Bravo Bill Moyers! I love this man! He said it so well that it almost brought me to tears sentimental woman that I am. I totally agree. We should all hang our heads in shame for giving the Wright affair so much of importance in a political campaign. And thanks Norm for posting this.

::applause::

Excellent piece.

Brilliant. A timely peice of intelligence, compassion and and perspective virtually unheard of in today's media. Bravo Bill Moyers!

I Tivo Moyers and frequent OGM for good reason - thanks, Norm.

I found this extraordinary: nuanced, sophisticated, and above all, just.

"...the thunder of dignity denied..."

And finally: a public media figure mentioned the Tuskegee experiments in relation to Wrights (absurd, but I think, ultimately understandable even though not excusable) remark about AIDs.

Thank you for posting this, Norm.

Bill Moyers channeling Edward Murrow with a little Chomsky thrown in for spice. Fine, fine stuff.

When I watch Bill Moyers, I feel as though I am getting a small glimpse at what American media could be.

Here's some interesting food for thought: many of the claims made by Wright have also been made by Ron Paul, or his more fanatical supporters. The concept of "blow back", the horrors of Tuskegee, and a long-standing distrust of the government are all well understood by me and my ilk.

A few weeks ago I resigned myself to President Obama, "for the greater good". However, after seeing him toss Wright under the bus (although perhaps inevitable) I find myself unable to delude myself into believing the Obama hype any longer.

To avoid a rant, I'll use a soundbite: those who fail to learn the mistakes of history are doomed to repeat them. I find myself living in a country of cry babies, guarded by a bullying foreign policy, unwilling to accept even mild criticisms until the evidence becomes overwhelming.

In my mind, Wright does not represent a black v. white controversy, nor do I fear black radicalism. If anything, I am ashamed that my fellow "whitey's" are still madly clinging to delusions, a full generation after Martin Luther King, Jr. explained the evils of the Vietnam War. To quote: "as a matter of fact, it is safe to say that they [our troops in Vietnam] would rather switch, than fight". Here is a statement more radical than anything Wright has said, by a man universally recognized as a prophet, or at the very least, a visionary.

And here we are, a generation past, and we are still unwilling to face these cold raw truths. Our skeletons remain hidden away in closets, albeit unlocked closets with large windows.

Who can I turn to for solace here? The conservatives could not begin to understand these ideas. The self-described Progressives are anything but on this issue. Most are simply interested in a good drama, and could care less what Wright has actually said.

I'll close with this: cause and effect. I'm not suggesting that AIDS was the result of U.S. bioengineering. I couldn't prove that claim, and I remain highly skeptical in the face of the evidence I have seen to date. So the question in my mind is this: why do some groups of Americans distrust our government so? Are we insane for occasionally displaying our paranoia, or, are the rest of you insane for continuing to trust a government that has violated every law, and every shred of decency, in a continuous war against its own citizenry?

If Wright ran for President, I would vote for him. Not because I agree, but because America NEEDS to have this raw anger FORCED down their throat. So long as Americans remain in denial about the truth of the situation, they remain in grave danger.

Why?

Because the elites who run this world view us all as "niggers". And, like it or not, that makes Wright my brother, and ally in the fight.

And, by tossing Wright under the bus, Obama has made a disappointing choice. In no uncertain terms; he wishes to be one of "them", and not one of "us".

But who is us? Hard to define. In my world view, us includes Ghandi, King, Paul and Wright. Us includes the working poor. Us includes the deranged and the disappointed. Us includes all those who recognize that America MUST change, and that before lasting change is achieved, we must be willing to face the raw, ugly truth of our own history.

Forgive my passion. It is frustrating for me to see truths rejected, no matter how ugly those truths might be.

Zaphod, I agree with the majority of what you wrote. Except for "the elites of this world" comment. I have never met any of the elite class and probably you haven't either, so to state that they are all racist is wrong. As for Wright, why is it impossible for the majority of the media to give Wright some credit? Wright genuinely cares about the plight of poor blacks in America and is talking about it publicly. I did not know the positive side of Wright until I saw the Bill Moyer interview. As for Obama throwing Wright under the bus I did not see that coming. I thought that Obama was better than that. I believe that Obama lacks character.

"America'S NEEDS..."

God save the Queen, the Clinton regime, that made you a morrrrrrrron, she ain't no (non-Stepford-but-paradoxically-hyena-like-and-dominant) human being...

"America NEEDS to have this raw anger FORCED down their throat."

Yes, and whilst elder and wiser brothers once nodded sagely to white (boy) noise, heavenward-spiraling smoke wisps of hippie capitalism, I was gettin' off/on the real thing, being of that (Johnny) Rotten Generation. And the bus throw... yes, I was outraged at Bill, at Clinton, for doing it to Jocelyn Elders, and wisers? Lani Guinier, innumerately, amathematically, sound bitten, I can see now.

"I have never met any of the elite class and probably you haven't either,"

Oh yes I have (2 degrees, 1, (None? Not!) of separation), and it's true that:

"the elites who run this world view us all as "niggers"."

Exactly true, as cattle, and in America, in particular, SHEEP. Baa Baa Baad boy, black sheep, maybe, or, if we be exceedingly daring, and dye our hair orange, or whatever: ORANGE SHEEP. (Which is why in those long forgotten rotten days I had criticised Mr. Hinckley and Mr. Ali Agca so much, too much,in writing even, (Acga, whatever,) comparing them unfavorably with Mr. Booth, ironically considering that Black Obama now needs protection.)

Zeus Save Obama.

Wingardium Mafiosa!

OK, I need a Spell checker:

O Zeus, Save Obama,

(Zeus, O Save Obama

Zeu, o Sav Obam

Ze, o Sa oba

Ze o S ob)

Z o S o

Orange hair?

Shaved heads!

And tattoos,

ZoSo, 122474.

"And, by tossing Wright under the bus, Obama has made a disappointing choice. In no uncertain terms; he wishes to be one of "them", and not one of "us"."

The next time you find a person who actually has a shot at being elected President and who remains one of "us", it'll be the first time. I agree with many of the points that Wright made, but I also have to agree with Obama that he ended up caricturizing himself -- leaving Obama no choice but to do what he did. I just think Obama's doing about the best that he can -- he's tried to take the high road, he's tried to be objective. Wright's divisiveness of late is not at all the message that Obama most wants to convey. But Ron Paul and Ralph Nader are the only candidates left that have the luxury of giving no consideration to the political effects of their statements and actions. Obama actually hopes to get elected.

And, by all means, thanks for posting this clip, Norm.

I was angry at Moyers for bringing Wright to the fore again. But this was just superb. I should have had more trust in him.

omarakavinnie:

I used the N-bomb not as a racial slur, but as a derogatory slang referring to the lowest caste in a society. We associate it with blacks, but I was attempting to associate the greater concept.

And, while I have never met the top-tier elite, I have noticed that the higher up the chain you go, the greater the degree of misanthropy you find.

For the sake of clarity; my intent was not racist, but rather, class-ist.

Zaphod:

"the higher up the chain you go, the greater the degree of misanthropy you find. For the sake of clarity; my intent was not racist, but rather, class-ist."

I now understand what you were getting at and I agree with you.

Excellent post, Zaphod. I don't fully agree with everything in it, but I can truly relate to the sentiments.

As always, Moyers is brilliant.

AHhh when journalists had integrity. "sigh"

"When I watch Bill Moyers, I feel as though I am getting a small glimpse at what American media could be." Oh yes.