Craig Barnes: .... where to get a handle on it, where to begin with that, so it's actually useful sometimes too narrow it and make it a simple, straightforward, "these are the facts" case, and that's what Patrick Fitzgerald did so well with Scooter Libby, and which had so much impact, because it was stripped of all the extra possible cases, all the possible ways we could nail this guy. These were real facts, real materials, real witnesses who were eyewitnesses who could appear in court, could give you reasonable testimony, and that ought to be encouraged to moderates and uncertain people throughout the political spectrum.
David Swanson: I could not agree more. Elizabeth de la Vega; have you seen her new book? She has a book on the subject.
Craig Barnes: I have not.
David Swanson: It's coming out next month, and is a case for criminal prosecution, and so it's not entirely dissimilar to your play, although maybe not as dramatic and entertaining, and I wonder what you think are the actual prospects for criminal prosecution or civil prosecution in this country or abroad? I know that the Center for Constitutional Rights filed a case in Germany against Rumsfeld and Rumsfeld almost had to cancel a trip to Germany because it was afraid he would be arrested, and there are those who have always had in mind in the long term this sort of Pinochet scenario, where we get these guys under international law and international court and restore the existence of international law in the process. What do you think in the long run are the prospects for this?
Craig Barnes: I think the courts in my experience in trying cases is that courts re substantially centrist; that they don't wander very far beyond public opinion. If there is a collapse of support of the president and some sense of outrage, if something happens that makes him a less-than-honorable character, I could see something more than lying. I could see the tide sweep against him and a post-presidency trial happening. I could see it more likely to happen with Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld. I think that those possibilities exist. They would have the beneficial effect of reviving a global respect for international law and I think it could be quite useful that way. On the other hand, our most central objective needs to be simply to get that kind of person out of public office in this country, so our first objective doesn't need to be trial and imprisonment, and I frankly, personally, couldn't care less whether they spend days in jail; I think what's most important is they stop misleading the American public and trampling on this extraordinary heritage of civil law, because it's the civil law heritage which is the backbone of our system, so rather than vengeance or revenge against these guys, the biggest objective, the first one, is to stop this predation on the constitution.
David Swanson: Again, very well said, and the play is incredibly well done. It's brilliantly entertaining as well as important, and I hope everyone will go to www.anataiondeceived.org and arrange to have more people read it and perform it. Craig Barnes, thanks for talking to me.
Craig Barnes: David, it's great to talk to you. Thank you for calling.
DAVID SWANSON is a co-founder of After Downing Street, a writer and activist, and the Washington Director of Democrats.com. He is a board member of Progressive Democrats of America, and serves on the Executive Council of the Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild, TNG-CWA. He has worked as a newspaper reporter and as a communications director, with jobs including Press Secretary for Dennis Kucinich's 2004 presidential campaign, Media Coordinator for the International Labor Communications Association, and three years as Communications Coordinator for ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. Swanson obtained a Master's degree in philosophy from the University of Virginia in 1997.
Having already wasted my time reading this tripe, the only thing I could think of afterwards was what I posted in the title: "What's in YOUR hookah?" If this isn't the most twisted, convoluted, "life imitating art imitating insanity" that I've ever read, I don't know what is. No wonder we're in the mess we're in in this country.
by
Lilith's Spirit (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 99 comments)
on Wednesday, October 25, 2006 at 10:24:48 PM
The power of the writer is NOT in being able to m,ake money by doing the outlines of reality TV shows, but by presenting powerful messages that challenge people to think, and maybe to act. This play takes street theatre to a higher level, and is a powerful voice that should be heard, even if the reader or audience member disagrees with the premise. The '60s and '70s (that is, BOTH the 1760s/1770s and the 1960s/1970s)may have returned to the national stage. It is time for the Revolution to continue.
by
Brasch (69 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 61 comments)
on Thursday, October 26, 2006 at 4:34:08 AM
It's conceivable this play might be the vehicle necessary to show anyone else who might take the Rove/Cheney/Wolfowitz plan to take over America and only do it better is to know that most of the tricks have become visible. That maybe they'd better think twice before doing it.
I would say that the concept that such plays like the Scopes Trial and To Kill a Mockingbird introduced to middle American's thinking will still be necessary to prevent those who would try such a 'coup' again to realize that the free speech/thinking that comes from the theater would always serve to squelch tyranny much as our press used to do as in our first century. We now have in our culture the blessing of idea exchange over the internet, by DVDs, etc.
But, more importantly I feel, is that Democrats need to take to heart such writings as to why The Democrats are Losing the Culture Wars.
by
inspectjim (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 1 comments)
on Thursday, October 26, 2006 at 10:39:32 AM
Well, I guess anything's possible (like trickle-down economics). But to my ear, we're just way past that stage at this point in time. Maybe it's just the varying degrees of awakening that we're all passing through, I don't know. Personally, I just heard the sound of no hands clapping on this one.
;-)
However, given the right of everyone to creatively express how s/he feels best addresses a given situation, I apologize for the harshness of my original post.
by
Lilith's Spirit (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 99 comments)
on Thursday, October 26, 2006 at 3:06:04 PM
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