The Committee for the Republic hosted investigative reporter Seymour Hersh at the National Press Club in Washington Tuesday evening to speak about his Nord Stream reporting. Watch the replay on Consortium News.
Volume 29, Number 331— Wednesday, November 20, 2024
Oh, what a night it was! “What time is it, MidNight? Dontcha have a life?!?”
Admittedly, Seymour Hersh is tapped out; and, I’m thinking, “Nooooo, the night is young! More, more, tell us more!!”
I hearken back to Seymour Hersh, w/Joe Lauria & Elizabeth Voss; and, “paraphrasing,” Elizabeth sparks it up w/“Were you surprised by The MSM Press & TV Network News, basically, disappearing your reporting of “How the NS Pipeline was blown up?” AND, for one brief moment, ‘Johnny Mac’ was in The House, “You can’t be serious?!?” Seriously, Seymour Hersh, “are you kidding?”
Oh, Mr. Hersh, you don’t know how serious “we” are. We were NOT kidding then or now about how insulting and wholly f/wrong it is that Investigative Journalists are being disappeared and their work diminished, discredited, denied to the Public. And, now, we all know, Mr. Hersh was more than aware of how his WORK would be received by “The Powers That Be.” Fugg ‘em. Sy Hersh did it anyway. Now, everybody, knows, the when, where, what, why, who & how the NS Pipeline was f/destroyed, blown up; And, el número uno, “Do like the Nile; protect your sources.”
But, the total tearjerker, Seymour Hersh wishes he had police protection. Fingers crossed, that’ll come to fruition. Imo, at the very least, have someone else, fuel his ride, “You know, I resisted coming here. You caught me @ the gas station. I said I would. I would do what you want, in about a month; and, I’m a Man of my word; and, here I am…”
AND, “it’s not where you are; but, what you do there that matters.” Imo, Seymour Hersh being @ The Press Club, mattered! More importantly, there will be no follow-up to his Nordstream Pipeline reporting…imo, that was a wtf inquiry; and, Seymour Hersh said that “WORK” is Complete! Done!! Fini!!! Seymour Hersh said he’s into his next project. I say, “Spot On!” KEEP IT LIT!
Hersh drew our attention to the lack of curiosity among the Washington press corps about President Biden’s own words expressing his determination to put an end to NordStream 2 if Putin were to invade Ukraine.
I recently talked to a well-educated German-origin person who had just returned from a three-week visit to Germany. Although she reads three or four of the top German newspapers, she was unaware of Biden’s words and was astonished and disbelieving when I mentioned them. Maybe journalistic curiosity there suffers from similar impoverishment.
As far as I remember being from the greater Boston area, Danny Schechter “the news dissector” broadcasted from the wonderful WBCN in Boston.
Interesting comments by Sy Hersh.
What is extremely worrisome are his comments around 27.00 minutes. Namely, we did stupid things in Vietnam, we might do the same stupid things now. Hersh thinks there are preparations for a kinetic war between the USA and Russia, saying that the 82nd Airborne Division isn’t in Poland and the 101st Airborne Division isn’t in Romania just for NATO defensive operations.
If only he could give a talk with footnotes but not actually voice them in his answers! But that’s just the way his mind works, I guess.
I like how Hersh suggests that some of these stories he investigates are so complex & convoluted that after years of study & follow-up he’s lucky to know, what did he say, as little as 5% maybe up to 50% of the behind the scenes machinations of government. Something I’ve felt to be true for a long time, going back to the Kennedy assassination, an old saying: we don’t know the half of it.
Now there’s a sped-up technology in our pockets to go with a mindset that expects instant, all-knowing answers coupled with ever diminishing attention spans that readily surf on to the next scrap of “news”. Not that he’s perfect but Hersh at least sticks with it.
Happy Ides of March!
