July 27, 2008

Springsteen: Silence Is Unpatriotic

Rock Star Answers Critics Who Say His Anti-War Album Is Unpatriotic

    • Bruce Springsteen, left, talking to correspondent Scott Pelley. Photo

      Bruce Springsteen, left, talking to correspondent Scott Pelley.  (CBS)

    • Bruce Springsteen Photo

      Bruce Springsteen  (CBS)

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"Magic"
by Bruce Springsteen

(CBS)  The music that emerged from his upbringing was a kind of blue collar ballad set to rock and roll, Elvis meets Dylan, uniquely Springsteen. Much of the new music is a protest. Some of it blunt, as in the song that asks "Who will be the last to die for a mistake," but most of it subtle, like "Long Walk Home," the story of a man who returns to his all-American small town but doesn’t recognize it anymore.

"What's on your mind? What are you writing about?" Pelley asks.

"I guess I would say that what I do is I try to chart the distance between American ideals and American reality. That's how my music is laid out. It's like we've reached a point where it seems that we're so intent on protecting ourselves that we're willing to destroy the best parts of ourselves to do so," Springsteen says.

Asked what he means, Springsteen tells Pelley, "Well, I think that we've seen things happen over the past six years that I don't think anybody ever thought they'd ever see in the United States. When people think of the American identity, they don't think of torture. They don't think of illegal wiretapping. They don't think of voter suppression. They don't think of no habeas corpus. No right to a lawyer … you know. Those are things that are anti-American."

"You know, I think this record is going to be seen as anti-war. And you know there are people watching this interview who are going to say to themselves, 'Bruce Springsteen is no patriot,'" Pelley remarks.

"Well, that's just the language of the day, you know? The modus operandi for anybody who doesn't like somebody, you know, criticizing where we've been or where we're goin'," Springsteen says. "It's unpatriotic at any given moment to sit back and let things pass that are damaging to some place that you love so dearly. And that has given me so much. And that I believe in, I still feel and see us as a beacon of hope and possibility."

Springsteen sees himself following a long American tradition reaching back through Vietnam and on to the Great Depression.

"There's a part of the singer going way back in American history that is of course the canary in the coalmine. When it gets dark, you're supposed to be singing. It's dark right now," Springsteen says. "And so I went back to Woody Guthrie and Dylan and the people who said, say take Pete Seeger, who wants to know, doesn't want to know how this song sounds, he wants to know what's it for."

"What needs to be said, in this country at this moment, in your opinion, what needs to be said?" Pelley asks.

"I think we live in a time when what is true can be made to seem a lie," Springsteen says. "And what is lie can be made to seem true. And I think that the successful manipulation of those things have characterized several of our past elections. That level of hubris and arrogance has got us in the mess that we're in right now. And we're in a mess. But if we subvert, the best things that we're about in the name of protecting our freedoms, if we remove them, then who are we becoming, you know? Who are we, you know? The American idea is a beautiful idea. It needs to be preserved, served, protected and sung out. Sung out on a nightly basis. That's what I'm going to try to do."




Produced By John Hamlin
© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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by briannorwood October 4, 2007 3:25 PM PDT
"Silence is unpatriotic".

Bruce, that''s why they call you the Boss. You go man!
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by chalres-2009 October 4, 2007 3:32 PM PDT
I have never been a fan of your music, but he may have sold me his latest album. Go ahead BOSS...
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by antoniof123 October 4, 2007 3:40 PM PDT
Bruce,

We rock and rollers will always support a great cause this war is Unpatriotic. Keep up the good work Bruce, I have and will always be a fan of someone who speaks up for what he believes in, the rest can go to you know where.
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by gunnerv1 October 4, 2007 3:41 PM PDT
Since when did our entertainers become our political pundits? And he''s certainly not my Boss!
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by oregonboy2 October 4, 2007 3:45 PM PDT
The Boss is entitled to say whatever he wants, period. So can anyone else. That aside, can anyone provide the who, what, where of Bruce''s critics on this subject, past or present? It''s one thing to engage in conjecture about "will cause some people to say he''s unpatriotic" and quite another to point to examples when this has actually happened. How does Mr. Pelley know what anyone is going to say about anything? Real journalism, please. We have enough of what passes for journalism today already.
Reply to this comment
by briannorwood October 4, 2007 3:47 PM PDT
gunnerv1:

It doesn''t suprise me that you''re not a Springsteen fan. You seem much more like a Debbi Boone type to me.
Reply to this comment
by xlib October 4, 2007 3:52 PM PDT
"The Boss" can say whatever he wants. He has a stage, we have blogging and the ability to buy or not buy his cd''s. We also STILL have the right (at least for now)to voice our opinion about his opinion.
The problem is, libs, the left seems to think we can''t do that. Look at how you responded to the Dixie Chicks (who I loved)when their audience didn''t appreciate the comments by maines in London. Why, they were called facists because they had the nerve to boycott concerts and destroy cd''d THAT THEY BOUGHT!
So, bruce can mouth off, he has a stage and many will think his stand is brilliant. Those of us who don''t agree with him and say so will be villified by the so called enlightened left.
Welcome to 1984.
Reply to this comment
by erasmus6 October 4, 2007 3:56 PM PDT
gunnerv1:

"It doesn''''t suprise me that you''''re not a Springsteen fan. You seem much more like a Debbi Boone type to me." posted by briannorwood

Hahahaha, that''s good.
Reply to this comment
by briannorwood October 4, 2007 3:56 PM PDT
Xlib:

Obviously, you don''t know how to read very well.
What Bruce is saying is that all of us (left and right) have a duty to be informed about what our government is doing, and speak out if we don''t like it.

It''s called Democracy!
Reply to this comment
by xlib October 4, 2007 3:57 PM PDT
briannorwood-you didn''t answer gunnerv''s question. Just what makes springsteen, penn, sarandon and the rest such experts on anything other than their craft? They just have a stage and a panting lefty audience hanging on every word. It is beyond me just what makes these people, who don''t live in the real world, who are isolated, surrounded by armed body guards such experts? Me, I''d rather think for myself than listen to some spoiled brat, even if he does make good music.
And don''t give me "he''s from humble beginings" garbage.
Reply to this comment
by birchman3 October 4, 2007 3:58 PM PDT
To US Warrior:

Your argument is SO stupid it defies description. I hear this all the time from chickenshit rightwingers.
Let''s examine this on the surface; evil, scary islamic terrorists (not all Muslims mind you) have the desire to enslave the US and make us all servants. So how is the USA going to be ruled by islamic extremists? Are they going to amass at the Canadian border one night and invade Vermont? Do they have an air force? Do they even remotely have access to the industrial resources needed in order invade and conquer the US?
And do you think for one minute that the US Army, the most powerful in the world, is going to be defeated by what amounts to a bunch of undisciplined rednecks from Pakistan? Boys with hardly any training and rusty AK''s are going to overpower the entire Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine corp? We can even pretend that the Army is knocked out somehow by the gang that can''t shoot straight, but then there are also something like 300 million guns in the hands of US Citizens. You think they too will just give up in the first round?
It''s good to know that right wing nutcases have so much faith in our armed forces.
This is all the rabid Bush supporters have left in their ammo box; fear. There is NO logic whatsoever to the moronic claim that the terrorists are somehow going to defeat and conquer the US on our own soil and I laugh every time I see it printed.
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by billyboycap October 4, 2007 4:01 PM PDT
Ok Bruce, keep trying to further split the Country you claim to Love with more Rockstar/Moviestar Rhetoric on how this Country is oh so wrong on everything we are involved in. Cant you just stick to your Craft, like the rest of us do in our daily lives? Sing songs of love and travelling the road and nature and such? Whats with the interjecting Political Views? You think any of us go to our jobs doing that? What gives the Hollywood and Rock and Rollers the need to always tell us how we are supposed to be or whom we should follow?

Shut Up and Sing...Stick to the Knitting and what you do best as they say. I''m no longer interested in any thing you say, and more than likely, anything you release in the way of Song, given its all got a Political spin to it now. So sad from where you came from so long ago when you did sing of Love and the Road and Friendships and the like.

