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G Gordon Liddy's Sexist Attack on Joan Walsh of Salon
Right-wing radio host G Gordon Liddy of Watergate fame, who once advised people to "Go for a head shot" when shooting at agents from the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms because "they're going to be wearing bulletproof vests," is obviously a big criminal and idiot. But the latest manifestation of this idiocy is pretty priceless. Last week on CNN, Liddy debated Joan Walsh, the Editor in Chief of Salon.com, on the release of the Bush torture memos, which of course Liddy was against making public.
On his radio show on Monday, Liddy attacked Walsh
in a disgusting, ignorant sexist rant in which he attributed her views
on the issue and Liddy personally to it being "that time of the month."
You really have to listen to the full clip, a link to which Liddy proudly posted on his Twitter account. By the way, it is hilarious that this clown even has a Twitter account given that he can't seem to figure out what a "Salon" is on "teh Internets" and googles.
Liddy is totally perplexed who Walsh even is, saying "I'd guess you'd call her a blogger for Salon magazine." He then asks his "internet expert" what Salon is, asking, "this is sort of a glorified blog?" The conversation that transpires is like listening to two Martians landing on earth for the first time and attempting to figure out what a tree is.
His "expert," apparently producer Franklin Raff, then explains to Liddy that a blogger is someone "who once had a writing job or a job as a journalist or a job as a broadcaster and then after they got fired their job description changes and they're called a blogger."
"I see, ok," Liddy responds. "Well, she's working for something called ‘Salon'-this Joan Walsh woman. What is Salon? I had never heard of it."
Franklin then pronounces Salon with a French accent and then they spell it out using military code: Sierra Alpha Lima Oscar November. "I think its sort of like a post-Drudge commentary site where formerly employed journalists can host their rants and raves," Franklin instructs Liddy.
"Well she's very upset," Liddy says of Walsh.
"Who is this person?" Franklin asks.
Liddy continues: "When they told me who I was going to be on with, I thought they said John Walsh (of America's Most Wanted) and I know John Walsh and America's Most Wanted-nice guy-
"Great guy," says Franklin.
"But it turned out to be Joan Walsh, who I believe is no relation to John Walsh."
Franklin says, "But she had a moment of fame I suppose because she was on television with you."
"Apparently so," says Liddy. "But at any rate, it upset her greatly."
They laugh.
"Probably that time of the month," Liddy says.
Later, Liddy and Franklin discuss Walsh's bio page on Salon with Liddy saying, "There's no mention of a husband there at all is there?"
"No sir," quips Franklin. "But the next time you're tempted to feel sorry for yourself, just remember-"
"You could be married to her," says Liddy laughing.
"Somewhere there is a Mr. Pelosi," Franklin finishes.
Regarding the "enhanced interrogation techniques," Liddy says "the Joan Walsh ilk people call it ‘torture.' Well, I pointed out that torture would consist of something like burning at the stake, or boiling in oil, drawing and quartering, things of that sort. That's torture. And I pointed out that I've been through worse on ‘Fear Factor.'" (Liddy was indeed a guest "star" on Fear Factor).
What sparked Liddy's rant on his radio show was a column Walsh wrote after the CNN debate:
[U]nbelievably, CNN identified Liddy as a "syndicated talk show host"; I had to be the one to say that the man is a convicted felon, who went to jail for helping President Nixon spy on his enemies, so his thoughts on the law and civil liberties are "eccentric" at best.It's astonishing that a crackpot like Liddy is still being asked to give his views on legal matters.
In addition to the sexist comments about Walsh, Liddy defended the torture tactics of the CIA:
"One of the things that these people like Ms. Walsh consider to be torture is putting people in a box with a caterpillar. I'm not making this up-an insect. Well, I remember one time waking up in a prison warm with a blanket on me-the blanket seemed to be moving so I turned on the light and what the blanket was was 100,000 cockroaches swarming over me, which i brushed off onto the floor, rolled over crushing a few and went back to sleep. Then in Fear Factor, they poured in-you know they had me in a little container, which i suppose Ms. Walsh thinks is torture but I found not to be at all, and they poured in insects all over me and I just brushed them off."
