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CNN Saturday Morning News
Janeane Graofalo Speaks on Hollywood's Antiwar Campaign
Aired February 01, 2003 - 09:08 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: As the Bush administration ratchets up preparations for a showdown with Iraq, the voices of those opposed to a war grow louder, and Hollywood is adding some star power to the antiwar protest. Check out this spot with actress Janeane Garofalo.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, TV COMMERCIAL, NATIONAL COUNCIL OF CHURCHES)
JANEANE GAROFALO, ANTIWAR ACTIVIST: If we invade Iraq, there's a United Nations estimate that says there will be up to a half a million people killed or wounded. Do we have the right to do that to a country that's done nothing to us?
BISHOP MELVIN TALBERT, UNITED METHODIST CHURCH: No nation under God has that right. It violates international law. It violates God's law. War only creates more terrorists and makes a dangerous world for our children.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: We're joined now by Janeane Garofalo, joining us from Vancouver, British Columbia, where it's about 1:00 in the morning or something like that.
GAROFALO: About (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
O'BRIEN: She got up very early on our behalf, but she's used to that, being a -- in the Hollywood world. And a syndicated radio talk show host, Ben Ferguson, in Memphis, Tennessee. Good to have you both with us.
O'BRIEN: Janeane, ladies first, and people who get up earlier first. Why should anybody in the United States listen to what actors have to say about all this? It's not about as if you have access to classified information we don't.
GAROFALO: Well, it's not -- this has nothing to do with actors, this has everything to do with citizens. You know, why should anybody listen to actors who are for the war? You know, it's only actors who are against the war that are treated as some kind of bizarre special interest group that have no right to an opinion.
But this is not about people being an actor. It's just unfortunate that it has to take, I guess, actors to get the mainstream media to pay attention to the antiwar movement, which is unfortunate.
O'BRIEN: You were -- the mainstream media is not paying attention to the antiwar movement, you think? GAROFALO: Certainly not enough. There is certainly not enough of voices of dissent in this debate, real voices of dissent in this debate.
The question is never, we shouldn't -- the question is never between should we or shouldn't we. It's usually just between when and how, or should we wait? There's never really any real questioning of the wisdom of this extremely dangerous rush to war.
O'BRIEN: Ben Ferguson, what do you think about all that? Is the media dropping the ball on this? Are we part of all of the -- are we essentially warmongers here?
BEN FERGUSON, SYNDICATED RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Absolutely not. I think the media has definitely presented the antiwar side of the argument. Just especially look at newspapers around the country. They cover four people in front of student unions at colleges around the country who are protesting the war, yet they won't cover when there's 4,000 people that go to say goodbye to the reserves that are leaving on the weekend.
O'BRIEN: That is absolutely, totally untrue.
GAROFALO: That's baloney.
O'BRIEN: That is...
(CROSSTALK)
GAROFALO: ... baloney.
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: I'm sorry, Janeane, excuse me...
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: ... excuse me, excuse me...
(CROSSTALK)
GAROFALO: I'm sorry.
FERGUSON: ... (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
O'BRIEN: Excuse me, Ben. Ben, we cover every departure there is. I'm not even going to let you say that on TV.
Janeane, go ahead.
GAROFALO: Yes. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. But there is -- that is untrue. I think the mainstream media is very sympathetic to the troops, extremely supportive of the families of the troops in showing them pulling out...
O'BRIEN: And we cover just about every departure. GAROFALO: And I want to -- also, I just (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
O'BRIEN: All right, let's move on, let's move on.
GAROFALO: Could I just say one more thing?
O'BRIEN: Let...
GAROFALO: The antiwar movement is extremely supportive of the troops. We want to keep them alive. This is a...
O'BRIEN: All right.
GAROFALO: ... desperate plea for life, the antiwar movement.
O'BRIEN: All right. What happens every time, though, in these situations is the specter of Hanoi Jane, Jane Fonda. And what -- you know, there are veterans to this day who absolutely see red when you mention her name because of what she did during the Vietnam War.
GAROFALO: Right.
