Glenn Greenwald: "The Trump Administration wasn't a threat to America"

[The Don]

Helle.

I've stumbled upon a great column published in the Reason newspaper.

It's an interview with Glenn Greenwald, a left-wing journalist who wanted to sound an alarm on the Bush-Cheney administration and the Obama administration.

Here's an excerpt from the story.

Quote

Q: You've written that the Bush-Cheney administration was far worse than the Trump administration. You've also argued that in various ways the Obama administration was worse.

I started writing about politics because I thought the media was so dormant and complacent about these radical assaults on civil liberties under Bush and Cheney taking place during the war on terror. And then under Obama, they went to sleep even further. They got hypnotized into thinking that he was a noble and benevolent leader.

I'll give you just one example, which is press freedom. Under Obama, as I'm sure you know, the Espionage Act of 1917—one of the most pernicious laws we have on our books; it was enacted under Woodrow Wilson, and it was designed to criminalize dissent from U.S. participation in World War I—was invoked against whistleblowers and sources, like Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning and a dozen others, more under Obama than every other prior president combined. It ended up being three times more prosecutions under the Espionage Act for our sources as journalists than all previous presidents, including Nixon or Eisenhower or whoever you want to pick. And the press said almost nothing.

Trump gets in, and The Washington Post changes its motto to "Democracy Dies in Darkness," essentially saying press freedom is under assault. [White House reporter] Jim Acosta writes a bestseller with some pompous, self-glorifying title, like Danger: Reporting in the Era of Trump. What the fuck ever happened to Jim Acosta that constitutes an assault on press freedom? The worst thing Trump ever did to any of them was to say mean things about them in tweets. Those aren't assaults on press freedom. I was threatened by the Obama administration with prison when I was doing the Snowden reporting. I was criminally indicted by the [Jair] Bolsonaro government at the beginning of [2020] for the reporting I did in Brazil. Those are attacks on press freedom. Saying Jim Acosta is an idiot, and tweeting something insulting about Wolf Blitzer, isn't.

So you go through those metrics. George Bush and Dick Cheney started new wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Obama started new wars in Libya and Yemen. What new wars did Donald Trump start? He escalated bombing campaigns, which he inherited, in a pretty grotesque way. But he didn't start any new wars.

When you look at things like the destruction of Iraq or the implementation of a torture regime—what has Donald Trump done that even remotely compares in terms of moral evil to any of that? Nothing. And yet we're supposed to treat George Bush and Barack Obama like morally upstanding statesmen and Donald Trump like the literal reincarnation of Hitler.

I would like to know your thoughts on Glenn's opinions and what can we do about those irregularities.

I believe he's pointing out the facts.

Edited January 24, 2021 by The Don
To remove unnecessary spaces.

[Preety_India]

Trump could incite a war with a simple tweet. 

Journalists who interviewed Trump, the lady named Leslie began to get death threats from Trump Fannanazi. 

If that's not a threat to independent reporting and free speech then what is. 

Trump has a long history of suing or at least threatening to sue people who go against him. 

I've no idea how you ignore so much about Trump.

Trump will always be a bigger threat than Obama. The only threat that comes closer is someone like Bush. 

Obama did everything for government.

Trump did everything for himself.

 

[The Don]

5 minutes ago, Preety_India said:

Trump could incite a war with a simple tweet. 

If you really believe that, I have nothing left to say to you.

[Preety_India]

Just now, The Don said:

If you really believe that, I have nothing left to say to you.

Haven't you heard about the Capitol Riots at all? 

 

 

[honesty]

@Preety_India  Yes Trump asked to do those peacefully, before the protest began:

The exact fragment:

Probably your favorite media didnt want to show you that, did they?

[Preety_India]

@honesty  trump is the last person for peace. 

Do you remember - 

"When the looting starts, the shooting starts." 

So much for peace. 

 

[honesty]

@Preety_India  I do know about lots and lots of other riots we can't link to Trump but more to the democrats. Or things like Trumps head on a stick. But its all ok if democrats do it?

And which group started looting on Biden's inaugaration actually??

[honesty]

@Preety_India And you think Biden is for peace? You could of known better....

https://twitter.com/i/status/1325155373242724360

 

[Preety_India]

27 minutes ago, honesty said:

@Preety_India And you think Biden is for peace? You could of known better....

https://twitter.com/i/status/1325155373242724360

 

Don't post such waffle here. I looked up that account. That account is connected with terrorists. 

Stop maligning US presidency by posting stupid things. 

 

[honesty]

@Preety_India I have no idea of who that account is, because that has nothing to do with what I show. You want to distract that dont you? Why these tricks. We should have known fairly which kind of president we vote on.

I do know what the video shows.. The filming is of a senator Obama and Clinton. The senator calls them warmongers. Don't try those dishonest tricks on me.

Why do you want so much essential information to be hidden?

 

I will answer you on the question you dont want to answer. Who was rioting?  Antifa was looting. The left. Nobody else was rioting.

Edited January 24, 2021 by honesty

[Preety_India]

2 minutes ago, honesty said:

@Preety_India I have no idea of who that account is, because that has nothing to do with what I show. You want to distract that dont you? Why these tricks. We should have known fairly which kind of president we vote on.

I do know what the video shows.. The filming is of a senator Obama and Clinton. The senator calls them warmongers. Don't try those dishonest tricks on me.

Why do you want so much essential information to be hidden?

 

I will answer you on the question you dont want to answer. Who was rioting?  Antifa was looting. The left. Nobody else was rioting.

Think what you want to think. 

Obama and Clinton were great presidents. 

Much of the violence was started by the right. Could have been worse if Trump wasn't defeated in elections. 

But you're entitled to your brainwashing. 

 

[The Don]

54 minutes ago, honesty said:

I will answer you on the question you dont want to answer. Who was rioting?  Antifa was looting. The left. Nobody else was rioting.

I'm horrified when I see how broken the moral compass of the Western world is.

This video tells everything and it's FASCINATING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQLITo1sDPY

Conservatives are never the enemy. They never were. They aren't racists or authoritarians. It's simply not true what you see on CNN or MSNBC.

Most people who own businesses in America are conservatives. They are also the ones who have families and children and take part in the middle class. I was stunned when I found out that most businesses in America are owned by traditionalists, also known as conservatives. These are hard-working people.

America is doing so well precisely because of the right side. They are the building-block of American society.

I believe in freedom, having a family, a business, and faith in God; the cornerstone of civilization. Without those values, everything crumbles. I know it because I've been reading history books and comprehended what happens in communism or nazism. Or what happens in societies that never seek to build moral civilizations.

It's not bad to be a moral individual as long as you understand your dark side, also known as your shadow.

"There are some ideas so absurd that only an intellectual could believe them." ― George Orwell

We should be proud of Western civilization, the only civilization in the world that abolished slavery.

Ludwig van Beethoven tells us that we are unique.

We should cherish everything good about the West and the progress it has made.

Edited January 24, 2021 by The Don
To add a line.

[Preety_India]

@The Don can I ask you something honestly? 

You seem like a good dude obviously. 

Why are you so biased? 

What is it that itches you so much against the left? 

What values does the left not have that the right has? 

 

[The Don]

7 minutes ago, Preety_India said:

What is it that itches you so much against the left? 

From my understanding, your question insinuates that I'm disturbed by the left or something like that. Perhaps you could ask it differently, without implying something that's not actually true. I'm conscious of the fact that there are many good people on the left.

As a classical liberal, do I like seeing the left lambasting the conservative side, projecting all their hate and neurosis 24/7 on CNN or MSNBC?

[Preety_India]

@The Don how it is a projection when it's all true word to word.

What part of it is false? 

 

[The Don]

12 minutes ago, Preety_India said:

What part of it is false? 

With all due respect, it's useless to give you an answer as long as you truly believe what CNN and MSNBC tell you.

On the other hand, I highly recommend you to read the article I mentioned above, the interview with Glenn Greenwald, A LEFT-WING JOURNALIST who tells us openly about the dangers of the Biden administration. You might wanna listen to a wise, left-wing journalist since you dismiss everything I'm saying.

I gave up arguing with you guys; it's simply counterproductive.

Edited January 24, 2021 by The Don

[The Don]

7 minutes ago, Husseinisdoingfine said:

But dear God, there is so much more of the BLUE vmeme in you than I had previously thought. 

I have a lot of respect for people who love liberty. I also have a lot of respect for those who embrace the family unit. There's nothing wrong with embracing those values.

You're not evil if you build your own family.

You're not a bad person if you believe in freedom of speech.

In terms of Spiral Dynamics, you can be at the highest level and still have your own family and believe in freedom of speech.

Edited January 24, 2021 by The Don

[The Don]

Just now, neutralempty said:

Who the heck cares if this guy is left wing or right wing ?? 

Some people here tend to listen more to left-wing journalists.

[The Don]

1 minute ago, neutralempty said:

What makes you think that? 

Reality.

1 minute ago, neutralempty said:

Why do you think that would be?

Because they can. Because they want? It's their choice, obviously.

I respect their choices.

[The Don]

5 minutes ago, neutralempty said:

Why would they choose it?

Because it resonates with them?

I wouldn't assume that they're objectively right just because the majority here chooses to listen more to left-wing journalists.

5 minutes ago, neutralempty said:

What in reality specifically told you that?

The many answers on the topics of this great forum.

Edited January 24, 2021 by The Don