You and Neil Young should both go do something to prove your Patriotism to the Land you both claim to so Love...and he''s a Canadian, but claims he loves it here.

Funny how these big mouth know it all Rockers who have all the answers and directions for everyone else to follow rarely, if ever, have served their Country in any form.
Reply to this comment
by cbs_oliver October 4, 2007 4:02 PM PDT
Bruce is correct.

Those who wish to leverage the idealized memory of Abe Lincoln should remember that he was wrong when he suspended Habeus Corpus and cruel when he wished for more bloody battles like Fredricksburg. He was also wrong when he silenced the Army from reporting losses during the Wilderness Campaign.
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by teeus October 4, 2007 4:03 PM PDT
"..."The Boss" can say whatever he wants...We also STILL have the right (at least for now)to voice our opinion about his opinion. The problem is, libs, the left seems to think we can''''t do that. Look at how you responded to the Dixie Chicks ...Why, they were called facists because they had the nerve to boycott concerts and destroy cd''d THAT THEY BOUGHT!...will be villified by the so called enlightened left..."
Posted by Xlib

What a total load of poo. The "left" doesn''t care if you burn up CDs that you''ve bought. I care much more that Ms Maines was given death threats for simply being a citizen and expressing opinions. I care much more that dissent is not viewed as dissent but as betrayal or treason.

Trust me--I''ve never once thought that any of the Hollywood right don''t have the right to have an opinion--even if it''s different than mine. The fascism comes in the repression of alternative points of view.

Have fun at the Toby Keith concert.

Bruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuce!
Reply to this comment
by teeus October 4, 2007 4:07 PM PDT
"...briannorwood-you didn''''t answer gunnerv''''s question. Just what makes springsteen, penn, sarandon and the rest such experts on anything other than their craft?..."
Posted by Xlib

Who said he was an expert? What makes you an expert? What makes 99% of the idiots on talk radio experts?

Nothing.

He''s claiming to be smarter that you--even though it''s pretty obvious he is--he''s allowed to have an opinion and he''s allowed to express it.
Reply to this comment
by teeus October 4, 2007 4:08 PM PDT
Ooops. I meant : He''s NOT claiming to be smarter that you--even though it''s pretty obvious he is--he''s allowed to have an opinion and he''''s allowed to express it.

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by johnstossel October 4, 2007 4:10 PM PDT
Amen, Bruce. You are still the boss!!!!!!!
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by nolalou October 4, 2007 4:11 PM PDT
USWarrior, Bruce IS doing something to protect our country and it''s freedom! He is exercising that very freedom to speak his mind! If he or any other American citizen criticizes the current administration policy, they are exercising their freedom! In order to be patriotic we are NOT REQUIRED TO MARCH IN LOCKSTEP with official administration policy, especially when that policy goes directly against what this country is supposed to stand for!
Reply to this comment
by luvcomments October 4, 2007 4:12 PM PDT
Since when is honesty (as we perceive it) unpatriotic? Oh, I almost forgot...it''s since the war proponents decided to stifle free speech unless...the speaker sgrees with them.
Reply to this comment
by cbs_oliver October 4, 2007 4:14 PM PDT
Bruce''s "We Shall Overcome: The Seegar Sessions" is a real masterpiece!

He put together some mighty fine players to make some real good music!
Reply to this comment
by antoniof123 October 4, 2007 4:14 PM PDT
mike71067 Bruce and REM at the last show they did pulled in tens of thousands sorry to burst your bubble. More than any country star ever did. Too funny to believe, don''t mess with Rock and Roll.
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by jeepmanjr October 4, 2007 4:15 PM PDT
So I can say anything I want? Ok. "The Boss" could fall off the face of the Earth today and I wouldn''t know it. Or even care for that matter. As a matter of fact, that applies to a good many of the Hollywood, stage, music types. FWIW...
Reply to this comment
by xlib October 4, 2007 4:16 PM PDT
Oh brian-I did read and even watched an interview. You obviously didn''t get the meaning of my first post. He''s correct but the response from the left to those of US who don''t agree with him is usually pretty vile. I point again to those who dared to speak out against the Chicks.
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by ghostcommand October 4, 2007 4:17 PM PDT
Bravo! Springsteen is just and right by expressing himself. The USA is not Nazi Germany, Stalin''s Soviet Union, Mao''s China, Myanmar''s Junta, Mugabe''s Zimbabwe, and other Nazi/Fascist regimes that exist today. The Fascist''s/Nazi''s of the USA want the same type of control here. Springsteen would make a good General in the fight against Fascism!
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by birchman3 October 4, 2007 4:18 PM PDT
Speaking out is the most patriotic thing any of us can do. Keeping your mouth shut is what they encourage in China, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, among others. Actually, they throw your *** in jail if you criticize the Dear Leader in those countries.



