Chomsky: Take Bin Laden at His Word

Leftwatch ^ | 3/4/02 | Brian Carnell

[Croooow]

Chomsky: Take Bin Laden at His Word

By Brian Carnell

Monday, March 04, 2002

The BBC's Tim Sebastian recently sat down for an interview with Noam Chomsky in which Sebastian says Chomsky criticized the U.S. war in Afghanistan while simultaneously deferring to Osama Bin Laden. The BBC did not have a transcript of the interview on its web site, but the BBC described the interview thusly,

Mr. Chomsky said it was "entirely possible" that Bin Laden did not know about the 11 September attacks and that he could have just been boasting in a videotape released by the US in December 2001 which links the Saudi-born militant to the atrocities.

He also claimed that Bin Laden could be taken at his word because his statements had been "consistent over time and very consistent with his actions over a long period".

This really floored me until I skimmed down to the end of the BBC article in which Chomsky reveals that he is completely out of touch with reality. The BBC quotes Chomsky as saying,

"In the United States there is a level of questioning, openness, protest and concern about these actions which is beyond anything in my memory," he said.

"I think it is a sign of the increased civilization of the American population."

Assuming those are accurate quotes and in context, that is a bizarre claim. There are more protests over U.S. actions Afghanistan than during any other time during Chomsky's life? There were far more protests over the Persian Gulf War than over the U.S. actions in Afghanistan. And certainly Chomsky hasn't forgotten all of those anti-war protests in the 1960s so quickly, has he?

Presumably this is a case of phantom protests against silent genocide.

Source:

Chomsky: Afghan attacks unlawful. Tim Sebastian, The BBC, February 27, 2002.

[dead]

An expansive vocabulary can often be passed off as "intellect" to idiots.

[TomB]

An expansive vocabulary can often be passed off as "intellect" to idiots.

That explains why I always see Chomsky with a thesarus.

[plain talk]

Yes, they are called pretentious intellectuals, "legends in their own minds", etc.

[MotleyGirl70]

If you look Chomsky up in a thesarus you'll find Saul Alinsky's name. (Hiltery's idol)

[Poincare]

I seriously think that Chomsky is in rapid mental decline. He used to be able to present a cogent, if mistaken, argument. His old linguistic stuff was well reasoned and creative if controversial. Lately he is just plain bitchy. When his arguments are shone false he attacks ad hominum. In an argument with Hitchens he put forth the idea that everything Hitchens said should be disregarded becaus, as he put it, Hitchens was obsessed with Klinton's sex life. Sheesh. He must have some cerebral disease.

[Drango]

Soon to be a PBS special! Pledge Now!

[TrappedInLiberalHell]

He must have some cerebral disease.

I vote we call it Bobby Fischer Syndrome. Or BFS for short. Immediate hospitalization in isolation recommended. Forever.

[SJackson]

Posted before

Chamberlain: Take Hitler at His Word

Next time, search the titles to avoid duplicate posts.

[Broward Lion]

What is the significance of quot being inserted throughout some of these articles. It is very annoying.

[gabby hayes]

With Professor Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz (The Sexuality of Terrorism) as an added attraction?