[157356] in Zephyr_Bugs
The Best of Times and the Worst of Times
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Leslie Thatcher)
Wed Sep 21 20:34:45 2011
Message-ID: <653517785.1879395375@org2.org2DB.mail.democracyinaction.org>
Date: Wed, 21 Sep 2011 20:34:40 -0400 (EDT)
From: Leslie Thatcher <messenger@truthout.org>
Reply-To: messenger@truthout.org
To: zephyr-bugs@mit.edu
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t r u t h o u t | ""It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only."
-The opening paragraph of Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities"
In December 2002, when Truthout published my first translation from a French news source, *it was the best of times*: I had found a community of colleagues and readers who rejected participation in mainstream mendacity. *But it was also the worst of times*: I found myself alienated from friends, neighbors and family who had been terrified into accommodation with the attack on our civil liberties represented by the Patriot Act; the attack on our understanding represented by such repugnant neologisms as "the Homeland," "unlawful enemy combatant" and "enhanced interrogation techniques"; and the attack on our fiscal, social and economic health represented by the 2001 tax cuts, the then-ongoing war in Afghanistan, and the looming war in Iraq.
*It was an age of wisdom*: William Rivers Pitt and others at Truthout had already been questioning the distortions and lies so obligingly peddled by the mainstream media - and you, our readers, were already willing to fund our attempts to make people notice the empire had no clothes on. *It was an age of foolishness*: the New York Times peddled Judith Miller's now-risible - had they not been so literally deadly - stenographic contentions about aluminum tubes and Saddam's weapons of destruction; Bush's 2003 State of the Union address highlighting the "Axis of Evil" was in preparation.
*It was the epoch of belief*: public opinion bought the now-discredited claims about Guantanamo being reserved for the "worst of the worst," rather than poor souls randomly netted for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, as the majority of its inmates have proven to be. *It was the epoch of incredulity*: most US citizens, still reeling from the 9/11 attacks of the year before, could not believe that their own president - even one "elected" by the Supreme Court - would so brazenly take advantage of the tragedies Bush called his "Trifecta" to impose policies that contravened the common good - from tax cuts skewed to the wealthy, to "Star Wars," to NSA spying on US citizens, to the war in Iraq.
*It was the season of Light*: anti-war protesters were already planning the massive February 15th global protest. *It was the season of Darkness*: the US and UK governments were already engaged in fixing "the intelligence and the facts... around the policy" so that war was inevitable, whatever Hans Blix and his inspection team did or did not find in Iraq.
*It was the spring of hope*: the tiny team at Truthout was giddy with the sense of possibility, helping to create a new media unbeholden to corporate or other interests. *It was the winter of despair*: the anthrax poisonings of the year before remained a mystery, while the unprecedented collapse of Enron the year before - which decimated pension and retirement funds - had been followed by Global Crossing, Tyco and WorldCom bankruptcies.
*We had everything before us*: Truthout was small, but growing and experimenting; we and our readers believed we could make a difference by exposing malfeasance and obfuscation in high places. *We had nothing before us*: the juggernaut of imperial overreach and decline continued to create its "own reality."
*We were all going direct to heaven*: the Bush administration's multiple mouthpieces extolled American virtue and disinterested beneficence: we were liberating Afghan women from the burqa and about to free Iraqis from Saddam Hussein's torture rooms. *We were all going direct the other way*: in the world of "either with us or against us," critics of the regime, like Truthout, could expect vilification and marginalization.
In short, the period was surprisingly like the present period when we - * aided only by you, our readers, our contributors, our friends* - continue our reality-based resistance to the imperial echo chamber, create an impact out of all proportion to our resources, and know that while our task will never be completed, neither may we ever desist.
*Please make a contribution today to keep Truthout on this path of reality-based resistance:*
Click here to donate. [ https://members.truth-out.org/donate ]
(Truthout is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. EIN: 20-0031641)
*You can also donate by check, made payable to:*
Truthout, P.O. Box 276414, Sacramento, CA 95827
(Please help us go green by including your email address on your check.)
Thank you for a decade of your readership and support!