Why in the hell do you think the Founders put the First Amendment first? It''s for all of us, and it''s for speech that some might not like to hear.

If you don''t like what Bruce Springsteen has to say, then don''t listen.
Reply to this comment
by xlib October 4, 2007 4:19 PM PDT
jeepmanjr-yes you can and you did-Good for you.
teeus-sounds like the same old leftist garbage spewed out by the dems. And just what makes you think I like toby keith?? Just because I''m not enlightened like the smug, self serving left. How very judgemental of you. But, typical.
Reply to this comment
by jcs7291 October 4, 2007 4:22 PM PDT
Get a load of this-- wwwDOTarcticbeaconDOTcom/articles/26-Sept-2007DOThtml

replace the "DOT" with a period "." to get there.

Top Mafia Figure, Tony Gambino, Implicates Vatican And Bush in Prior Knowledge And Complicity in 9/11 Mass Murder.

The $hit is going to hit the fan pretty soon--I hope the US citizens are ready!
Reply to this comment
by xlib October 4, 2007 4:22 PM PDT
teeus-ready your posts, you''ve proved my point. I don''t agree and therefore----- fill in the name calling oh tolerant lib.
Reply to this comment
by teeus October 4, 2007 4:22 PM PDT
So I can say anything I want? Ok. "The Boss" could fall off the face of the Earth today and I wouldn''t know it. Or even care for that matter. As a matter of fact, that applies to a good many of the Hollywood, stage, music types. FWIW...
Posted by jeepmanjr

Well, thank GOD that really insightful criteque has been posted.

Of course you wouldn''t know if Springsteen dropped off the planet. You''d actually have to pay attention to events around you.

A tall order, I know.
Reply to this comment
by stezzer October 4, 2007 4:26 PM PDT
Here in the UK our civil liberties are being eroded on a daily basis. We cannot speak openly anymore for fear of being prosecuted under our draconian discrimination laws.

It doesn''t matter if you agree or not with Mr. Springsteen. What you can all agree on is your wonderful American freedom. He is free to speak and so are you.

You don''t know how lucky you are.
Reply to this comment
by teeus October 4, 2007 4:29 PM PDT
Well, you couldn''t have been reading the posts too closely. Disent all you want. I don''t care. I''m not about to repress your perspective--Dissent away. Dissent is healthly--its not betrayal or treason.

I don''t think someone is a fascist because they argue to disagree. The fascism comes in the repression of alternative points of view.

And the thing about Toby Keith? Dude. You need to lighten up.

It''s. A. Joke.
Reply to this comment
by teeus October 4, 2007 4:35 PM PDT
"...Top Mafia Figure, Tony Gambino, Implicates Vatican And Bush in Prior Knowledge And Complicity in 9/11 Mass Murder..."
Posted by JCS7291

Uh oh. Someone''s tin-foil hat has slipped...
Reply to this comment
by jcs7291 October 4, 2007 4:42 PM PDT
teeus,

What is so "tinfoil" about truth?

"Tinfoil" is when you ignore, hide, and repress the truth.

