Bill Moyer's Journal my new favorite program. Open our eyes, minds and hearts to the truth We Are One--we are all connected. We are much more the same than we are different. We are not separate. We are not and can never be. If a chain is as strong as its weakest link, and we humans are a chain, we have a long way to go. The smartest among us need to recognize this and go from there. We need do redefine or place emphasis on the 'for the good of all' meanings of freedom. profit, responsibility, and many other words whose meanings have become so distorted. We are coming to , or are already at, a major crossroads in our ever global civilization. Technology is helping to put all our contradictions, ambiguity, greed, selfishness, foolish laws, all the things we're doing wrong, right in our faces. Are we going to wake up and change for the better, finally able to learn from our history? Can we choose to have the courage to go in a new and better direction, perhaps recognizing how much the use of money as a means of exchange is now to harmful and limiting for us all? All our systems are breaking or broken at the state and federal level. They are now doing more harm than good to those they are supposed to help. Bill, you will not run out of topics to address any time soon. Thank you so much for all you do and thank you PBS.

"a human-like conscientiousness to otherwise bright minds which have been hijacked by unscrupulous ideals promulgated by corporations which only concern themselves with profiteering,"

This has been the way of the world since Day One! It's naive to think that all corporate workers need is a good poke in the ribs to redeem themselves. History is full of "otherwise bright minds" who did horrible things for the safety and stability of their clan/ state/ country/ church, etc. Whether it was evil then depends on whose side you were on, and that's true today.

I'm just tired of the liberal obsession with corporate "evil". I'm pretty sure that Mom and Pop are marking up the price of a soda pop- does that make them evil too? No amount of satire or protest is going to make a corporation less "evil". Making evil practices less profitable is the only way to go.

I don't see how a practical joke can be unethical, especially when the Yes Men are being solicited and not the other way around.
And, IF the Yes Men can return a human-like conscientiousness to otherwise bright minds which have been hijacked by unscrupulous ideals promulgated by corporations which only concern themselves with profiteering, then why not take that chance?

Do I think the Yes Men were entertaining? Yes. Are there actions ethical? No. Their main victims were probably the corporate PR people who lost their jobs. I can't see what they accomplished that will really make anyone think about the issues at heart. Their actions only contribute to the divisiveness pervading the country's political climate. Taking advantage of the social assumptions we are often forced to make in a diverse society does not make any country more progressive or peaceful. It makes us all look like fools.

Thank you for the much-needed levity! The genius of the Yes Men is uncanny. In this climate in which the public is inured to the treachery that's taking place, satire is an effective way to cut through the resistance. I'm soooo glad you're back, Mr. Moyers.

I laughed out loud. Absolutely fabulous... and scary as hell! The guy hit the nail on the head when he said people didn't get it because it resonated with "the logic in that room." They have simply taken unbridled capitalism to its logical conclusion - we will eventually consume ourselves, and believe we are doing the work of the great god of capitalism in the process. BRAVO Yes men BRAVO!!

Great Story! I immensely enjoy satire and KNOW it can be a great educational tool. Thanks for the introduction to the Yes Men -- In the great yippie culture jamming tradition of Abbie Hoffman's "steal this book" and most recently: http://adbusters.org/home/

Thanks also for "the journal" on podcast

Sue, dear, do unto corporations as they've been doing to us (for a long, long time now, is EXACTLY what The Yes Men were doing...think about it.

On a lighter note - - -
King GW is undergoing colonoscopy today; last time in 2002, polyps were found instead of WMDs. A lot of shit (excuse the pun!) has passed by in these last five years, both through his colon and through our land. Hopefully this time, the proctologist will find some part of his brain down there - - -

I loved the Yes Men and see their style as an inventive means of protest. As seen in the broad array of Mr. Moyers' guests, social justice finds its champions through many kinds of different people doing different things--a serious journalist, an artist, a labor leader, or even the person who speaks up for their beliefs in an everyday situation. In the case of the Yes Men, the fictional extremes they create are just the logical conclusion of many of the dangerous practices we have become acclimated to and accepted.

