WHEN YOU “KNOW” NEWSMAKERS?

As it happens I have personally met a number of names in the news. They were hardly friends, but I do have some stories to share though little time to share them right now.

The most disappointing is what happened to Thabo Mbeki—not his fall from power but what he did with whatever power he did have, his stance towards AIDS, and his contempt for the culture and passion of the ANC in South Africa. He was competent, politically skilled and very adept as a negotiator and infighter—but, in the end, those were not the skills people look to in a leader. I met him in the 1960’s and tried to share my feelings with him. He was always friendly and cordial and invited me to both of his inaugurations. The last real chat we had was in Davos many years ago when I warned him that his media image was slipping badly, He agreed, blamed his inner circle and asked me to stay in touch. I tried to no avail. Read this:

The Fall of Thabo Mbeki and the Future of South Africa

By Bill Fletcher, Jr., BlackCommentator.com

I had almost literally just finished reading William
Gumede’s acclaimed biography of South African President
Thabo Mbeki, Thabo Mbeki and the Battle for the Soul of
the ANC: Second Edition (New York: Zed Press, 2007),
when it was announced that President Mbeki was being
sacked by the leadership of the African National
Congress. To say that I was stunned would be no
overstatement. Knowing a little about the South African
political situation, I was aware that an individual -
including the president of the country - could be
recalled by their party, but it was more the fact that
the ANC actually recalled President Mbeki that was
startling.

JOERG HAIDER DIES IN A CAR CRASH

A former Socialist Party leader in Austria introduced me to Haider, not only said to be an admirer of Hitler but an old friend of Arnold Schwartznegger. I attended a dinner for him when he as trying to win world acceptance in his bid for power in Austria where he still enjoyed voter support. Now there are two rightwing parties in the land of the Anchluss. He was very affable, downplayed whatever hates he harbored and told me about his runs in the NY marathon.

THE NEW NOBEL PEACE LAUREATE

I met Martti Ahtisaari while making South Africa Now and when he did a good job in negotiating for South African withdrawal from Naimbia. The Nobel committee honored him, passing over Chinese dissidents for whom the award would have meant something.

TFF comments from Sweden:

The choice of Martti Ahtisaari satisfies - even with a broad interpretation - none of the criteria outlined in Alfred Nobel’s will, namely: to contribute to fraternity in the world, to reduce armies and to establish peace congresses - to quote them in the Nobel’s own language of 1895.

Ahtisaari has repeatedly functioned as “peace fixer” for Western power elites. In 1999 he was the envoy who persuaded the Serb state to give in after NATO’s 78 days of bombing, the most brutal event in Europe since 1945, which also lacked a UN Security Council mandate.

He then was appointed as the “architect” of the plan behind the separation of now “independent” Kosovo which, following this bombing, broke off from Serbia. Independent Kosovo is recognized by only 25% of the world’s governments.

So, Ahtisaari is a man who by his “mediations” fully endorses the “peace” brought about by militarist means and international law violations - rather than following the UN norm of “peace by peaceful means.”

The Nobel Committee should, according to Nobel’s will, not necessarily consist of Norwegian parliamentarians. Nobel only stated that those who decided on the Prize should be appointed by the Norwegian Parliament.

Would anyone dream of letting a group of parliamentarians anywhere award the prize in, say, medicine, physics or literature without having the slightest knowledge of the subject or professional background? Yet this is exactly what the Nobel Committee does. None of them have any professional knowledge about the subject of peace.

The Committee has again rewarded one of its politician friends ­ instead of one of the independent candidates of this year, who have truly contributed intellectually, culturally or people-to-people wise to genuine peace.

LETTER

Mary Fox writes:

At one time or another you have probably come across Media Lens, sort of the British equivalent of News Dissector. They sent out a piece recently they called “Intellectual Cleansing” which I have since misplaced, but it inspired a fascinating response from Jonathan Cook (British indy journalist living in the Middle East). He takes apart his formative experiences working for the U.K. mainstream media, and someone could probably have written the same piece about their journalistic training in the U.S. with just different newspaper names.

This completely validates Chomsky’s theses about the proper socialization of Western professionals, whether in the media or academia. No conspiracy theory is needed to explain the way this works. Most people probably aren’t even aware of the extent to which their published opinions are being filtered and shaped and if they were few possess the courage to defy it. And it goes without saying that in the capitalist system, individuals or outlets espousing contrarian views can barely survive, as you know all too well, since they threaten the interests of the corporate elites, and we can’t have that, can we.

Seth Wolfson writes:

But how do we fight back if they’ve got all the money and both parties ratified it?

Thanks to the many letters supporting my idea for teach-ins on the economy. There’s lots of agreement but no material support. How do we do it?

FINAL WORD FROM MY NEIGHBORHOOD

Shelters and Soup Kitchens Hold Crisis Front Lines

Heike Barkawitz, Inter Press Service: “Wall Street may be in the throes of agony, but business is booming at the Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen a bit farther north in the Manhattan neighborhood of Chelsea. And that’s not particularly good news.”

REALLY BAD NEWS

I spoke last night to Bob Easton, my childhood buddy—we lived in the same building in the Bronx. He became a skilled carpenter and more in Santa Fe New Mexico. He’s been battling cancer. We said what may be our final good byes last night. Bob was insightful, philosophical and ready for the end. He outlived the death sentence by years but……

We and his beautiful artist-wife Kath O’Neil got reacquainted when I visited Santa Fe to show my film a year or so ago. We listened to music together, watched videos, and at a great time. He had hoped to make it to his son’s wedding but, apparently that was not to be. We discussed the financial crisis and he suggested, hopefully, that we may be on the verge of a new paradigm.

DANNY CASSIDY, R.I.P.

While Bob seems to be going, another pal of mine, a former college roommate and inspiration, Danny Cassidy succumbed to cancer in San Francisco Saturday night. I spoke to him last week and he sounded raspy and frail but positive. He and his wife Clare have suffered so much. Another Irish-American writer of note, Peter Quinn, kindly sent the news.

Danny Cassidy died tonight from pancreatic cancer. I spoke with him yesterday. He said how grateful he was to have had the support of so many (his words) “extraordinary friends.” He told me for the second time that he had experienced unconditional love from his mother and his wife, and that he felt, in the end, that this was all that mattered, that this was the entire message of the Gospel, and the rest was trivia. It was a privilege to know him; a great grace to have had his friendship. His legacy to the Irish-American community is inestimable. May perpetual light shine upon him. Clare said that she’d let us know about the funeral arrangements in a day or so. Peter.

Thanks for being here and be grateful that we all can be. We want to keep doing it, that is, until we can’t, and need your help. Now. Enough!

Au Revoir, Paree. Off to Africa.

Posted in Paris Sunday midday.

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