The Secret Government: The Constitution in Crisis
March 23, 2012 5:23 AM Subscribe
Bill Moyers' scathing 1987 special report on our secret government.(SLYT)(via)(trigger warning: pictures and video of dead bodies) It includes an in-depth look at the Iran-Contra Affair and much, much more. Note: sound cuts out for a couple of minutes during the intro because of copyrighted song. Sound returns around 3:20.
That list of tags just fills one with patriotic pride.
posted by Trurl at 5:41 AM on March 23, 2012 [4 favorites]
posted by Trurl at 5:41 AM on March 23, 2012 [4 favorites]
Thank goodness that justice caught up to these people and they all wound up in prison. Oh wait.
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 5:50 AM on March 23, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 5:50 AM on March 23, 2012 [3 favorites]
After watching this I was astounded to find out that Major General Richard Secord ended up having his conviction expunged. These people are beyond the law it seems.
posted by AElfwine Evenstar at 5:56 AM on March 23, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by AElfwine Evenstar at 5:56 AM on March 23, 2012 [2 favorites]
Y'know how high schoolers spend a week or so on the plight of the Native Americans during westward expansion (well, my school did) and a week or so on the Holocaust? I think a week spent running through the tags here, starting with Bill's video, would be just as valuable.
posted by Grimp0teuthis at 6:02 AM on March 23, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Grimp0teuthis at 6:02 AM on March 23, 2012 [1 favorite]
Thank goodness that justice caught up to these people and they all wound up in prison. Oh wait.
And how the nation learned from these exposure and reigned in the secret intelligence and surveillance state by electing politicians demanding accountability. Oh wait.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:18 AM on March 23, 2012 [3 favorites]
And how the nation learned from these exposure and reigned in the secret intelligence and surveillance state by electing politicians demanding accountability. Oh wait.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:18 AM on March 23, 2012 [3 favorites]
I'm not sure I have the fortitude to return to the intense loathing of these scheming bastards that I felt as a 20-something when this shit was going on. That none of these war criminals were brought to justice gave a green light to all the schemers and plotters who have followed (and who will never be held accountable for their crimes either).
Okay, I'm going to go lie down now and let my b.p. return to normal.
posted by aught at 6:24 AM on March 23, 2012 [2 favorites]
Okay, I'm going to go lie down now and let my b.p. return to normal.
posted by aught at 6:24 AM on March 23, 2012 [2 favorites]
After watching this I was astounded to find out that Major General Richard Secord ended up having his conviction expunged. These people are beyond the law it seems.
Well, at least according to the Wikipedia, it was expunged because the Supreme Court found his indictment to be illegal. That's basically the exact opposite of being beyond the law.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 6:27 AM on March 23, 2012 [1 favorite]
Well, at least according to the Wikipedia, it was expunged because the Supreme Court found his indictment to be illegal. That's basically the exact opposite of being beyond the law.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 6:27 AM on March 23, 2012 [1 favorite]
oops forgot to add (previously)...for gratuitous uncut iran contra hearings viewing pleasure.
posted by AElfwine Evenstar at 6:29 AM on March 23, 2012
posted by AElfwine Evenstar at 6:29 AM on March 23, 2012
Favorited for the tag list. Bravo.
posted by whuppy at 6:42 AM on March 23, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by whuppy at 6:42 AM on March 23, 2012 [1 favorite]
This is required viewing for anyone wondering "how we got where we are today". Why is Bill Moyers not in Guantanemo?
posted by oneswellfoop at 7:42 AM on March 23, 2012
posted by oneswellfoop at 7:42 AM on March 23, 2012
I spent some time in one of those countries, training government troops. Sigh.
posted by timsteil at 7:49 AM on March 23, 2012
posted by timsteil at 7:49 AM on March 23, 2012
Why is Bill Moyers not in Guantanemo?
I'm sure there are some who would like to see him there. The Bushies were certainly after him and repeatedly used his supposed "bias" as a talking point in their general war against public broadcasting.
I would nominate Moyers for sainthood myself. He's come out retirement twice now to fight the good fight.
posted by aught at 7:56 AM on March 23, 2012 [2 favorites]
I'm sure there are some who would like to see him there. The Bushies were certainly after him and repeatedly used his supposed "bias" as a talking point in their general war against public broadcasting.