Liddy concludes, "The idea that harsh interrogation techniques equal torture doesn't make much sense."
He then goes on to defend other tactics such as "wall slamming," erroneously saying a "fake rubber wall" was used by interrogators to "bounce" prisoners-you know kind of like a kids play thing.
On his radio show, Liddy is referred to in German as Herr Funken Führer, "Dear Radio Leader." That's interesting given that Liddy has praised the original Führer, saying Hitler "made me feel a strength inside I had never known before... Hitler's sheer animal confidence and power of will [entranced me]. He sent an electric current through my body." I guess like many of Liddy's rants, his nickname on his radio show probably makes more sense in the original German.
24 Comments so far
Show AllLike anyone takes Liddy seriously anyway. Walsh mentioned him dismissively in passing. This article needlessly draws attention to someone who doesn't carry enough gravitas to get it on his own.
Liddy is, of course, a criminal who aided Nixon in corrupting government -
even to the extent of being ready to murder for the fascist Nixon.
Liddy is a sociopath and shouldn't be forgotten.
And his method of flag-waving in his bathing suit pretty much sums up Liddy--
all theater and little respect for democracy.
"According to all myth, the female - not the male -- gives life"
The photo is so perfect for Liddy.
In the sixties he would upset with any long haired hippy wearing what he has on, you know, disrespect for the flag and all that.
Funny how the measure of patriotism changes with these people! Thank God he's not waving his flag in this photo!
What better mascot for the right-wingers.
I did not see the CNN segment, and I agree that Liddy's "time of the month" comment was gratuitous for somebody arguing that he merely had been debating whereas Joan Walsh had been attacking him personally. The truth is, however, that Gordon Liddy does have a law degree and has both practiced law and served an an FBI supervisor. He has a perfect right to express his legal opinion no matter what he has done or how much time he has served. Further, there are few legally trained intellectuals with a warrior's perspective, which makes Gordon Liddy's opinion on the torture memo valuable, even if I am not a warrior and do not agree with his perspective. Gordon Liddy was also correct in stating that Joan Walsh did not have to debate him (unless her contract demanded it).
Actually, his discussion of whether she had to debate him, and of her questioning of whether he was a syndicated radio host was pretty funny. The humor came from the expectation that Liddy could easily be shamed or intimidated, or at least be forced to be evasive. Liddy stood his ground, and gave as good as he got on the gender role attacks.
Liddy may be legally trained but to call him an intellectual, renders the word
meaningless. And to say that his "credentials" make his opinion valuable,
irrespective of what that opinion is, is laughable. The opinion speaks for itself. It
is as deranged as it's author.
To call Liddy an intellectual does not render the term meaningless. Liddy starts with different assumptions and values, and gets to different results, from what most CommonDreams readers would. That he can clearly articulate his position and reasoning, based partly on his family background, his Jesuit training, and his experience in the FBI, is precisely what makes his opinions valuable. I have not had those experiences, but I can appreciate how somebody with those experiences could arrive at a radically different world-view from mine, and I am interested in learning about it.
The name-calling, by Joan Walsh, by Gordon Liddy, and by dionski, on the other hand, do not contribute to a useful exchange of views.
Joshua April 22nd, 2009 10:21 pm, regardless of his background or education, he apparently didn't have the reading skills to understand the oath he took to uphold the Consitution as a US government employee -- either that, or he just didn't care.
Not to be a name-caller, but Liddy is as crazy as another articulate Republican -- Ted Bundy. And, since he seriously suggested murdering a newspaper columnist who annoyed Nixon, he obviously shares Ted's demented homicidal urges, as well.
Liddy only interests me as a study in psychopathology.