O'BRIEN: And I wonder if actors think about the consequences of their actions, their visits to Baghdad, and whether that in any way aids and abets the enemy.
GAROFALO: Oh, I do -- I disagree entirely. There is no way that the antiwar movement aids and abets the enemy. This is not about an actor going and sitting on a tank as the war is commencing. That's absurd, and that's absurd to bring up the Hanoi Jane and apply it to Sean Penn's visit to Baghdad, or any other actor or any citizen who stands up against the war.
This war is incredibly dangerous for Americans and America and the troops and Iraqi civilians. There is -- I don't understand why character assassination follows on the heels of advocating diplomacy and peace. It makes no sense in this culture that people get attacked for trying to protect American interests.
O'BRIEN: Ben, that's a reasonable statement there.
FERGUSON: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
O'BRIEN: How do you respond?
FERGUSON: You know, I think that the problem here is that Saddam Hussein and Iraq has had over a decade to disarm itself. It signed a treaty after the Gulf War. We shouldn't have to go over there and try to find where he's hiding things. Yes, it's a dangerous war, I agree with that.
Yes, people my age are going to be taking the bullets. But I would much rather go over there now, after we've waited for years and years and years for him to disarm himself, and take care of him now, before he comes over here and uses his 5,000 tons of sarin mustard gas. O'BRIEN: Ben, Ben, let me just put it to you this way. Is it really worth bloodshed of young American women and men in the Gulf in order to accomplish this goal? Is it really worth it?
FERGUSON: To -- absolutely, to protect my generations and generations that come after me, and to protect other people around the country -- the world that can't protect themselves. This isn't an issue of being war hungry, this isn't an issue of polls and ratings and votes. It's an issue of keeping our country safe.
And people would have said it was ludicrous before 9/11 that anybody would fly our own airplanes into buildings. The world has changed, we've had to open our eyes to that. And it's our responsibility, for my generation especially, to take action against somebody like Saddam Hussein who obviously hasn't complied.
O'BRIEN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE), Janeane, Janeane, is anybody listening to you guys, do you think?
GAROFALO: I'm sorry, what's the question?
O'BRIEN: Is anybody listening to you and the other actors who are taking this stand?
GAROFALO: I would say that if the objective is to disarm Saddam Hussein, the wisest way to do that is to allow the weapons inspectors the time that they want.
O'BRIEN: No, that's not my question. Is anybody...
GAROFALO: I, I -- I was listening...
O'BRIEN: ... listening to you?
GAROFALO: ... (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
O'BRIEN: The question isn't...
GAROFALO: Saddam Hussein -- Yes, I'm listening. Saddam Hussein is not an immediate threat to his neighbors or to us. This is -- and what -- this has been a sort of a hijacked war that was supposed to find Osama bin Laden...
FERGUSON: Absolutely not.
GAROFALO: ... and now it's become Saddam Hussein. What happened to Osama bin Laden? What has happened in Afghanistan?
FERGUSON: We were -- Janeane we were narrow-minded before 9/11, and we didn't look at other countries like this. After this, we had to take a heavy look at the reality of the world. People don't like America, people don't like other sovereign nations. That's why we have 20 nations behind us right now, because they all know that he's not save as well.
O'BRIEN: All right... GAROFALO: How does, how does a war in Iraq...
O'BRIEN: All right...
GAROFALO: ... make us safer? It does not. It escalates...
O'BRIEN: All right...
GAROFALO: ... the threat of violence to Americans if we go into this war.
(CROSSTALK)
FERGUSON: I would much rather take him out now before he gets nuclear bombs.
O'BRIEN: ... guys, guys, guys, guys -- Just as we get it wrapped up, we have to go, unfortunately, as is often the case.
GAROFALO: That's it?
O'BRIEN: Unfortunately, that's it.
GAROFALO: Oh, my goodness.
O'BRIEN: Janeane, we had you get up early just for that. We apologize. I think you made some good points. Janeane Garofalo, Ben Ferguson, thank you both for being with us.
GAROFALO: Thank you.
FERGUSON: Thanks for having us.