Remember, "Silence is complicity" and you seem to want silence.
Reply to this comment
by baghdadshere October 4, 2007 4:43 PM PDT
Springsteen should keep doing what he does so well:sing......
He was "BORN IN THE USA" but the task of govern the USA was set for George Bush and its not an easy task.....If Springsteen was an inteligent guy , and hes showing hes not, he would have noticed that this war wanst trigged by the US. Those terrorists of al-qaeda started it. Wiretapping,no habeas corpus,surveilance, and a lot of things are the only way to face this serious threat.It seems to me that Springsteen was brainwashed by the democrats propaganda in the last 6 years. He must know that democratics politician has invested so much money on this anti-war propaganda because they want to win the presidency in 2008, not to do good things, but to steal all the money they didnt steal in the Bill Clinton era.
Reply to this comment
by teeus October 4, 2007 4:45 PM PDT
JCS7291 --Dude! I''m not repressing you! You express yourself! Go! Let your freak flag fly!

I am allowed, however, to think you''re a whack-a-doodle, and to express THAT as often as I like.
Reply to this comment
by omded October 4, 2007 4:50 PM PDT
BahgdadsHere,
You forgot to mention another reason the US went to war -- Because Bush needed to get re-elected. I don''t blame you for forgetting. People often do that when they''re brainwashed by the "Conservative Right".
Reply to this comment
by hypnotoad72 October 4, 2007 4:52 PM PDT
As long as someone can provide sources of claims, it''s fine and dandy.

I can say "____ is ____" if I can point to a relevant media or other source, or if I found a pattern of events and say "____ is ____ because of this pattern". Which may still very well be wrong, but at least has a point worth debating.

But I cannot say "____ is ____" just for the sake of it. It''s rather like saying "Nobody owes anyone anything".

(See?)
Reply to this comment
by jcs7291 October 4, 2007 5:00 PM PDT
All that this confusion does is divide people.

Case in POINT!

wwwDOTlawfulpathDOTcom/ref/sw4qw/indexDOTshtml

Replace the "DOT" with "." to get there.

teeus (or anyone else for that matter), do you want to comment on this?
Reply to this comment
by teeus October 4, 2007 5:13 PM PDT
JCS7291

Uh....no. Not really. The extended link didn''t work, but I did look at your website and it has nothing to do with Bruuuuuuuuuuuuce.

Rock on!!
Reply to this comment
by blackbug99 October 4, 2007 5:19 PM PDT
I remember one of his other famous songs, "Born in the USA." In the USA, has the right to voice his opinion in any way he sees fit. It''s up to us to decide if it''s going to influence our opinion or not. Because he has a catchy tune, doesn''t mean I have to agree with it. But, being, "Born in the USA," he certainly has a right to voice it. And, those who don''t like it have the right to their voices also. Ain''t America great?
Reply to this comment
by birchman3 October 4, 2007 5:19 PM PDT
Wow, I love the unhinged, foam at the mouth comments from the wingnuts here.

Not one of them effectively rebut anything Bruce said, instead they devolve into talk radio hosts, hurling childish insults and unfounded, ridiculous comparisons.

Does every wingnut live in such a paranoid, insular world?
Reply to this comment
by teeus October 4, 2007 5:21 PM PDT
Easy there, bizzzz. The vein in your forehead may burst.

They have a diffent perspective than yours, and therefore they hate the United States? What nonsense. How closed minded of you. So, the only opinion that matters is yours? Wow. How...NOT American.
Reply to this comment
by October 4, 2007 5:23 PM PDT
bizzzz: How does being against torture and illegal wiretapping make one a socialist? I believe it is possible to be for both capitalism and civil liberties.
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by rushlimpdrug October 4, 2007 5:23 PM PDT
Posted by bizzzz
-What''s your point?
Reply to this comment
by truthheals October 4, 2007 5:30 PM PDT
Im with you! Bruce
Chicago Tribune 10/2/07

Veterans, documents suggest U.S., Israel didn''t tell full story of deadly ''67 incident

For Lockwood and many other survivors, the anger is mixed with incredulity: that Israel would attack an important ally, then attribute the attack to a case of mistaken identity by Israeli pilots. And they''re also incredulous that, for years, their own government would reject their calls for a thorough investigation.

Their anger has been stoked by the declassification of government documents and the recollections of former military personnel, including some quoted in this article for the first time, which strengthen doubts about the U.S. National Security Agency''s position that it never intercepted the communications of the attacking Israeli pilots -- communications, according to those who remember seeing them, that showed the Israelis knew they were attacking an American naval vessel.

