indeed - listen to it all - yet, I’d call it a ‘limited hangout’ - listen to this
http://tarpley.net/audio/getfile.php?f=20110823-WGT_on_PressTV.mp3

I would encourage everyone to listen to all of this interview. It is excellent.

Ian Masters: stick this in your A/V Booth

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=pKR_psM-Y4E

the suckerfish in the tank
suck the scum from the sides
so the other fish can shit
and breathe freely
the sweet necrosis
of freedom

8-23-2011, D.R. Zing. More Poetry!

@D.R. Zing

What is your criteria for excellent and enlightening analysis.??? I assume you liked Syriana.

Please no more poetry!!!

It might push me over the edge, and then I can’t be responsible.

Yours Truly,
-EmileZ

This is a fascinating interview, as always.

Couple thoughts:

*  Everyone should check out Baer’s book: The Devil We Know:  Dealing with the New Iranian Superpower. It’s a fascinating book that takes a deep look into Iran, what motivates Iran, its strengths, weaknesses, its sphere of influence, a refreshing look at a country that tends to be rendered as a caricature by the American media.

* I remember when Syriana came out, some journalist, maybe a reporter for Entertainment Tonight or something equally dreadful came out and said something like:  “Wait. I’m an intelligent person. I don’t understand this movie.” I loved that quote because ignorance and intelligence renders stupidity.  The fact is Syriana does take a couple of viewings to grok, but once you get a handle on the scene shifts and multifaceted characters, it’s quite clear what’s going on and it’s also quite clear why it is so cryptic. The move takes aim at some of the most powerful people in the United States and the world, their foibles, their hypocrisy, their means of ascending to power, their assassinations—you don’t produce a movie like that and telegraph your every point in a way that the educated idiots at Entertainment Tonight can comprehend, not unless you want your head rolling around in the square in Saudi Arabia or in a bank in Washington or in a hotel lobby where global credit financiers do business. 

* In the interview, it was fascinating to note Baur saying the abundance of weapons in Libya make the future uncertain.  It’s why people who care about peace should be lobbying to stop not just the spread of nuclear weapons but also the sales of small arms (assault rifles, land mines, RPGs, SAMs, etc) and tactical assault vehicles (fighter jets, tanks, fighter helicopters, etc). No country is governable when any pissed off twenty-something can get his hands on an RPG. 

*  The above thought came to mind when Mubarek was overthrown in Egypt. We’ve been paying Egypt billions for decades to keep its peace with Israel.  Those billions have largely been in the form of small arms and tactical assault vehicles. It will be interesting to see if any peace—or any form of democracy—can ever take hold in Egypt while so many weapons are available. 

*  Finally, Mr. Baer’s grasp of the Middle East, the Iran Assad connection, the Hamas Sunni connection, the ruminations of Israeli and American diplomats is utterly fascinating. It really is. His discussion of how Hamas is now siding with the anti-Assad movement, how Iran does not want that to happen, how, though Israel is opposed to Assad and certainly no friend of Iran, it is also frightened about what will happen if Assad falls—this is all excellent and enlightening analysis, the stuff we don’t get on the television news.

It’s not easy listening. I found myself rewinding and re-listening because neither Baer nor the interviewer were spoon feeding us information.  This is a good thing.  We need this kind of nuanced, complex analysis to understand the world, particularly since our country spends billions of our tax dollars in military armaments for the region. 

Thank you, TruthDig for your posts of Mr. Baer’s interviews. They are always most welcome.

@ munky

I question your reasons

@ D.R. “Zing”

You still suck. “Emily” I am deeply wounded.
I would love to see you post something intelligent.

Yours Truly,
-EmileZ

Twelve monkeys booked into a hotel on a hot afternoon
when the zebras were skating down main street
and the elephants were ice skating at the park
when suddenly the second coming
came and went with an earthquake that
sounded like one wing flapping
it all made sense to me
when the jellyfish
wrapped his
tentacles
around my isosceles
triangle and offered to publish
my book because his girlfriend was the
publisher and though he wasn’t officially poking
her yet he would be soon enough as soon as he
got a divorce and kicked out the whacko
whom he so badly needed to politely
destroy while dreaming he was
not destroying himself
and her and everyone
else who did not
bow down to
him
when i suddenly i looked upon the wall
and there stood Jesus H. Christ
staring down at me with the
name EmileZ stenciled
in his teeth saying
gloves are the answer
and you know that
for sure

8-23-11, D.R. Zing, hugs and kiss and love your disses (for EmileZ)

The only reason I oppose American involvement is the likely blowback coming our way. Now, we see Libyan “rebels” asking Israel for help. Israel!! WTF?? A future “bin Laden” will take note of this public relations disaster from Haaretz:

“Rebel spokesman to Haaretz: Libya needs help, including Israel”

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/rebel-spokesman-to-haaretz-libya-needs-help-including-israel-1.380320

Once again, American civilians will have to die for Israel and oil companies. How lovely for us suckers, eh?

Why thank you, EmilyZ. That’s very kind of you.  Have a lovely day.

i grew up in a country
a cool country
a country i believed in
a country with free speech
and freedom of religion
i grew up in a country that was not at war
no war in my country
i grew up in a country where everyone
had a chance to make it
to make it
to make it

i grew up in a country
i could believe in
i could believe in
i grew up in a country where
rock-n-roll was gonna change the world
i grew up in country that was for the good
i grew up in a country where corruption
was reviled in movies and most certainly
being defeated in reality

we all grew up in that country
didn’t we
didn’t we
didn’t we

my country is free and we were never at war
never at war
never at war
except when we were in Vietnam
except when we were in Chile
except when we were dropping covert operatives into Indonesia
and Eastern Eurpope
in the late 1940s
or was it the 1950s?
when we were not at war
when we were not at war
when we were not at war in Korea
when we were not at war in Nicaragua
when we were not at war in Iran
when we were not at war in Afghanistan
when we were not at war in Pakistan
when we were driving our cars
and buying oil from head loppers
when we were listening to rock-n-roll and smoking dope
and snorting coke and watching porn and making porn
and fucking whores and getting a job and getting married
and having kids
and going on vacations
and living life and loving life
and my god how much life did we have
anyway
we were not at war driving down the highway
on a hot afternoon
through Waxahachie
which got its name when a man got a hatchet in his ear
and pulled it out full of wax
and how the young child laughed at that one
when we were not at war
when we were gonna change the world
when we were walking the dog
and playing frisbee golf
and reciting poetry at The Hole in the Wall
to drunks
one of whom made the effort to come up after the show
and say
“you can’t sing worth a shit, man
why does a great band like that
let a guy like you get up on stage anyway?
i can sing better than you”
all this happened when we were not a war
when we had free speech
when the terrorists were still in their holes in the walls
when everyone was free
when we were gonna change the world

when we were not at war
when we were not at war
when we were not at war

8-23-11, D.R. Zing, When Were We Not at War

“Blowback”

I hear the CIA uses that term.

Sounds pretty goddamn credible to me.

P.S. good book

C’mon, admit it. You are a fraud. You have got no idea what is going to happen or how things might develop over time. All your talk really amounts to a hill of beans at best.

How is Hollywood treating you these days?

Is Brad Pitt really a sort of nice clueless person with a cute smile?