I think it a testimony to the extreme nature of our times that many of the people they spoke to could not discern it was a joke. How much has the continuum of normal and ethical been adjusted to the point where ideas meant as farce are taken as real? And seen as wonderful? The nodding and applause at the corporate conventions reveals the groupthink of those seduced by the corporate mystique. I have noticed general cultural trends where people treat any directive/idea from a company as brilliant, even if it is divorced from reason and will hurt the average person. Thomas Frank's "One Market Under God" has discussed this topic and one of its foremost themes is that corporate rhetoric is viewed not only as an unquestioned authority, but also as something due reverence. This becomes completely evident when these companies' members show transfixed enthusiasm over concepts that are clearly impossible.

Like fighting fire with fire, in absurd times we need to traffic in absurdity. As with Jon Stewart's The Daily Show or popular comedians who lampoon the politically corrupt, some of the most successful criticism comes through humor. Companies accuse the Yes Men of being frauds, which is ironic given that these companies have entire PR teams and executive leadership whose full-time work is spent conning consumers and lobbying for untruths. Dishonesty is at the heart of their operations; honesty is at the heart of the Yes Men's.

To uqa6 and all other such thinkers- odd that you would define yourself as being in opposition to "jihadists" and "facists" who want uniformity, whom you say will threaten the liberty of programs such as this to exist. And yet you want such programs, evidence of our democracy, to shut the hell up and think just like you. Churchill and Roosevelt would *not* approve. They would be appalled that they did all that work for nothing.

As for the Yes Men, keep it going guys, for as long as you can!

At first I was shocked at the information in the segment on the number of latino's fighting in Iraq and getting their citizenship by doing so. Then I began looking back over the years to recall the Civil and other wars. Immigrants have always been encouraged to join in the current war. We have many men and women joining the military for all different reasons. What is so wrong with the current immigrants benefitting from serving?
I don't think it says much for our country to see so many young people joining the war because they feel it's a way out of a not so bright future.
You, Bill Moyers, and PBS are always on our family's thankful list. Your programs, whether we agree with every guest or not, always leave us feeling we live in a free country(so far). Thank you for working so hard for our information freedom.

My point stands: the freedom that you enjoy needs to be defended aganist the Jihadists or
the day will come when
you will no longer enjoy that freedom. Your
personal evaluation of
me irrelevant.
If my viewpoint is of no value then I am segregated
with Roosevelt and Churchill who were able to see and name the threats of
their day and were willing to stand against facism and
nazism. If they wre alive today they would do the same against Jihadism that
threatens the freedom of the west ever bit as much as
the threats of their day.

If the comments are not
acceptable they will be edited out...but they keep
being allowed...that's because freedom allows
dissent from the party line of PBS.

i responded to molly's cry for you to run for president. when you responded personally to decline the request i was impressed even more than before. i am a large man and have been around the block. i recognize a real man. thankyou for what you do. the overused word patriot is not adequate. i would say you are one of my personal heroes.

Some commentators here need to do some research of their own. Invisible Theatre is an art form... and The Yes Men are artists... dealing with the cons... they are not Con Artists, since their true goal is to make us aware -- in an era when the ownership of "Mainstream Media" is controlled by less than 12 people -- of issues that won't otherwise get publicized.

It's the antidote for Public Relations experts!

Thanks to the Journal for making me aware!

uga6 ( or better said dear troll )

If you do not have anything meaningful and relevant to the program please avoid coming here with your kind of fundamentalist slogen. I hope one day you grow up and treat the whole world the same way you want to be treated.

during his comment on Johnathan Switf's "modest proposal" Mike Bonanno claimed that Swift (who died in 1745) was commenting on the Irish Potatoe famine which began in 1846. Is all his information that well researched?

it falls under the catagory of "would't that be funny if it wasn't so sad" thank god for men like this that bring attention to serious issues with a sence of humor-screw em if they can't take a joke

The Yes Men aren't funny. Neither are they morally superior to those corporations they chose to lampoon. Rather, they willingly descend to their level (if they weren't already there) and use the same devices these corporations supposedly use to manipulate us. Maybe the Yes Men saw their deceit as striking out against some faceless business entity. What I saw were people just like you and I who politely listened and tried to give these "ideas" a fair shot. The "ideas" they presented were absurd by intent. What I think about were all the ideas in the past that were considered "absurd". Like all men (and women) are created equal, religious tolerance, and equal justice for all. These formerly "absurd" ideas are accepted now not only because brave souls fought for them. These principles are also accepted because people were willing to polietly listen to an "absurd" idea. In the noise of all the "absurd" ideas being voiced is a treasure of enlightenment if only people would politely listen, patiently consider, and wisely select. Yes Men type antics force good people like you and I with terrible choices. Shut down the "absurd" fast or be made to look the fool. Have the Yes Men given any thought to how they would feel if they were subjected to such horrible treatment? To the Yes Men I give you this once "absurd" thought; Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Thanks to The Yes Men for leading with "the solution to reduce management costs is to consolidate stations, cooperate on 'back-room operations' such as bookkeeping." Annual meeting reports from team members were sprinkled with phrases like "our regionalisation plans are coming to fruition..." which will occur every year at grant application time... I applaud the apple barrel analogy! The group-think can be so intoxicating (like the brandy barrel) that it is easy to forget the larger and more diverse-thinking audience. Thanks so much, from a long-time public radio volunteer.

