When is the USA Lacrosse Convention 2023 taking place. What are the key highlights of LaxCon 2023. How can attendees benefit from the diverse educational sessions and demonstrations at the event. What special features are included in this year’s convention.
LaxCon 2023: A Thrilling Kickoff to the Lacrosse Season
The USA Lacrosse Convention, affectionately known as LaxCon, is set to ignite the 2023 lacrosse season with an impressive lineup of events, educational sessions, and networking opportunities. This year’s convention promises to be a game-changer for lacrosse enthusiasts, coaches, and officials alike.
Event Details and Registration
LaxCon 2023 will take place from January 20-22 at the Baltimore Convention Center. Early birds can save $75 by registering in advance, making it an even more attractive proposition for those looking to enhance their lacrosse knowledge and skills.
Convention App: Your Digital Guide
To streamline the LaxCon experience, attendees can download the official USA Lacrosse Convention & FanFest app for free on both Apple and Android devices. This comprehensive digital companion offers:
- A customizable schedule
- Detailed maps
- Exhibitor listings
- Local attraction and dining information
- Event push notifications
Simply search for “USA Lacrosse LaxCon” in your device’s app store to access this invaluable tool.
Unveiling the LaxCon 2023 Schedule: A Wealth of Knowledge and Expertise
The LaxCon 2023 schedule is packed with nearly 100 sessions for coaches and officials, ensuring a comprehensive learning experience for all attendees. Here’s a breakdown of the event timeline:
Friday, January 20
The convention kicks off with educational sessions for men’s and women’s game coaches and officials in the afternoon. At 6 p.m., a welcoming reception in the Exhibitor Hall sets the stage for networking and camaraderie among registered attendees and exhibitors.
Saturday, January 21
Saturday marks the busiest day of LaxCon 2023, commencing with an 8 a.m. “State of Play” address by USA Lacrosse CEO Marc Riccio. Following this, attendees can immerse themselves in a full slate of 65 sessions running until 5 p.m.
Sunday, January 22
The final day of the convention features sessions from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, allowing participants to absorb last-minute insights before heading home.
Star-Studded Lineup: Gold Medalists and Lacrosse Legends
LaxCon 2023 boasts an impressive roster of speakers and presenters, including:
- Six 2022 U.S. women’s team gold medalists: Megan Douty, Molly Hendrick, Ally Mastroianni, Charlotte North, Kylie Ohlmiller, and Caylee Waters
- Three World Games gold medalists from Canada: John Byrne, Dana Dobbie, and Dhane Smith
- Renowned coaches and players from various levels of the sport
This star-studded lineup ensures that attendees will gain valuable insights from some of the most accomplished figures in lacrosse.
Innovative Session Formats: Enhancing the Learning Experience
LaxCon 2023 introduces new session formats designed to maximize learning and engagement:
Double Sessions
These innovative sessions pair classroom discussions with on-field demonstrations, allowing attendees to see theory put into practice. Leading these presentations are esteemed coaches and players, including:
- Gerry Byrne (Harvard)
- Karen Healy-Silcott (Howard), Lexi Joseph (Howard), and Megan Whittle (Waterford School, Utah)
- Stephy Samaras and Molly Hendrick (ScoreBreak)
- Jim Stagnitta (Whipsnakes)
Career Development for Officials
Aspiring officials can benefit from sessions like “How to Climb the Ladder,” offering insights from assignors’ perspectives for both men’s and women’s games.
Celebrating Native American Heritage in Lacrosse
LaxCon 2023 pays homage to the Native American roots of lacrosse with a special hub in the Exhibit Hall. This dedicated area will feature:
- Famed stickmaker Alf Jacques showcasing his craft
- Educational sessions on Native culture and history led by legends like Sid Jamieson and Oren Lyons
This initiative highlights the rich cultural heritage of lacrosse and its significance to Native American communities.
FanFest: Igniting Passion in the Next Generation
Complementing the main convention, FanFest offers a one-day explosion of lacrosse excitement aimed at younger enthusiasts. Taking place on Saturday, January 21, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., FanFest provides an accessible entry point to the world of lacrosse.
FanFest Highlights
- Affordable tickets starting at just $10 for students when purchased in advance
- A gold medal celebration for the U.S. women’s national team at 4 p.m. on the FanFest field
- Demonstrations by lacrosse legends and current stars
- Interactive sessions covering diverse topics such as diversity and inclusion, mental health, injury prevention, and NIL updates
Star-Studded Demonstrations
FanFest attendees can look forward to presentations and demonstrations from lacrosse luminaries, including:
- Hall of Fame player Casey Powell
- Women’s lacrosse stars Ally Mastorianni, Charlotte North, and Izzy Scane
- PLL star Nakeie Montgomery
Sports Medicine Symposium: Addressing Athlete Mental Health
The 2023 USA Lacrosse Sports Medicine Symposium, presented by MedStar Health, adds a crucial dimension to LaxCon 2023. Scheduled for Friday, January 20, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., this symposium focuses on the critical topic of athlete mental health.
