankers reaping the profits.
This is the paradigm by which the West functions. As time goes on and the superstructure becomes evermore shaky, the further are the extremes to which the ruling class must go to maintain power. Every other value, whether economic or cultural, is sacrificed to the mechanisms of control. These mechanisms are increasingly operated by outright criminals of the Mafia type.
I would say that at least half the population of the developed Western nations see through this facade and a higher proportion of the rest of the world. The control is facilitated by all vested interests including the churches. For all established churches, the individual human person is a sheep to be sheared. The churches are allowed to exist only because they serve the interests of the oligarchs so well.
While speaking to a large crowd of over a thousand people on the campus of Arizona State University last December, Congressman Ron Paul mentioned one thing that might come about as the result of the federal government habitually ignoring the Constitution: Nullification.
About five minutes into the video segment which you’ll find below, he said, “There’s not much attention paid to the Constitution in Washington. There’s not much attention paid to it by our executive branch of government. And we don’t get much protection from our courts. So one thing that might finally happen from this if the people finally feel so frustrated that they can’t get the results out of Washington — They’re going to start thinking about options. They might start thinking about nullification and a few things like that.”
As someone who attended that rally and was doing my best to represent my state’s chapter of The Tenth Amendment Center, I know I cheered very loudly and was very pleased when the rest of the crowd applauded enthusiastically.
For anyone who is unfamiliar with the concept of state nullification, it was the idea expressed by then sitting vice president, Thomas Jefferson, when he authored what came to be called the Kentucky Resolutions of 1798. The resolutions made the case that the federal government is a creature of the states and that states have the authority to judge the constitutionality of the federal government’s laws and decrees. He also argued that states should refuse to enforce laws which they deemed unconstitutional.
By Andy Myers
andy@ohiofreedom.com
January 27, 2010
This article appeared in the Xenia Gazette on Jan 26. It is reprinted with permission.
”Observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all . . . The Nation which indulges toward another an habitual hatred or an habitual fondness is in some degree a slave. It is a slave to its animosity or to its affection, either of which is sufficient to lead it astray from its duty and its interest.” George Washington, Farewell Address, September 17, 1796
I hate that term. “The War on Terror.” I hate using the word “hate.” But I feel so strongly that our foreign policy has gone awry that I can’t help but speak out. We should all feel a duty as Americans to protect and defend the Constitution whose limits are made a mockery of by the misguided “intellectuals” in Washington and their taxpayer funded “think-tanks” who call the shots and continually get it wrong. Their punishment, a promotion to some other bureaucratic agency where they can wreck more havoc and again disregard the rule of law. Even congress, who’s authority it is, doesn’t even have the fortitude to “declare war” as outlined in Article I, Section 8 of our constitution anymore. Can you imagine what our founder’s would think of our foreign policy exploits and the executive powers held by the President today? Death, destruction-reconstruction and the bankrupting of behaving as an “empire” will only garner additional support for those who despise our overreaching foreign policy behavior. Nations don’t hate us because of our way of life or our freedom-they despise our governments never ending meddling in their internal affairs. Ask yourself how you would feel if a “foreign” nation were on our soil doing what we are doing in over 130 countries and over 700 bases around the world. You know all well you’d be fighting mad!
“Of all the enemies to public liberty war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded because it comprises and develops the germ of every other. War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes-known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few. No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare.” James Madison, Political Observations, 1795
From the editor: This is such an important idea, that it deserves to be read by everyone. Expect more information on the 14th Amendment in the upcoming print edition of The Liberty Voice. Please circulate this information widely.
Thom Hartmann Tells Why It Is–Kind of–But Not Really
…corporations are asserting that they…should stand side-by-side with humans in having access to the Bill of Rights. Nike asserted…that these corporations have First Amendment rights of free speech. Dow Chemical…asserted it has Fourth Amendment privacy rights and could refuse to allow the EPA to do surprise inspections of its facilities. J.C. Penney asserted…that it had a Fourteenth Amendment right to be free from discrimination — the Fourteenth Amendment was passed to free the slaves after the Civil War — and that communities that were trying to keep out chain stores were practicing illegal discrimination. Tobacco and asbestos companies asserted that they had Fifth Amendment rights to keep secret what they knew about the dangers of their products.
A BUZZFLASH INTERVIEW
Thom Hartmann is a familiar name to regular BuzzFlash readers, thanks to his contribution of monthly book reviews. He also hosts a syndicated radio talk show, heard on radio stations from coast to coast, the Sirius Satellite Radio system, on CRN, and on RadioPower.org. As the author of Unequal Protection: The Rise of Corporate Dominance and the Theft of Human Rights, he has given us a history lesson in how corporations have insinuated themselves into the U.S. Constitution and claimed for themselves the rights that were meant for living, breathing human beings. Here Thom Hartmann answers our questions about personhood, rights, constitutional history and big business as it impacts politics and each and every American.
* * *
BuzzFlash: Let’s start with the basic premise of Unequal Protection. In essence, what is “corporate personhood” in terms of current American law?
Thom Hartmann: “Corporate personhood” is the notion that a corporation has the rights of a person under the Constitution.
This past December, Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth and Councilor Yukihisa Fujita provided a stunning presentation to the National Diet of Japan. Now Asahi Weekly (circulation 268,000) has just published a four-page article with the headline “9/11, Terror in NYC – American Architects Group Demands Reinvestigation!”
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