The "Yes Men" is another torn in the side of big business. We need more like them on the attact in any form that'll get everyones attention-someday, I do believe.

Changing the world isn’t all blood, sweat and tears. People who are smart and courageous enough to play court jester in these perilous times deserve our applause. Thank you for putting The Yes Men on your stage Mr. Moyers.

I wish I could afford it, but a copy of the Yes Men segment should be sent the BoD's of the Fortune 500.

None of the PBS programs will be allowed to air if
America does not defend its way of life against the
Jihadists. Following the
weak appeasement policies of Move On and leftists
in the Democrat majority,
we are empowering those who
will allow no PBS, no Moyers, no freedom, only the promotion of oppressive Islamic law. Come on libs, wake up...you are as much of a target as any of us conservatives. Let's start being Americans instead of gophers for two political parties whose only goal is self-perpetuation. That's
what the modern parties are about in 2007.

Before we annihilated the Native American tribes of the Pacific Northwest, their cultures celebrated the community clown who would mock behaviors, upsets, and politics within the tribe. There was no need for written laws or defined boundaries, because the clown always made people see themselves and their own ridiculous behaviors in action. The 'Yes Men' are a necessary contribution to our often outrageous political actions and cultural choices. Bring on the clowns!

Do I think the Yes Men's tactics are ethical? Well when I consider what Corporate America does that is so unethical and disastrous to this nation, yes I think anything that can expose these people is ethical. If not them, then who. For the person who thinks PBS sucks, there alwasy Fox for you. Afterall it sounds like you are not the kind of person who appreciates honest straightforward reporting. So go where the information is more to your liking, inaccurate and in most case, totally dishonest. Good luck in knowing anything about what is really going on in the world. Maybe when they find Natalie Holloway or her killer, that will satisfy you news consumption.

I love the Yes Men! though I'm not certain if I think their tactics ethical, and I'm not certain that their victims would be pursuaded after having been made such fools of. Incidentally, as another viewer has already noted, Swift's "A Modest Proposal" was published in 1729; the Irish potato famine began in 1845 and lasted until 1849.

Thank You Bill for turning us onto the "Yes Men!" They could really get us thinking FOR OURSELVES about what's really going down. These "Yes Men" are a refreshing contrast to the current yes men in government who are just helping to drive the country into a ditch. I like what these fellows are up to and I hope they do more to mix it up! As long as we have Elvis, Cher and Brittany impersonators - the Yes Men should feel free to satirize the heck out of public companies practices!
Rachel

PBS sucks and is a gross misuse of taxpayer's money.

Can I order a DVD of tonights show featuring The Yes Men? That was one of the funniest things I've seen for some time, and I need that in these times?

On the MARTÍN ESPADA segment.

I would really like to see a story that shows the total picture of mass immigration and illegal immigration. This problem has a negative side to it that is never addressed.

Illegal immigration is a complicated issue and to ONLY SHOW A SYMPATHETIC
light on illegal immigration is just bad journalism.

James Lane

Dear Mr. Moyers, enjoyed your interview of the Yes Men, but the rascals gotcha: Irish Famine was in Mid Nineteenth Century, Jonathan Swift 1687-1745, though all three of you might be terrible historians. If it was on purpose, forgive them. God Bless you and keep up the good work. We need people like you with GW in charge.

Standard or "normal" methods of debate and/or commentary, when not barred or omitted altogether, are trammeled, criticized, and ridiculed mercilessly by the machine in control of our government. Extreme times call for extreme measures. Bravo Yes Men. Bravo Mr. Moyers and his shared wisdom.

Man that lead in had me gasping you gotta be kidding for far too long??