Sincerely,
Leslie Thatcher, Literary Editor
-----------
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<center><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/di=
a/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DW5BOTEvVm1ieFYZwXodjRE0A4%2BrJhIjR"><font color=3D"#c=
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<!-- TemplateBeginEditable name=3D"content" --><p><span=
style=3D"font-size: medium;"><span id=3D"internal-source-marker_0.36363609=
83009582"><span id=3D"internal-source-marker_0.29422576287414093"><span id=
=3D"internal-source-marker_0.7142282839225894"><span id=3D"internal-source-=
marker_0.034450318335990326"><span><span id=3D"internal-source-marker_0.243=
79069745828819"><span id=3D"internal-source-marker_0.37355170040355623"><sp=
an id=3D"internal-source-marker_0.5783796203719792"><span id=3D"internal-so=
urce-marker_0.5783796203719792"> <i><span><span id=3D"internal-source-marke=
r_0.27161882718668884">"It was the best of times, it was the worst of time=
s, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epo=
ch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light,=
it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the wint=
er of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we w=
ere all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way - i=
n short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its =
noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil,=
in the superlative degree of comparison only."</span><br />
—The opening paragraph of Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities</span=
></i><span><br />
<br />
<span>In December 2002, when Truthout published my first translation from =
a French news source, <b>it was the best of times</b>: I had found a commu=
nity of colleagues and readers who rejected participation in mainstream m=
endacity. <b>But it was also the worst of times</b>: I found myself alienat=
ed from friends, neighbors and family who had been terrified into accommo=
dation with the attack on our civil liberties represented by the Patriot A=
ct; the attack on our understanding represented by such repugnant neologis=
ms as "the Homeland," "unlawful enemy combatant" and "enhanced interrogati=
on techniques"; and the attack on our fiscal, social and economic health r=
epresented by the 2001 tax cuts, the then-ongoing war in Afghanistan, and =
the looming war in Iraq.</span><br />
<br />
<b><span>It was an age of wisdom</span></b><span>: William Rivers Pitt and=
others at Truthout had already been questioning the distortions and lies =
so obligingly peddled by the mainstream media - and you, our readers, were=
already willing to fund our attempts to make people notice the empire had=
no clothes on. <b>It was an age of foolishness</b>: The New York Times pe=
ddled Judith Miller's now-risible - had they not been so literally deadly =
- stenographic contentions about aluminum tubes and Saddam's weapons of de=
struction; Bush's 2003 State of the Union address highlighting the "Axis o=
f Evil" was in preparation.</span><br />
<br />
<b><span>It was the epoch of belief</span></b><span>: public opinion bough=
t the now-discredited claims about Guantanamo being reserved for the "wors=
t of the worst," rather than poor souls randomly netted for being in the w=
rong place at the wrong time, as the majority of its inmates have proven t=
o be. <b>It was the epoch of incredulity</b>: most US citizens, still reel=
ing from the 9/11 attacks of the year before, could not believe that their=
own president - even one "elected" by the Supreme Court - would so brazen=
ly take advantage of the tragedies Bush called his "Trifecta" to impose po=
licies that contravened the common good - from tax cuts skewed to the weal=
thy, to "Star Wars," to NSA spying on US citizens, to the war in Iraq.</sp=
an><br />
<br />
<b><span>It was the season of Light</span></b><span>: anti-war protesters =
were already planning the massive February 15 global protest. <b>It was th=
e season of Darkness</b>: the US and UK governments were already engaged i=
n fixing "the intelligence and the facts ... around the policy" so that wa=
r was inevitable, whatever Hans Blix and his inspection team did or did no=
t find in Iraq.</span><br />
<br />
<b><span>It was the spring of hope</span></b><span>: the tiny team at Trut=
hout was giddy with the sense of possibility, helping to create a new medi=
a unbeholden to corporate or other interests. <b>It was the winter of desp=
air</b>: the anthrax poisonings of the year before remained a mystery, whi=
le the unprecedented collapse of Enron the year before - which decimated =
pension and retirement funds - had been followed by Global Crossing, Tyco =
and WorldCom bankruptcies.</span><br />
<br />
<b><span>We had everything before us</span></b><span>: Truthout was small,=
but growing and experimenting; we and our readers believed we could make =
a difference by exposing malfeasance and obfuscation in high places. <b>We=
had nothing before us</b>: the juggernaut of imperial overreach and decli=
ne continued to create its "own reality."</span><br />
<br />
<b><span>We were all going direct to heaven</span></b><span>: the Bush adm=
inistration's multiple mouthpieces extolled American virtue and disinteres=
ted beneficence: we were liberating Afghan women from the burqa and about =
to free Iraqis from Saddam Hussein's torture rooms. <b>We were all going d=
irect the other way</b>: in the world of "either with us or against us," c=
ritics of the regime, like Truthout, could expect vilification and margina=
lization.</span><br />
<br />
<span>In short, the period was surprisingly like the present period when w=
e - <b> aided only by you, our readers, our contributors, our friends</b> -=
continue our reality-based resistance to the imperial echo chamber, creat=
e an impact out of all proportion to our resources, and know that while ou=
r task will never be completed, neither may we ever desist.</span><br />
<br />
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></spa=
n><b><span style=3D"font-size: medium;"><span id=3D"internal-source-marker_=
0.3636360983009582"><span id=3D"internal-source-marker_0.29422576287414093"=
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ternal-source-marker_0.5783796203719792"><span>Please make a contribution t=
oday to keep Truthout on this path of reality-based resistance:</span></spa=
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for a decade of your readership and support!</span></p>
<p style=3D"font-size: 110%;"><span style=3D"font-size: medium;">Sincerely,=
<br />
<span id=3D"internal-source-marker_0.034450318335990326">Leslie Thatcher, L=
iterary Editor</span></span><span style=3D"font-size: medium;"><span id=3D"=
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