Charlie Rose

scripts7  08/18/2008 03:07 PM Report

I don't particularly like the medieval religion of the Muslims. They openly persecute women. It's happening in America. Why doesn't the press deliver up that instead of a prison that no one cares about. The elites would rather hold their enemy in esteem. Television has saturated our culture with the idea that prison is a really happening (but open to perversity) place. Weird, but voyeuristically interesting, I suppose. Not to me. Early on, the constitution was a good read for gullible people like me. But, nowadays, I see it differently. The constitution is central to a market-based economy, not a "legal" economy. That's its importance. It has served the capitalism-based Western world economy really well. Otherwise, it would gone the way of nostalgic whigs a long time ago.

sock puppet  08/15/2008 12:47 PM Report

Mr. Gourevitch demurred for redemptive trials / persecution for those responsible. I disagree! Like the "moral hazard" concern re taxpayer bailout of financial institutions, the same hazard - only moreso - exists for the perpetrators of torture. The next group of "sicko bastards" would have to consider consequences. I of course would take this all the way to impeachment of Cheney, Bush and trials of Rumsfeld down. That wont happen of course. Misbehavior in the oval office is one thing; murdering and torture (unfortunately acceptable) another.

Christopher  08/15/2008 05:52 AM Report

Great conversation. He demystified what the Geneva convention and how it is applied in US law. His moral position is impeccable. Those are real moral values, and clearly Charlie is uncomfortable with this.

MotherLodeBeth  08/14/2008 05:53 PM Report

Scripts 7 you wrote that 'No one, except for a bunch of legal bookworms, believes that this remote prison threatens the Constitution or American way'. WHAT? Are you serious? I personally think that precedence is set when some government entity gets away with picking parts of the Constitution and Bill of Rights that they then want to toss out. And coming from an administration that wants folks like Scalia on the Supreme Court who believe in original intent and NOT altering what the founding fathers wrote, I am shocked but alas not surprised that we have an administration that is so Machiavellian in nature.

sock puppet  08/14/2008 02:46 PM Report

TABS / script7 - You both lost me, which is easy to do. Certainly agree America's moral authority parallels mankind's. Amorality actually. Howard Zinn's, "A Peoples History of the United States," further validates your claim. But merely citing such facts doesn't ameliorate or placate anything does it?

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My problem is headier than mere moral-authority but saddened by the moral-depravity that has to accompany torture. The BRUTALIZATION of the enablers - direct and indirect - is greater than they realize. Rambo stance(s) notwithstanding. Rumsfeld's flippant rationalizations come to mind. The neocons certitudes shroud them like armor plating. He and too many others are damaged goods and not introspective enough to ever know it. W is leader in this category as well. Sicko bastards, a succinct (sad) summation.

scripts7  08/14/2008 03:38 AM Report

I am unqualified to talk about politics. But I watched tonight's two interviews and I wonder why is this an important story? No one, except for a bunch of legal bookworms, believes that this remote prison threatens the Constitution or American way. Just because it's talked about in a serious way, does not make it important. Abu Gharib is a dead-on-arrival story. Mind you, it's war.

Propaganda comes in all forms. These kinds of stories are smoke screens for hiding the real stories that are threats to the Constitution and the American way. If the reporters make such a big deal about nothing, then the real important stories never get the headlines. (Do the Israeli-elites want to completely cash out America. What kind of friend is that? Throw the country a bone.) So much for the so-called free press. Orianna Fallaci where is your legacy? It's so sad that entertainment will be the only honest expression in America. Is that not funny? No, so I'll go work on my comedy.

TABS  08/14/2008 03:19 AM Report

The idea that America has suddenly lost its moral authority during the GW Bush administrations war on terror is fallacious. The US has conducted wars of aggression beginning with the war of 1812 (the US invasion of Canada). There is actual WW2 combat footage of USMC soldiers shooting and killing wounded Japanese soldiers. The Nurmberg War Crimes Trials tried to prosecute German Admiral Karl Doenitz for conducting unrestricted subramarine warfare in the Alantic. The charges were dropped when US Admiral Chester Nimitz told the tribunal that the US had conducted unrestricted subramarine warfare against the Japanese in the Pacific.So the struggle with moral issues during a time of war is not something new to America, but is an on going struggle that will present itself in every conflict.

sock puppet  08/14/2008 01:40 AM Report

Back-to-back programs tonight nearly tore me up with abject disappointment in our national policy re torture, interrogation etc. Mr. Gourevitch demurred for redemptive trials / persecution for those responsible. I disagree! Like the "moral hazard" concern re taxpayer bailout of financial institutions, the same hazard - only moreso - exists for the perpetrators of torture. The next group of "sicko bastards" will have to consider consequences. I of course would take this all the way to impeachment of Cheney, Bush and trials of Rumsfeld down. That wont happen of course. Misbehavior in the oval office is one thing; murdering and torture another. Our extant prioirties are about all that we can expect anymore. Those damn Russians, Iranians, Pakistanis, N. Koreans, Sudanese just don't listen. Public trial of our despots would make them pause at least and maybe even secretly admire our grit and moral suasion. We could at least use the bully-pulpet without (as much) hypocrisy.

RE Mant  08/14/2008 12:04 AM Report

Maybe, with the deterioration of big media content, we will see a resurgence of little media instead of steadily stupider stupidity. That would be nice.

Chris Free  08/13/2008 11:56 PM Report

A decision must be made

in the life of every nation...

at the very moment

when the grasp of the enemy is at its throat.

Then it seems that the only way to survive

is to use the means of the enemy...

to rest survival upon what is expedient,

to look the other way.

The answer to that is: Survival as what?

A country isn't a rock.

It's not an extension of one's self.

It's what it stands for.

It's what it stands for when standing

for something is the most difficult

- abby mann, "judgment at nuremberg"

Terri Williams  08/13/2008 09:45 PM Report

Your conversation with Philip Gourevitch was most appreciated. It would be good if energy corporations would pick up the tab for research into new forms of energy.

I look forward to tomorrow's topic, 'Federal Reserve', and applaud your determination in having it aired. Other topics I would like to hear more about is 'The Council on Foreign Relations', 'justice for victims of lynchings in the south' and I wouldn't mind knowing why the Zodiac Killer case was closed, unsolved? I wrote a blog about it (terriwilliams.blogspot.com) all of which actually happened.

Thank you so much for your gumption.

Terri Williams