Good thing you're not a name-caller. At least Liddy doesn't equivocate.
Joshua April 23rd, 2009 9:53 am, glad you have a sense of humor. I guess I should have followed that 'not to be a name-caller' sentence with an emoticon ;) to show I was kidding. Of course I was calling names -- obviously. I compared him to Ted Bundy, for cripe's sake.
Please point out any other equivocation.
Warrior? Liddy is a psycho. He had to be stopped from killing a columnist back in the Watergate scandal. And I, too, have the right to voice my legal opinion (but not as anybody's lawyer), and nobody has to take that seriously.
Indeed, as far as I know, Liddy never practiced in a court of law, and it appears he never bothered to read the Constitution he took a solemn oath, both as an FBI agent and an employee of Nixon's White House, to preserve and defend.
Even former Nixonites thought today's 'Dear Radio Leader' was a loose cannon back in the Watergate era and he did have to be ordered not to kill columnist Jack Anderson, among others. (And it's said the Watergate break-in itself was Liddy's looney-tunes idea.)
Apparently Liddy didn't mind being in a box filled with insects -- no doubt he felt comfortable among his brethren. Gordon's so bughouse crazy he nearly makes Limbaugh look sane. A shame Fear Factor's producers didn't waterboard him 183 times in one month to find out if he thought that was torture.
What could CNN have been thinking giving this uber-fascist nutjob a platform to spew his anti-American bile?
Liddy is not a psycho. He served his time in prison without complaint, and went to prison because he refused to assist the government's case. That does not describe a man without a conscience. That does describe a man with an extreme warrior's code. It is not my code, and it is not lord_buckley's code, and that is all right.
True, you do not have to take his opinion seriously. He still has the right to state it.
Come on, people. This is supposed to be a liberal web site. Liberal as in open-minded.
Joshua April 22nd, 2009 10:46 pm, Liddy went to jail because he supported Richard Nixon and the illegal acts of his administration, some of which Liddy conceived, over his country and his oath to serve its Constitution.
I may be a progressive liberal, but that doesn't mean I excuse the treasonous acts of G. Gordon Liddy. He should have served more time, IMO.
You wrote: "True, you do not have to take his opinion seriously. He still has the right to state it."
No, and I don't take his opinion seriously -- he's a clown, as far as I'm concerned. But don't you think that at some point anyone in power who works against the rights of others as embodied in the Constitution, and contrary to his sworn oath to protect and defend that Constitution, should be limited, if not denied entirely, the ability to take advantage of those rights?
Sure, he is responsible for his actions. But, even behind bars, he has the right to state his opinion.
Joshua April 23rd, 2009 9:25 am, sure he does, just as does Mumia Abu Jamal. Oh, wait -- Jamal's free speech has been censored by his jailers. Well, I'm sure if Liddy ever returns to prison, he'll never be censored -- after all, he's a demented right-winger!
Liddy is scum and forever will be. Forget him and move on.
I unpluged CNN a long time ago.
G. Gordon Liddy is the sort of incompetent fascist that GOP types love to pal around with.
Sioux Rose
His words weren't THAT bad... he could have gotten a lot worse, but it seems via the photo, his real beef is that HE would like to be, and pose as Ms. America.
"Siouxrose April 21st, 2009 6:01 pm
Sioux Rose
His words weren't THAT bad... he could have gotten a lot worse, but it seems via the photo, his real beef is that HE would like to be, and pose as Ms. America."
I agree that his words weren't particularly bad; stupid, dumb, ..., but not particularly wicked bad. However, aiming to "pose as Ms. America"? He forgot his bikini top then, unless he thought he was at a half-nudity resort where "bottoms" need to be kept clothed. :)
Siouxrose April 21st, 2009 6:01 pm, you know Liddy would only complain that he lost the Ms America title because of his opinions on gay marriage.
