Bush vs. Greenpeace, Moore vs. Disney




I usually don't relate activist news here (there are other channels), but this time it seems that even Greenpeace is personally feeling the pinch. Charges have been filed against Greenpeace for 'sailormongering'--an obscure 1872 law that has little or no precedent (in fact no one can tell what it means). Greenpeace was charged for hanging some banners from a ship that was transporting illegal wood from South America. While charging activists with various crimes is normal enough, these charges are direct from the Justice Department--i.e., John Ashcroft, President Bush. And, the company shipping illegal wood was not charged at all. At least the Bush administration is consistent in its circling of the wagons: the demarcation of battle lines is clear enough. Law is a flexible entity for the chosen broker. Whose side are you on? Sign the petition, and please, vote Democrat--for the benefit of the rest of the world.





Combine this with Michael Moore's current fight with Disney (Disney distributes Miramax films) and we have a 3D view on the spectrum of true, patriot colours from what can't be described otherwise than a networked and organised ruling class with a specific and narrow agenda. Unprecedented control of the planet, in all respects. I don't believe Disney cares much about the content of Moore's film. It's more or less that the film will disrupt a power balance, a balance that Disney is seeking to prevail over, that ascertains Disney's response. That this particular content is sharp enough to do so is a marker of certain forces this content is able to express. And if one film can stir such an immediate refusal, with a lot of backpeddling, poor spin and negative press, then Disney has their finger on the delicacy of the current administration's stuttering pulse. Bush = bin Laden is the message, which in formalistic terms, renders apparent the structural equivalency of power. Whoever is in power, the "ideology" of their agenda nears irrelevance. I like what Mr. Blaze said to me recently: it's a good cop/ bad cop routine. The good cops are the Democrats, the bad cops are the Republicans. The significant hurdle, however, is the police. The NYT Editorial:

"As described by Jim Rutenberg yesterday in The Times, the film, "Fahrenheit 9/11," links the Bush family with prominent Saudis, including the family of Osama bin Laden. It describes financial ties that go back three decades and explores the role of the government in evacuating relatives of Mr. bin Laden from the United States shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The film was financed by Miramax and was expected to be released this summer."

posted. Fri - May 14, 2004 @ 08:53 AM           |

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