O'BRIEN: ... on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
GAROFALO: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Next time we'll give you more time, we promise.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired February 1, 2003 - 09:08 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: As the Bush administration ratchets up preparations for a showdown with Iraq, the voices of those opposed to a war grow louder, and Hollywood is adding some star power to the antiwar protest. Check out this spot with actress Janeane Garofalo.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, TV COMMERCIAL, NATIONAL COUNCIL OF CHURCHES)
JANEANE GAROFALO, ANTIWAR ACTIVIST: If we invade Iraq, there's a United Nations estimate that says there will be up to a half a million people killed or wounded. Do we have the right to do that to a country that's done nothing to us?
BISHOP MELVIN TALBERT, UNITED METHODIST CHURCH: No nation under God has that right. It violates international law. It violates God's law. War only creates more terrorists and makes a dangerous world for our children.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: We're joined now by Janeane Garofalo, joining us from Vancouver, British Columbia, where it's about 1:00 in the morning or something like that.
GAROFALO: About (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
O'BRIEN: She got up very early on our behalf, but she's used to that, being a -- in the Hollywood world. And a syndicated radio talk show host, Ben Ferguson, in Memphis, Tennessee. Good to have you both with us.
O'BRIEN: Janeane, ladies first, and people who get up earlier first. Why should anybody in the United States listen to what actors have to say about all this? It's not about as if you have access to classified information we don't.
GAROFALO: Well, it's not -- this has nothing to do with actors, this has everything to do with citizens. You know, why should anybody listen to actors who are for the war? You know, it's only actors who are against the war that are treated as some kind of bizarre special interest group that have no right to an opinion.
But this is not about people being an actor. It's just unfortunate that it has to take, I guess, actors to get the mainstream media to pay attention to the antiwar movement, which is unfortunate.
O'BRIEN: You were -- the mainstream media is not paying attention to the antiwar movement, you think? GAROFALO: Certainly not enough. There is certainly not enough of voices of dissent in this debate, real voices of dissent in this debate.
The question is never, we shouldn't -- the question is never between should we or shouldn't we. It's usually just between when and how, or should we wait? There's never really any real questioning of the wisdom of this extremely dangerous rush to war.
O'BRIEN: Ben Ferguson, what do you think about all that? Is the media dropping the ball on this? Are we part of all of the -- are we essentially warmongers here?
BEN FERGUSON, SYNDICATED RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Absolutely not. I think the media has definitely presented the antiwar side of the argument. Just especially look at newspapers around the country. They cover four people in front of student unions at colleges around the country who are protesting the war, yet they won't cover when there's 4,000 people that go to say goodbye to the reserves that are leaving on the weekend.
O'BRIEN: That is absolutely, totally untrue.
GAROFALO: That's baloney.
O'BRIEN: That is...
(CROSSTALK)
GAROFALO: ... baloney.
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: I'm sorry, Janeane, excuse me...
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: ... excuse me, excuse me...
(CROSSTALK)
GAROFALO: I'm sorry.
FERGUSON: ... (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
O'BRIEN: Excuse me, Ben. Ben, we cover every departure there is. I'm not even going to let you say that on TV.
Janeane, go ahead.
GAROFALO: Yes. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. But there is -- that is untrue. I think the mainstream media is very sympathetic to the troops, extremely supportive of the families of the troops in showing them pulling out...
O'BRIEN: And we cover just about every departure. GAROFALO: And I want to -- also, I just (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
O'BRIEN: All right, let's move on, let's move on.
GAROFALO: Could I just say one more thing?
O'BRIEN: Let...
GAROFALO: The antiwar movement is extremely supportive of the troops. We want to keep them alive. This is a...
O'BRIEN: All right.
GAROFALO: ... desperate plea for life, the antiwar movement.
O'BRIEN: All right. What happens every time, though, in these situations is the specter of Hanoi Jane, Jane Fonda. And what -- you know, there are veterans to this day who absolutely see red when you mention her name because of what she did during the Vietnam War.
GAROFALO: Right.
O'BRIEN: And I wonder if actors think about the consequences of their actions, their visits to Baghdad, and whether that in any way aids and abets the enemy.
