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[Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>]

On Sep 27, 2008, at 3:28 PM, Marie McHarry wrote:

> http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/09262008/watch.html
>
> Bacevich has written a book, The Limits of Power. He's quite willing
> to tell people that we've lost control of our destiny because we want
> stuff. I offer it here because I think his point of view will resonate
> of many of us here.

Thank you, Marie.

Saying it like it is. More proof that the American people don't want  
the truth, can't handle the truth, reject the truth speakers.

Excerpt:

"BILL MOYERS: You're the only author I have read, since I read Jimmy  
Carter, who gives so much time to the President's speech on July 15th,  
1979. Why does that speech speak to you so strongly?
ANDREW BACEVICH: Well, this is the so-called Malaise Speech, even  
though he never used the word "malaise" in the text to the address.  
It's a very powerful speech, I think, because President Carter says in  
that speech, oil, our dependence on oil, poses a looming threat to the  
country. If we act now, we may be able to fix this problem. If we  
don't act now, we're headed down a path in which not only will we  
become increasingly dependent upon foreign oil, but we will have opted  
for a false model of freedom. A freedom of materialism, a freedom of  
self-indulgence, a freedom of collective recklessness. And what the  
President was saying at the time was, we need to think about what we  
mean by freedom. We need to choose a definition of freedom which is  
anchored in truth, and the way to manifest that choice, is by  
addressing our energy problem.

He had a profound understanding of the dilemma facing the country in  
the post Vietnam period. And of course, he was completely hooted,  
derided, disregarded.

BILL MOYERS: And he lost the election. You in fact say-

ANDREW BACEVICH: Exactly.

BILL MOYERS: -this speech killed any chance he had of winning  
reelection. Why? Because the American people didn't want to settle for  
less?

ANDREW BACEVICH: They absolutely did not. And indeed, the election of  
1980 was the great expression of that, because in 1980, we have a  
candidate, perhaps the most skillful politician of our time, Ronald  
Reagan, who says that, "Doom-sayers, gloom-sayers, don't listen to  
them. The country's best days are ahead of us."