The documents also suggest that the U.S. government, anxious to spare Israel''s reputation and preserve its alliance with the U.S., closed the case with what even some of its participants now say was a hasty and seriously flawed investigation.

In declassifying the most recent and largest batch of materials last June 8, the 40th anniversary of the attack, the NSA, this country''s chief U.S. electronic-intelligence-gatherer and code-breaker, acknowledged that the attack had "become the center of considerable controversy and debate."
available athttp://www.nsa.gov/liberty .
Reply to this comment
by bizzzz-2009 October 4, 2007 5:31 PM PDT
I heard Springsteen''s rant on the today show- talking about the "suspension of habeas corpus..." when was this done to an American citizen? Cite the specific example Bruce. I don''t have much respect for people who have access to the media do "drive by" commentary based upon absolutely no fact, only speculation and personal feeling. It is slanderous, it is also marxist.
Karl Marx wrote and Lenin implemented a policy of smearing adversaries by stating a falsehood repeatedly, believing if you say a lie enough times, it becomes the truth. There is a liberal movement in this country with spokeman like Bruce Springsteen, Sean Penn, George Soros and Alan Combs that is nothing short of an American Communist movement.
Reply to this comment
by bizzzz-2009 October 4, 2007 5:31 PM PDT
I heard Springsteen''s rant on the today show- talking about the "suspension of habeas corpus..." when was this done to an American citizen? Cite the specific example Bruce. I don''t have much respect for people who have access to the media do "drive by" commentary based upon absolutely no fact, only speculation and personal feeling. It is slanderous, it is also marxist.
Karl Marx wrote and Lenin implemented a policy of smearing adversaries by stating a falsehood repeatedly, believing if you say a lie enough times, it becomes the truth. There is a liberal movement in this country with spokeman like Bruce Springsteen, Sean Penn, George Soros and Alan Combs that is nothing short of an American Communist movement.
Reply to this comment
by dan9111 October 4, 2007 5:36 PM PDT
"How does being against torture and illegal wiretapping make one a socialist? I believe it is possible to be for both capitalism and civil liberties. " Posted by kenner116

It is funny, because the same people who say our liberty is "socialist" are the same ones who want to infringe but also FORCE YOU TO PAY FOR IT!. I could see if Bush''s surveillance (or even the war) were funded voluntarily. But these projects are socialist by their very means of funding.

Send the receipts for Bush (or Hillary''s) zany projects TO THEIR PROPONENTS ONLY. Then the free market will say who is right to promote them. Clearly the liberals and blood-fetish conservatives alike have great fear of the notion of even a simple democracy-of-money! It is too funny for words.
Reply to this comment
by blankexpression October 4, 2007 5:37 PM PDT
patriot75:

Bruce Springsteen is a political songwriter. You asked what about future Iraqi civilian deaths. What about the hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi citizens who''ve been killed by George Bush Jr.''s war (conservative estimates put the total at about 400,000)?

And what about all the Iraqi war veterans who are against the war? Should they sign up for your "corpse removal"?

Conservatives do NOT have a monopoly on patriotism. I am more well informed and patriotic than most conservatives, yet I know that the Iraq invasion was a huge mistake. It''s cost far too much money; too many lives; and distracted the United States from catching the real killer: Osama bin Laden. He was in Tora Bora, Afghanistan shortly after 9/11 and George Bush Jr. would NOT authorize enough troops to seal off the area, and he escaped. That''s an indisputable fact. Look it up. Then tell me how patriotic he is. Perhaps you might try reading a newspaper or a book about the subject. I suggest "Ghost Wars" by former CIA agent Steve Cole, or "Imperial Hubris" written by Michael Scheuer, the former head of the CIA''s "bin Laden" unit.
Reply to this comment
by rushlimpdrug October 4, 2007 5:41 PM PDT
Posted by bizzzz
-You need to chill and get a grip.
There are bigger lies being told by bigger and more liars.

"They don''t think of no habeas corpus," he says, referring to the people being held by the U.S. government in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
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