Joe and Consortiumnews many thanks for making available Hersh’s appearance before the National Press Club. Several critics of this event were befuddled by Hersh’s rambling reminding me that in my classrooms I “rambled” by providing a history or context to the fact or inference that I was discussing. As one of the students put it ” I just want the facts” presumably unaware, as are the current critics, that Hersh was providing context to make sure the audience understand the criminal nature of many of our government’s actions that include the pipeline’s destruction and the consequences that flow from these actions.
“According to Hersh, President Joe Biden ordered specialized U.S. Navy divers to take out the pipelines after Washington’s national security community debated over the plan for nine months. ” [Newsweek, Feb 8 2023]
Biden’s own words said he was going to destroy it.
Everything else is anticlimactic.
To me, the next question now is what infrastructures are the Russians going to take out?
Excellent presentation..his comprehension on his subjects is so refreshing in comparison to the continuous brainwashing generated by world media where the only thing lacking is the Truth….thank you Sy…(Terry in Thailand)
Hersh should read a prepared statement. He digresses so much it is tortuous to listen!!!!!
Hersh is a a far better writer than he is a speaker.
It’s kind of like trying to listen to a college debate round. There are many points that add up to a win.
I want to thank CN for streaming this truly historical event. Sy Hersh has become a real factor in one of the most tragic moments of world history which could end in a nuclear war that anilates life on this planet. To see and hear an 83 year old man, who by the sheer power of his intelect, has managed to put himself in a position to speak truth to the insane people leading us to destruction , is truly uplifting .
You need relevant background going on in your head to listen to Seymour putting his ‘between the lines replys’ together to make sense.
The man was reflecting on all our war criminal presidents and other luminaries with the Big Lie Propaganda Machine sinecures.
Aside from Sy’s unbearable fumfering, the most disappointing thing about his lecture is that none of these press people ever showed a shred of respect for the very same details revealed every day by independent commentators and journalists (like Consortium et al) who’ve rexposed this “secret” long before Hersh wrote his piece. And it will be a long long long time before these press club fakers ever do anything meaningful. I have no respect for them knowing how complicit they are in the daily suffering of Julian Assange.
I want to thank CN for streaming this truly historical event. Sy Hersh has become a real factor in one of the most tragic moments of world history which could end in a nuclear war that anilates life on this planet. To see and hear an 83 year old man, who by the sheer power of his intelect, has managed to put himself in a position to speak truth to the insane people leading us to destruction , is a truly uplifting moment .
Most of the questions were straightforward and clearly presented.
But Hersh didn’t answer them. Instead he went off into more or less irrelevant weeds.
An interesting performance.
Does not inspire confidence, I must say.
Thanks for presenting the live stream.
You apparently did not hear him say (to Hussain) that he was not there to tell them everything he knows. His prime concern was to protect his sources and himself. He gave broad hints, which his audience did not pursue in like~mind, but asked straight questions (and some should have been asked) which mostly ignored his pre-questions speech.
Of course I heard him say that.
Very much toward the end of his talk.
I agree that Husseini’s question was silly.
Otherwise, however, in the main the “context” Hersh provided often did not get back to the question or anywhere near it. He just ended abruptly—looked to me as though he knew he was wandering and couldn’t recall the question.
Even to say, “That’s all I can say about that.”
Which he did say a couple of times. But IMO Hersh was simply off-topic a lot of the time during the Q&A.
He also let it be known he just didn’t want to be there. Fine.
Be honest, onward.
I don’t think Husseins’s question were silly, apparently Hersh likes to answer honestly or not at all, no pompous facade stuff.
I think you describe well why he is so ‘off-topic’, and unlike you I find Hersh’s disarming honesty ‘stream of consciousness’ type approach welcome and stimulating.
“Be honest, onward.” In what respect Litchfield? How dishonest?
Not a cheap shot at moral superiority I hope? That would be an un-Hersh like response:
Lets not take away from the timing and importance of Hersh’s Nordstream article.
Sy is rambling, borderline incoherent. Not a good look.
Eh I think he’s generally just gruff and only says what he wants. Doesn’t have time for anything he considers nonsense. How he is and he earned it.
just think quicker and you’ll be fine