I would nominate Moyers for sainthood myself. He's come out retirement twice now to fight the good fight.
posted by aught at 7:56 AM on March 23, 2012 [2 favorites]
If these people were prosecuted after the Constitutional excesses of Vietnam, Iran Contra wouldn't have happened, if there were prosecutions after Iran Contra, Iraq wouldn't have happened, now the process continues with no one being held accountable for the Iraq war, I can only imagine what is next . Each instance tramples more of the Constitution to the point that we have lost all sense of who we are as a nation. Our Constitution IS our nation. If every American was incinerated in a nuclear war tomorrow our Constitution would still endure and America would be rebuilt because nothing can physically kill the idea. The only enemies that can take down America are fear, greed and paranoia.
posted by any major dude at 8:18 AM on March 23, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by any major dude at 8:18 AM on March 23, 2012 [1 favorite]
I remember seeing this when it first came out. In retrospect all this pearl-clutching indignation comes across as quaint.
>After watching this I was astounded to find out that Major General Richard Secord ended up having his conviction expunged...
In his last days in office, Bush #1 issued a pardon for many of the scandal figures, including Caspar Weinberger, Sec of Defense, who (IIRC) hitherto had not been accused or charged with any specific crime.
>timsteil: I spent some time in one of those countries, training government troops. Sigh.
go to Reddit and do an IamA/AMA.
posted by thermonuclear.jive.turkey at 8:54 AM on March 23, 2012
>After watching this I was astounded to find out that Major General Richard Secord ended up having his conviction expunged...
In his last days in office, Bush #1 issued a pardon for many of the scandal figures, including Caspar Weinberger, Sec of Defense, who (IIRC) hitherto had not been accused or charged with any specific crime.
>timsteil: I spent some time in one of those countries, training government troops. Sigh.
go to Reddit and do an IamA/AMA.
posted by thermonuclear.jive.turkey at 8:54 AM on March 23, 2012
That none of these war criminals were brought to justice gave a green light to all the schemers and plotters who have followed (and who will never be held accountable for their crimes either).
This is my surprised face from 2001-2008.
posted by Aquaman at 11:49 AM on March 23, 2012
This is my surprised face from 2001-2008.
posted by Aquaman at 11:49 AM on March 23, 2012
In retrospect all this pearl-clutching indignation comes across as quaint.
This is sad, but true. Nowadays we can't even get a show trial/hearings. Remember when secret wars were secret. Ah those were the days. The correct modern term would be "kinda secret wars that we ignore for the most part"; ignored by the media(for the most part) and the American people(almost completely).
That this has now become SOP one can only wonder how much power the "secret government" wields vs. how much power the civilian government wields. Remember that one time a few weeks after 911 when a bunch of politicians and journalists got weaponized anthrax mailed to them, and then remember how it was later determined that the anthrax was actually a strain weaponized by the U.S. military, and then remember how the investigation went nowhere for years until they finally decided to pin it on some lone nut who then promptly committed suicide??? But I suppose my own private musings are just conspiracy theories and I still live in a functioning democracy that isn't on the fast track to fascism.
posted by AElfwine Evenstar at 6:30 PM on March 23, 2012
This is sad, but true. Nowadays we can't even get a show trial/hearings. Remember when secret wars were secret. Ah those were the days. The correct modern term would be "kinda secret wars that we ignore for the most part"; ignored by the media(for the most part) and the American people(almost completely).
That this has now become SOP one can only wonder how much power the "secret government" wields vs. how much power the civilian government wields. Remember that one time a few weeks after 911 when a bunch of politicians and journalists got weaponized anthrax mailed to them, and then remember how it was later determined that the anthrax was actually a strain weaponized by the U.S. military, and then remember how the investigation went nowhere for years until they finally decided to pin it on some lone nut who then promptly committed suicide??? But I suppose my own private musings are just conspiracy theories and I still live in a functioning democracy that isn't on the fast track to fascism.
posted by AElfwine Evenstar at 6:30 PM on March 23, 2012
« Older Security theatre theatre. | Superman the Asshole Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by AElfwine Evenstar at 5:34 AM on March 23, 2012