Mark is back from the L.A. Times Festival of Books up at U.C.L.A., an event that continues through the weekend with more booths of authors selling and signing their books and more panel discussions and lectures. The place was crowded, the sun was hot and people seemed to be having a very good time. If I didn't have to work on a book of my own, I might be going back tomorrow.
I attended one panel discussion today — "The Age of Spin: Controlling the Message" with Joe Conason, David Goodman, Michael Isikoff, Frank Luntz and the moderator, John Powers. The topic drifted a bit, thanks in part to a small but vocal group that was present to argue that the 9/11 attacks were a conspiracy that involved "controlled demolitions" and scheming that the press has refused to investigate. There were people outside the hall and inside with jars of 9/11 rubble that they held up to prove…uh, I'm not sure what. I'm also not sure what kind of scenario they imagine — who arranged these demolitions and why. The thesis seems to be that the lack of evidence is evidence that there's been a conspiracy to hide the evidence.
The rest of the panel was predictable and somewhat entertaining. You can probably catch it on C-Span some time in the coming week and if you do, you'll hear Frank Luntz being very amusing as he defended his own work as a Republican pollster and advisor and Michael Isikoff defending his position as a reporter who works for corporate overlords. David Goodman said that Hurricane Katrina was a turning point for the Bush administration in that they were unable to control the imagery of dead bodies in New Orleans the way they banned photos of the flag-draped coffins being shipped back from Iraq. And Joe Conason discussed the way "spin" was used to sell the Iraq War. For more information, catch it on C-Span whenever it runs. (Someone let me know if you see before I do when it's airing.)
Afterwards, I got to meet Conason and get a book signed, and I told him my theory that the entire Bush administration was a "controlled demolition." He laughed and added, "…of Democracy." I also got a book signed by Paul Conrad, the longtime editorial cartoonist for the L.A. Times.
There were other things of interest that I'll mention as I recall them. Right now, I'm going to thank my pal Gordon Kent for getting me a ticket to the panel and then I'm going to get back to work.