Years 2009-2012 Breningstall.com

John le Carré on the Iraq War: The United States of America has gone mad

While doing some background reading online about Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (a movie I found aesthetically pleasing but dramatically unsatisfying), I came across this Jan. 2003 article John le Carré wrote for The Times of London at the dawn of the Iraq War, entitled (appropriately enough), "The United States of America Has Gone Mad."

The spy novelist wrote, " How Bush and his junta succeeded in deflecting America's anger from bin Laden to Saddam Hussein is one of the great public relations conjuring tricks of history. But they swung it. A recent poll tells us that one in two Americans now believe Saddam was responsible for the attack on the World Trade Centre. But the American public is not merely being misled. It is being browbeaten and kept in a state of ignorance and fear. The carefully orchestrated neurosis should carry Bush and his fellow conspirators nicely into the next election. Those who are not with Mr Bush are against him. Worse, they are with the enemy. Which is odd, because I'm dead against Bush, but I would love to see Saddam's downfall - just not on Bush's terms and not by his methods. And not under the banner of such outrageous hypocrisy. "

Fast forward nine years later.

Why is America's poorest state one of its most conservative? Real Time in Missisippi

Real Time with Bill Maher correspondent Alexandra Pelosi interviews Mississippi residents.

Rush Limbaugh Calls Sandra Fluke a Slut - Reformed Whores' Response Video

Reformed Whores' response to Rush Limbaugh calling a female Georgetown law student a SLUT. Apparently the word doesn't mean what we thought it did...

Folk singer Todd Snider takes on the "hydrogen bomb made out of dumb"

"Conservative Christian, Right Wing, Republican, Straight, White, American Males" by Todd Snider

Salon published an interview today with the underrated Todd Snider, one of my favorite singers. Snider had a brief pop culture moment back in the early 90's with the release of "Alright Guy," then has largely been forgotten by the mainstream even as he has continued to pour our a steady output of great albums and invigorating storytelling performances for a cult fan base.

In the interview, Snider discusses politics and songs from his new album, Agnostic Hymns and Stoner Fables. A comment to remember:

"I feel like I’ve always sung anti-suburban Christian songs. I grew up conservative Christian and all that, and now when someone tells me they’re conservative politically and also a Christian, I think, Why didn’t you just tell me that you’re a hydrogen bomb made out of dumb. Because those two ideas don’t gel. There’s one group that’s saying, Take everything you have and give it to the poor. And there’s another group that’s saying, Don’t tell me what to give to the poor. How can you join both groups? That’s like you’re joining Puppy Kickers Animal Rights of America. It just doesn’t gel, and that’s what I ran away from."

Salon writes: "Snider may be angry, but he’s also genuinely curious, perhaps even slightly bemused by the exaggerations and mutations of human greed and self-justification. 'At least it helps folk music, if nothing else,' he laughs at one point during our conversation."

Read the full interview here. More music videos after the jump.

Upset about Rush Limbaugh's comments? Fight back

Here is a list of radio network and advertising sponsors to contact.

Bill Maher on Piers Morgan (MP3 audio)

Link is here.

Rising protests in China.

Wael Ghonim: Creating A 'Revolution 2.0' In Egypt | Fresh Air

The protests that led to the Egyptian revolution last year were organized in part by Wael Ghonim, who used an anonymous Facebook page to coordinate the demonstrations. In his new book, Ghonim explains how social media helped transform his country.