Category: Prophetic Voices

Nicholson Baker, Human Smoke. I made reference in an earlier blog to Baker’s enormously powerful accumulation of chronologically complied excerpts from press clippings, memoranda, diaries, radio messages, and other memorabilia over the twelve months from Germany’s invasions of May 1940 and the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December of 1941. It is an extremely effective reminder that the American public can be led piece by piece to a willful capitulation to political power and persuasion.

Last night in Manhattan, Miriam Pemberton and William D. Hartung launched the publication of their newly edited collection Lesson from Iraq: Avoiding the Next War with a panel discussion at NYU. Panelists included contributors Frances FitzGerald, Jeffrey Laurenti and Aziz Huq, three of the nineteen contributors. A question at the end asked each how likely they felt an attack on Iran was before the end of the current Administration. I was struck that the range of predictions has changed very little from those offered by Tom Hayden and Daniel Ellsburg at last summer’s Our Way Home Reunion; basically from 25% to 75% likely.

We only need read Baker to understand how relentlessly consistent and predictable is the rhetoric and intention of at least some key and powerful voices to lead us down that road. The panel last night urged us all to continue to speak up, loudly and publicly, against this prospect. This then is one more peep. Please spread the word.