More Pinter bloviation...
He introduces N. Chomsky at a conference in 2002:
His website does not have the courtesy of permalinks so you need to go to the main site, scroll down and look tn the right for
New Additions:
Noam Chomsky Introduction (Dec 2002)
bq. The Kurdish Human Rights Project 10th Anniversary Lecture
given by Noam Chomsky at St Paul's Cathedral on 9th December 2002
bq. Introduction by Harold Pinter
bq. It's a great honour to introduce Noam Chomsky. In February of this year the publisher, Faith Tas was charged, under Article 8 of Turkey's anti terrorism law, with publishing 'propaganda against the indivisible unity of country, nation and the state republic of Turkey'. The book in question was "American Interventionism" by Noam Chomsky. Professor Chomsky flew to Istanbul and petitioned the court to be named as co-defendant and to be tried along side Mr Tas. The prosecutor dropped the charges and Mr Tas was acquitted. This was a remarkable thing for a man to do and only a remarkable man could have done it.
bq. Professor Chomsky has never ceased to call attention to the persecution of the Kurdish people in Turkey, a systematic persecution generally and disgracefully ignored by the western media.
bq. He also reminds us that Turkish repression of the civil rights of the Kurdish people has always been fully supported and subsidised by the United States and that the arms trade between Britain and Turkey flourishes.
bq. Noam Chomsky is the leading critical voice against the criminal regime now running the United States, a regime which is in fact a dangerous monster out of control.
bq. But he will not be bullied. He will not be intimidated. He is a fearless, formidable, totally independent voice. He does something which is really quite simple but highly unusual. He tells the truth.
bq. Harold Pinter
So Chomsky is in favor of the Kurds but when the U.S. actually went in and freed them, this was horrible opression.
To quote from an interview of
Chomsky: (this requires you to have a free NY Times resgisration - Scroll down...)
bq.
Have you ever been psychoanalyzed?
bq. I do not think psychoanalysis has a scientific basis. If we can't explain why a cockroach decides to turn left, how can we explain why a human being decides to do something?
bq.
How would you explain your large ambition?
bq. I am driven by many things. I know what some of them are. The misery that people suffer and the misery for which I share responsibility. That is agonizing. We live in a free society, and privilege confers responsibility.
bq.
If you feel so guilty, how can you justify living a bourgeois life and driving a nice car?
bq. If I gave away my car, I would feel even more guilty. When I go to visit peasants in southern Colombia, they don't want me to give up my car. They want me to help them. Suppose I gave up material things -- my computer, my car and so on -- and went to live on a hill in Montana where I grew my own food. Would that help anyone? No.
bq.
Have you considered leaving the United States permanently?
bq.
No. This is the best country in the world.
(emphasis mine)
Read the entire
article in
context...
Posted by DaveH at November 18, 2003 11:28 PM