Matt Taibbi questions America's sanity

Progressive icon David Sirota says writer Matt Taibbi—who followed William Greider and the late, great Hunter Thompson at Rolling Stone—is "the best American journalism has to offer." I concur, and not just because I had the great pleasure of interviewing the brilliant madman myself.

Taibbi's new book The Great Derangement goes on sale May 6 and he and Eric Merola have put out a promotional video for it that roasts a corrupt White House and an acquiescent corporate media for eight years of greed, terror and blatant, murderous lies.

His fellow citizens aren't exactly spared, either. "Americans are now supposed to make their own sense of the world, but are the right messages even reaching our collective brain?" asks Taibbi. "Are the halves of that brain even connected? Do we know who we are anymore? Are we sane? It's a hell of a problem for a nuclear power."

Cheney gives a big FU to America

Dick Cheney spoke frankly on Good Morning America today in re: to 5th Anniversary of the Grand Blunder. Via Think Progress:

CHENEY: On the security front, I think there's a general consensus that we’ve made major progress, that the surge has worked. That's been a major success.

RADDATZ: Two-third of Americans say it's not worth fighting.

CHENEY: So?

RADDATZ So? You don't care what the American people think?

CHENEY: No. I think you cannot be blown off course by the fluctuations in the public opinion polls

Big Dick also doesn't give a shit what the Pentagon thinks either. Despite the exhaustive report it recently released showing virtually no connection between al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein, Cheney (during his "surprise" visit to Iraq) insists there was one, so his word alone justifies our five years of clusterfuck.

Mind you, he was answering a Gannonesque softball tossed to him at the Baghdad news conference by his own official biographer, a guy who wrote a book entirely devoted to justifying Cheney's delusions.

Benazir Bhutto said Osama bin Laden was dead

And right on cue, shortly after former Pakistani premier Bhutto's own slaying, two key al-Qaeda news items appear. First, "senior US officials" are checking into an al-Qaeda claim of responsibility for the assassination, and—lo and behold—"Osama" himself will soon release a message regarding Iraq.

Bhutto asserted to David Frost less than two months ago that bin Laden had been murdered by Omar Sheikh, whom the Sunday Times once described as "no ordinary terrorist but a man who has connections that reach high into Pakistan's military and intelligence elite and into the innermost circles" of bin Laden and al-Qaeda. (Watch video starting at 5:33 for mentioned part.)



UPDATE 28 DEC 2007: Joe Cannon at Cannonfire has it all figured out, since he asked Bhutto herself about it, er, made an educated guess. He obliquely classifies my post as a "bad conspiracy theory." Cannon adds: "[B]logworld is once again being inundated with the claim that [Bhutto] told David Frost that Osama Bin Laden was killed by Omar Sheikh." No, Joe, it's not a claim, it's a fact. She says it in the video. I didn't put up an org chart, or a timeline, or pages and pages of insane conspiracy theories all tied to her statement, or links to same at other sites. And I'm still looking for any kind of follow-up with Bhutto in which she corrects herself or clarifies her misstatement. Also, you could help out by adding a link to your assertion that "on a subsequent occasion, [Bhutto] referred to Bin Laden as alive," which you wrote right before you went on to quote some conspiracy theories you like.

ADDITIONAL ADDITIONAL 28 DEC 07: "Anonymous" in comments has some links that clearly refute what Bhutto said to Frost, which should pretty much close the book on that... (cue spooky music) or DOES IT?

Michael Moore: I intend to find some answers about 9/11

If you've ever wondered what it would take to become a part of the elite Illuminati/Triad/Grey alien clique that rules the world, it's easy: just openly mock the alarmists that frequent Prison Planet or Infowars, sites run by fringe journalist Alex Jones.  That's it!  No billionaire status, no blueblood connection, no BDSM-laden induction ceremony is needed.  Just tell those folks "you're all fucking nuts" and they will immediately accord you membership in the distinguished ranks of the clandestine New World Order.  Or accuse you of being part of it, anyway, and that's good enough for me.

That all aside, from time to time Mr. Jones & co. do knock 'em out of the ballpark; his most famous piece perhaps is his entertaining coverage of the sinister Bohemian Grove—Chuck E. Cheese for the affluent.  Well, today his blog is featuring an intriguing video interview with Michael Moore in which the (in)famous filmmaker is asked about Sep. 11 being an "inside job."  Snippets of Moore's response from the vid:

I don't think the official investigations have told us the complete truth. They haven't even told us half the truth. ...

I support, and I hope ... somebody could open up a new investigation on this before we get too far away from it, to find out the whole truth. ...

I've filmed before down at the Pentagon, before 9/11. There's got to be at least 100 videocameras, ringing that building, in the trees, everywhere. ... I want to see 100 videos that exist of this. Why don't they want us to see...?

Well, until Moore officially announces Fahrenheit 911 II: Electric Boogaloo, you'll have to make do with the lengthy Jones video: