One of the advantages of being a card carrying member of the ACLU is attending their annual Bill of Rights Dinner. Last night I had the honor of joining about 799 other flaming liberals as we ate dinner with and listened to the esteemed Helen Thomas.
After being introduced to the audience following a long litany of her many accomplishments and honors, Helen cracked up the crowd by saying "It's hard to hear your obituary". Acknowledging that she was preaching to the converted, she listed the atrocities of our current administration - Abu Ghraib, warentless wiretapping, secret extradition - before urging us to exercise eternal vigilance along with courage to challenge the people in power.
When discussing Iraq which she characterized as
"purposeless, illegal and immoral", Helen reminded us that Bush invaded a sovereign country under false pretenses and cannot provide a valid reason to
"kill and be killed". After describing fascists as those who invaded other countries because they coveted their land, resources, and empire, the crowd's applause drowned out her voice.
Helen repeatedly lamented the apathy of American's citizens asking, "Where is the uproar? Where is the outrage?" She praised the handful of judges and brave whistleblowers who are trying to save our Republic but questioned where are the rest of the people while our "rights are being systematically undermined?"
According to Helen, America "used to be on the side of angels" and "personified a caring society". She talked about how government officials used to take pride in public service but now our top officials are trying to dismantle the government. While our country spends "billions for a no-win war" there are children going to bed hungry and millions of citizens without healthcare. "Who are we and what have we become?"
Helen spent a few minutes reviewing her entry into journalism as a copy girl earning $17.50 a week, before providing us with brief impressions of the presidents she covered.
Her favorite president was JFK who inspired others and gave the country hope. Reportedly he "felt nothing was impossible" and encouraged people to reach for the stars.
LBJ was responsible for numerous domestic contributions including Medicare, Public Housing, Civil Rights, and National Parks. Although she portrayed the legislation passed during his tenure as "landmark" it was all overshadowed by Vietnam.
Nixon was depicted as having a "dark side" that unfortunately prevailed. Helen said he always took the wrong road when provided with two paths to choose from.
Ford compared her questions to acupuncture.
Carter is viewed as the "Peacemaker" who is trusted all over the world. Reportedly his mother once said every time she looked at her children she wished she'd remained a virgin.
Helen credited Reagan with turning our country to the right "where it has remained" as well as advancing Social Darwinism.
Interestingly she didn't comment much on Bush Sr. other than to mention Gulf War I and the role of the economy in his failed bid for a second term.
Helen reminded the audience that Clinton never had a second in office when he wasn't being investigated. Nevertheless, she claimed he "lost his chance for greatness".
Bush - "The great decider who decides what is best for us". Helen conveyed the image of one who is "messianic" and pursuing an "imperial power grab".
The fourth estate was also criticized particularly in their coverage leading up to war when "reporters rolled over and played dead".
According to Helen, our members of Congress are more interested in preserving their seats than saving lives. She also touched on the influence of money in campaigns and the resulting compromises that are made.
At the end of her talk, Helen referenced Martin Luther King's march on Washington D.C. One of the cameo speakers was a Rabbi who survived the Holocaust and spoke to the throngs saying, "The greatest sin of all in the Nazi era was silence".
In the end she implored the audience, "Let's give peace a chance and let it begin with us!"
After speaking for approximately 30 minutes, Helen took several questions from the floor. Of course someone asked for her impression of Stephen Colbert who she described as "great" and "witty". She also added that it appeared hard for Bush to take Colbert's remarks at the Correspondents Dinner.
When questioned about the shift in journalism from representing public interest vs. stockholder interest she mourned the demise of family owned newspapers. Her passion for print was apparent with her commenting, "Newspapers engulf you" and decrying the President's aversion to reading papers. Helen says she opens the door in the mornings around 5:30-6:00 and picks up her copies of the Washington Post and the New York Times. After a taxi drive to Starbucks she sits down with coffee and a box of Kleenex to read the news. "It's hard to wake up in the morning to so much mayhem". Once in the office, she'll glance at the Wall Street Journal and USA Today. Although CNN is turned on she's usually not turned into it.
A question about the 9/11 truth stories led her to comment on how the National Commission was denied access to all documents and therefore could not uncover everything there was to learn. "So many questions - thousands of questions". She also made reference to Bin Laden's family being flown out of the USA.
My partner asked what I thought (of course) was the best question of the evening - "Do you read blogs?" to which Helen replied in the affirmative. She did caution that anyone with a laptop can blog and without any standards it's possible to do great harm and destroy people with rumors.
So in the unlikely event that the legend who was cited as one of the 25 Most Influential Women in America is reading this diary I hope my recollections represent an accurate account of last night's event. I thank you - over and over again - for coming to this red, bible-belt state and sharing your time and words with us desperate liberals. Thank you for remaining afterwards to sign books and enduring the repeated requests for photographs. But more importantly THANK YOU for the valuable service you provided our country for the past 60+ years.