Jeremy Scahill begins, "Right-wing radio host G Gordon Liddy of Watergate fame, who once advised people to "Go for a head shot" when shooting at agents from the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms because "they're going to be wearing bulletproof vests," is obviously a big criminal and idiot".
How many years prison did GGL serve for that crime? If none, then why? He should have served time for that, and should have a federal (criminal) offence record for the rest of his pestulant life. Longer ago, he might (maybe?) have been sentenced to death for calling upon people to shoot federal law enforcement officials in the head, for that is to call upon people to kill these officials. After all, shooting someone in the head certainly is usually for trying to kill targeted individuals, except when it happens accidentally, unintentionally. GGL clearly did know what he was saying and certainly knew that shooting people in the head with the kinds of guns he would've been talking about would likely mean death for the targeted persons. That [is] a crime punishable with years of prison, I believe; but I guess not treated that way in the USA, the violent USA.
Jeremy Scahill says later into the article that Liddy did serve prison time, but not with respect to this above crime, which I think he should have been convicted for.
As for Liddy being an idiot; I think that's a rather polite description. The guy's a f*cking MORON; SICK; ... I'm finding it difficult to find the words for this. Hitler apparently didn't only send electrical currents or shocks through Liddy's body, he short-circuited his mind or brain, burnt out all of the fuses, leaving nothing but very absurd, insane, sociopathic, ... nonsense for the rest of the ass's life. Should've soldered his damn lips together too!
"RSJ April 21st, 2009 6:43 pm
Indeed, as far as I know, Liddy never practiced in a court of law, and it appears he never bothered to read the Constitution he took a solemn oath, both as an FBI agent and an employee of Nixon's White House, to preserve and defend. "
HE was an FBI agent? Now I know the White House is repeatedly full of morons, and much worse, but that he was allowed in to the FBI, now this is frightening and it causes me to remember some of the important testimony provided by Sibel Edmonds about the FBI.
The guy claims he was imprisoned and that his cell was filled with thousands of bugs crawling all over him? The man's evidently very INSANE. That event surely never happened and if he saw the non-existant insects, then he was hallucinating. I think he'd have to be insane to have seen non-existant bugs crawling all over him, unless he really was "tripping" on serious halucingenes.
It takes one [hell] of a law enforcement agency or dept to allow someone like him to be an agent of the agency. Even if he had not yet been known for what he evidently is, he surely couldn't have been measured as truly intelligent enough to be accepted into the ranks of the FBI or even a local, municipal police force.
RSJ:
"Apparently Liddy didn't mind being in a box filled with insects -- no doubt he felt comfortable among his brethren."
Funny, but was he really "in a box filled with insects" and if so, then who put him there, the FBI, prison guards, ..., and under who's orders, and for what purpose, to try to see if this might help the insane idiot gain some sanity, while if that was the purpose, then it evidently failed?
MikeCorbeil April 21st, 2009 11:16 pm, Liddy was an FBI agent and worshipped the twisted J. Edgar Hoover, so what does that say about him?
You wrote: "Funny, but was he really "in a box filled with insects" and if so, then who put him there, the FBI, prison guards, ..., and under who's orders, and for what purpose, to try to see if this might help the insane idiot gain some sanity, while if that was the purpose, then it evidently failed?"
'In a box filled with insects' was referring to Scahill's mention of Liddy's appearance on 'The Fear Factor' reality show. "Liddy was indeed a guest 'star' on Fear Factor".
You wrote:"The guy claims he was imprisoned and that his cell was filled with thousands of bugs crawling all over him?"
I agree, Mike -- Liddy was in a federal prison -- what 'Club Fed' prison has thousands of cockroachs in the bunks? He's either lying or hallucinating.
MikeCorbeil April 21st, 2009 10:58 pm: "How many years prison did GGL serve for that crime? If none, then why?"
In America's two-tiered justice system, right-wing pundits can threaten anyone and the authorities look the other way, but if you're on the left and wear the wrong t-shirt, the cops will haul you away.