I just received a very nice letter from Noam Chomsky. I am so proud and excited, I am going to blog it, as there is nothing especially personal in it.
MIT
May 16, 2007
Dear Mr Murray,
I have a feeling I may never have written to thank you for sending Murder in Samarkand, which I actually enjoyed reading, between shudders. I was reminded of that oversight as the accolades were pouring in for Blair’s unwavering dedication to human rights. It really is a remarkable achievement, what’s recorded, and the record.
You might be interested in an article in the Christian Science Monitor, May 15, by Michael Jordan, called “Less free speech in Uzbekistan since Andijan massacre.” It describes how the country “that Washington had enlisted in its War on Terror had since clamped down on dissent,” unlike before, when it was a US ally, and it was all apparently just fine.
Sincerely,
Noam Chomsky
Nextus,
Thanks. I confess to not knowing of George Lakoff. Would you recommend "Modern Politics" as the starting point for his thought?
Try "Don't Think of an Elephant: Know your values and frame the debate" – a shorter, more accessible analysis of the 2004 US election: http://www.chelseagreen.com/2004/items/elephant&q…
Lakoff's method may seem obscure to begin with, but when he finally applies the analysis the payoffs come streaming out like coins from a one-armed bandit: http://www.wwcd.org/issues/Lakoff.html
The analysis reveals the beguiling moral simplicity of the Bush-Blair-Straw outlook, and how they manage to lead the electorate around by the nose by exploiting blatant metaphors when rational counterarguments fall on deaf ears. It isn't just rhetoric: people actually structure their thinking this way. Well worth a look.