David Swanson: Remembering the Downing Street Minutes

[babylonsister]

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/24992

Remembering the Downing Street Minutes
Submitted by davidswanson on Sun, 2007-07-22 22:50. Media

By David Swanson

In the Marx Brothers movie "Duck Soup" which was a dark spoof of pre-war Germany, Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho) who is the Prime Minister of Fredonia, is asking his cabinet, "Any old business?" Someone says, "Yes, about the taxes ..." And Groucho says, "Nah, that's new business." Later, Groucho asks, "Any new business?" "Now, about the taxes ..." the minister says. "Sorry," Groucho cuts him off. "We handled that under old business."

Remember when Bush and Cheney's lies weren't old news?

Neither do I.

But I do remember writing the following in June 2005, and I'm moved to bring it out again to mark the 5th anniversary of the meeting that produced the Downing Street Minutes on July 23, 2002. In this remake, Dana Milbank plays Prime Minister Firefly:

The most repeated excuse by U.S. media outlets for not covering the Downing Street Minutes and related documents is that they tell us nothing new, that they're old news. This conflicts, of course, with the second most common excuse, which is that they are false. If they're false, they can't be news at all, much less old news.

So, the question arises, when was this new news? At what point did it become old news to report that Bush had decided by the summer of 2002 to go to war and to use false justifications related to weapons of mass destruction and ties to terrorism? Of course, in one sense anything we discover now about secret goings on three years ago is old news – but that sense of being old news doesn't seem to spare us details of, for example, the Michael Jackson trial or the steroids in sports scandals. In those and many other cases, we're treated to news that's about old events. By that definition of old news we could have skipped Whitewater altogether.

more...

[Yael]

1. Maybe if we take a different approach

Yes, this is old/new news. Old to many of us -- but I assure you that the (R) people in my world have no clue about the DSM. Why do I know that? Because when brought up, I get the deer in the headlines looks.

*flame proof suit*

Realize that many (R) people are older and just toe the party line. They are not privy to sites like afterdowningstreet.com and don't even know about this. What better way to reach them -- by calling them "repukes" (or worse) or educating them about what is really going on out there that the MSM isn't feeding to them via network news every night?

/rant

[babylonsister]

2. If you can recommend a way to reach those who are so unaware, I'm

all ears. But if they don't have curiosity or a computer, we're up a creek, so to speak.

[Yael]

4. I have just been talking to them

...mano y mano.

I know, it is an uphill battle -- but people are listening. They are tuning out the mud slinging and they are listening to the concerns and the issues -- and they are getting concerned ABOUT the issues.

I took my 63 year old, lifelong (R) Mother to see SiCKO! a few weeks ago. She bit her nails and picked at her cuticles throughout the entire movie just *waiting* on the 'communism' to infiltrate the air conditioning units.

When I was driving her home afterwards, she struck up the conversation, "this is broken -- what can we do".

It was a good talk -- and the reason I am here.

I am tired of sitting in the dark and just cussing the corruption that got us to where we are today. I decided it was time to become vocal about it and not just chalk it up to "thats the way it is" thinking. I am not an optimist, so this is difficult for me. I don't like fighting uphill battles and get discouraged easily.

SO -- We get them one at a time (and then they speak to others one at a time -- like Amway or Avon. Heh) through EDUCATION about this FUBAR situation this country is in. NOT by fighting, but by TALKING to them. Treating them as thinking, reasoning adults with enough gray matter to comprehend this all. Not like evil beings from the planet Zotar or 'morans' (even though ~26% are) -- but as people who have just been insulated from what the MSM wants them to know.

May not work for all, but that is my approach.

Thanks for your response and have a great week. :hug:

[babylonsister]

5. I'm glad you're here, and your mom has a relatively open mind.

I know a few people who are stuck in the mindframe "our president, right or wrong" and there's no budging them. I've tried with no success. Sadly, two of them are my brothers.

[Yael]

7. I am not sure about 'open mind' yet, but I am working on it

Her hubby of 41 years (my Daddy) died last year -- 7 weeks after getting kicked out of hospice by his insurance company on a 'technicality' that I threatened to go to the media with (and won -- but for his case only although I tried).

On this issue, I have her attention.

Hoping for a (painless) watershed moment like this for your brothers, my friend.

As KO referenced from John Wayne (paraphrased), "I didn't vote for him, but he is our President and I hope he does a good job". That doesn't mean the man is infallible -- and that is the message I am trying to send to these folks.

Thanks for the welcome. Lets do what we can, aye? :hug:

[NI4NI]

3. People may call it old news,

but I consider it the same as the law considers a murder investigation.....no statute of limitations.

[KoKo]

6. This Article and links from it are so GOOD...I've bookmarked...

It's an Incredible READ! Hope Serious Minded DU'ers who have the time...will check this out...even if they read it in haste as a scan before.... It deserves a re-read...for now.

Thanks for posting Babylon!