GAROFALO: Oh, I do -- I disagree entirely. There is no way that the antiwar movement aids and abets the enemy. This is not about an actor going and sitting on a tank as the war is commencing. That's absurd, and that's absurd to bring up the Hanoi Jane and apply it to Sean Penn's visit to Baghdad, or any other actor or any citizen who stands up against the war.
This war is incredibly dangerous for Americans and America and the troops and Iraqi civilians. There is -- I don't understand why character assassination follows on the heels of advocating diplomacy and peace. It makes no sense in this culture that people get attacked for trying to protect American interests.
O'BRIEN: Ben, that's a reasonable statement there.
FERGUSON: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
O'BRIEN: How do you respond?
FERGUSON: You know, I think that the problem here is that Saddam Hussein and Iraq has had over a decade to disarm itself. It signed a treaty after the Gulf War. We shouldn't have to go over there and try to find where he's hiding things. Yes, it's a dangerous war, I agree with that.
Yes, people my age are going to be taking the bullets. But I would much rather go over there now, after we've waited for years and years and years for him to disarm himself, and take care of him now, before he comes over here and uses his 5,000 tons of sarin mustard gas. O'BRIEN: Ben, Ben, let me just put it to you this way. Is it really worth bloodshed of young American women and men in the Gulf in order to accomplish this goal? Is it really worth it?
FERGUSON: To -- absolutely, to protect my generations and generations that come after me, and to protect other people around the country -- the world that can't protect themselves. This isn't an issue of being war hungry, this isn't an issue of polls and ratings and votes. It's an issue of keeping our country safe.
And people would have said it was ludicrous before 9/11 that anybody would fly our own airplanes into buildings. The world has changed, we've had to open our eyes to that. And it's our responsibility, for my generation especially, to take action against somebody like Saddam Hussein who obviously hasn't complied.
O'BRIEN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE), Janeane, Janeane, is anybody listening to you guys, do you think?
GAROFALO: I'm sorry, what's the question?
O'BRIEN: Is anybody listening to you and the other actors who are taking this stand?
GAROFALO: I would say that if the objective is to disarm Saddam Hussein, the wisest way to do that is to allow the weapons inspectors the time that they want.
O'BRIEN: No, that's not my question. Is anybody...
GAROFALO: I, I -- I was listening...
O'BRIEN: ... listening to you?
GAROFALO: ... (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
O'BRIEN: The question isn't...
GAROFALO: Saddam Hussein -- Yes, I'm listening. Saddam Hussein is not an immediate threat to his neighbors or to us. This is -- and what -- this has been a sort of a hijacked war that was supposed to find Osama bin Laden...
FERGUSON: Absolutely not.
GAROFALO: ... and now it's become Saddam Hussein. What happened to Osama bin Laden? What has happened in Afghanistan?
FERGUSON: We were -- Janeane we were narrow-minded before 9/11, and we didn't look at other countries like this. After this, we had to take a heavy look at the reality of the world. People don't like America, people don't like other sovereign nations. That's why we have 20 nations behind us right now, because they all know that he's not save as well.
O'BRIEN: All right... GAROFALO: How does, how does a war in Iraq...
O'BRIEN: All right...
GAROFALO: ... make us safer? It does not. It escalates...
O'BRIEN: All right...
GAROFALO: ... the threat of violence to Americans if we go into this war.
(CROSSTALK)
FERGUSON: I would much rather take him out now before he gets nuclear bombs.
O'BRIEN: ... guys, guys, guys, guys -- Just as we get it wrapped up, we have to go, unfortunately, as is often the case.
GAROFALO: That's it?
O'BRIEN: Unfortunately, that's it.
GAROFALO: Oh, my goodness.
O'BRIEN: Janeane, we had you get up early just for that. We apologize. I think you made some good points. Janeane Garofalo, Ben Ferguson, thank you both for being with us.
GAROFALO: Thank you.
FERGUSON: Thanks for having us.
O'BRIEN: ... on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
GAROFALO: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Next time we'll give you more time, we promise.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
