Webbgate: Congrats to James DiEugenio

[Tracy Riddle]

You can make a good film for only a half million dollars, if you have a good story, director, cast and crew. A little imagination and creativity are worth infinitely more than a huge budget and overpaid stars.

[Jim DiEugenio]

Blessed Bob Parry replies to slimy Washington Post and posthumous attack on Webb:

http://consortiumnews.com/2014/10/18/wpo...gary-webb/

[Jim Hargrove]

Blessed Bob Parry replies to slimy Washington Post and posthumous attack on Webb:

http://consortiumnews.com/2014/10/18/wpo...gary-webb/

How fitting that this terrific rejoinder should come from Bob Parry, who was the first American to report on the Contra-cocaine scandal.

A common theme of both Contra-cocaine and JFK's assassination (and so much else) involves the Central Intelligence Agency, both in terms of the original crimes AND, when parts of the truth began to emerge, the fabrication of media disinformation campaigns.


Some have argued here that it is unlikely the CIA would have engineered the JFK hit on its own, that it surely had directives from someone above, or at least on an equal level. That's not an unreasonable analysis, but it is interesting to remember the thoughts leaked to the press by Kennedy Administration officials in Saigon less than two months before the assassination:


"CIA agents represent a tremendous power and are totally unaccountable to anyone," the Washington Daily News of 10/2/63 reported, indicating the comments were made by an unnamed Administration official. The paper also reported, "One very high American official here, a man who has spent much of his life in the service of democracy, likened the CIA's growth to a malignancy, and added he was not sure even the White House could control it any longer."


In the same article, the paper also quoted an Administration official saying that if there was ever a coup d'etat in America, "it will come from the CIA, and not from the Pentagon." The very next day, Arthur Krock quoted some of this in the New York Times, explaining how unfair it is to criticize the CIA because... wait for it... the Agency isn't allowed to fight back! Jeff Leen, the Washington Post's assistant managing editor and author of the Gary Webb hit piece so beautifully and quickly deconstructed by Mr. Parry, is following in the same tradition as Krock and far too many other "reporters" of their ilk. Propagandists serving wretched masters, and little more.

[Jim DiEugenio]

Tracy, its true you can make a film for 500 K and it could be good.

But the problem today is studios do not want o distribute films without a big name attached.

Believe me, I know this from experience.

If you can get a name attached and agree to be back ended, then yes it can be done.

What Renner did, is he got several names to do minor parts, like Liotta, which is pretty hard to do. But I think that the subject of the film made it possible.

See, if the actor or actress is attracted to the subject, and its not a lot of work, you can get a few names which probably helped.

BUt most film that cheap are genre pieces that are crappy, like Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity and the like.

Which is why I have nothing but admiration for what Renner did. Now, can someone get him interested in the MLK case? RFK?

[Tracy Riddle]

El Mariachi was made by Richard Rodriguez in 1992 for a reputed $7000 dollars, and it was an acclaimed drug-crime film that went on to be hugely successful. And that was before the digital technology which has made quality film-making available to anyone who wants to invest a little time and money. Assuming you just want to tell a compelling story and not have grandiose special effects. Like the do-it-yourself punk rock movement in the 70s, you avoid the established big companies altogether.

There are some astonishing independent/amateur films being made out there (many can be seen on the internet). The trick is finding people who want to make movies about the subjects we talk about here.

[R.K. Locke]

I believe that a Danny Casolaro movie is currently in the works.

[Magda Hassan]

I believe that a Danny Casolaro movie is currently in the works.

Oh excellent! I just hope that who ever it is behind that one can do it the justice it so deserves. Do you know any of the names behind this?

[Jim DiEugenio]

Tracy, you said a good film.

I would not put the words "good film" and "Richard Rodriguez" in the same sentence.

Please don't get me started on the contemporary film scene in America. Just read the Afterword to Reclaiming Parkland.

[Jim Hargrove]

Blessed Bob Parry replies to slimy Washington Post and posthumous attack on Webb:

http://consortiumnews.com/2014/10/18/wpo...gary-webb/

How fitting that this terrific rejoinder should come from Bob Parry, who was the first American to report on the Contra-cocaine scandal.

A common theme of both Contra-cocaine and JFK's assassination (and so much else) involves the Central Intelligence Agency, both in terms of the original crimes AND, when parts of the truth began to emerge, the fabrication of media disinformation campaigns.


Some have argued here that it is unlikely the CIA would have engineered the JFK hit on its own, that it surely had directives from someone above, or at least on an equal level. That's not an unreasonable analysis, but it is interesting to remember the thoughts leaked to the press by Kennedy Administration officials in Saigon less than two months before the assassination:


"CIA agents represent a tremendous power and are totally unaccountable to anyone," the Washington Daily News of 10/2/63 reported, indicating the comments were made by an unnamed Administration official. The paper also reported, "One very high American official here, a man who has spent much of his life in the service of democracy, likened the CIA's growth to a malignancy, and added he was not sure even the White House could control it any longer."


In the same article, the paper also quoted an Administration official saying that if there was ever a coup d'etat in America, "it will come from the CIA, and not from the Pentagon." The very next day, Arthur Krock quoted some of this in the New York Times, explaining how unfair it is to criticize the CIA because... wait for it... the Agency isn't allowed to fight back! Jeff Leen, the Washington Post's assistant managing editor and author of the Gary Webb hit piece so beautifully and quickly deconstructed by Mr. Parry, is following in the same tradition as Krock and far too many other "reporters" of their ilk. Propagandists serving wretched masters, and little more.

Will nobody talk to me?

[Martin White]

All of this makes me wonder about the exposure of Watergate.

Was there a different attitude in the MSM in the mid 1970s, after the Church and Rockefeller committees? An attitude that evaporated by the time Reagan came to power?

Or was there an agenda with exposing Watergate that fits the long term plan? Was the exposure deliberate to get rid of Nixon? Or was Nixon "collateral damage" for some other part of it. It seems implausible that the Post's persistance with Watergate was out of some idealised national interest for truth justice and the American Way.

It's certain, and beyond question, that the image of national journalists in the Woodward/Bernstein mode is a sham.