Symposium Details
- Accredited by ACCME, ACPE, and ANCC for continuing education credits
- Offers 4.0 Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credits
- Separate registration required from LaxCon
This symposium underscores the growing importance of mental health in sports and provides valuable insights for healthcare professionals working with athletes.
Making the Most of LaxCon 2023: Tips for Attendees
To maximize your LaxCon 2023 experience, consider the following strategies:
- Plan your schedule in advance using the LaxCon app
- Prioritize sessions that align with your specific interests and goals
- Take advantage of networking opportunities during breaks and social events
- Explore the Exhibit Hall to discover new products and connect with vendors
- Attend demonstrations to see techniques and strategies in action
- Participate actively in Q&A sessions to gain personalized insights
- Take notes and collect resources for future reference
By following these tips, you’ll be well-equipped to absorb the wealth of knowledge and experiences offered at LaxCon 2023.
The Impact of LaxCon on the Lacrosse Community
LaxCon plays a vital role in the growth and development of lacrosse as a sport. Its impact can be seen in several key areas:
Knowledge Dissemination
How does LaxCon contribute to the spread of lacrosse knowledge? By bringing together experts, coaches, and players from various levels of the sport, LaxCon serves as a melting pot of ideas and strategies. Attendees gain access to cutting-edge techniques, training methods, and game philosophies that they can then implement in their own programs and teams.
Networking and Community Building
In what ways does LaxCon foster connections within the lacrosse community? The convention provides numerous opportunities for attendees to meet, share experiences, and form lasting relationships. These connections often lead to collaborations, mentorships, and the exchange of ideas that continue long after the event concludes.
Innovation and Product Showcase
How does the Exhibit Hall at LaxCon drive innovation in lacrosse equipment and technology? By providing a platform for manufacturers and vendors to showcase their latest products, LaxCon helps drive innovation in the sport. Coaches and players can explore and test new equipment, training aids, and technological solutions that can enhance performance and safety.
Professional Development
What opportunities does LaxCon offer for career advancement in lacrosse? The convention’s diverse range of sessions, including those focused on officiating and coaching, provides valuable professional development opportunities. Attendees can learn about career paths, gain certifications, and acquire skills that can help them advance in their lacrosse-related careers.
Inspiring the Next Generation
How does FanFest contribute to growing the sport among younger players? By offering an accessible and exciting introduction to lacrosse, FanFest helps inspire young players and fans. The opportunity to interact with star players, participate in demonstrations, and learn about various aspects of the sport can ignite a lifelong passion for lacrosse.
Addressing Current Issues in Sports
In what ways does LaxCon tackle important topics beyond the field? Through sessions and symposiums on topics like mental health, diversity and inclusion, and injury prevention, LaxCon addresses critical issues facing the sports world today. This holistic approach helps create a more informed and responsible lacrosse community.
LaxCon 2023 promises to be an unmissable event for anyone involved in or passionate about lacrosse. From cutting-edge coaching techniques to inspirational stories from gold medalists, the convention offers a comprehensive exploration of the sport’s past, present, and future. Whether you’re a seasoned coach, an aspiring official, or a young player dreaming of lacrosse glory, LaxCon provides the knowledge, connections, and inspiration to take your lacrosse journey to the next level.
As the lacrosse community converges on Baltimore this January, attendees will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in every aspect of the sport. From the technical intricacies of gameplay to the broader cultural and health-related issues surrounding athletics, LaxCon 2023 promises to deliver an enriching experience that will resonate long after the final session concludes.
The convention’s commitment to innovation, education, and community-building reflects the dynamic nature of lacrosse itself. As the sport continues to grow and evolve, events like LaxCon play a crucial role in shaping its trajectory and ensuring its bright future. For those fortunate enough to attend, LaxCon 2023 will undoubtedly be a landmark event in their lacrosse journey, providing the tools, insights, and inspiration to excel both on and off the field.
LaxCon Schedule Released, Convention App Available for Download
LaxCon is back to kick off the 2023 lacrosse season and the schedule, featuring nearly 100 sessions for coaches and officials, has been released. LaxCon takes place from Jan. 20-22 at the Baltimore Convention Center and attendees can save $75 by registering in advance.
The educational sessions begin on Friday afternoon for men’s and women’s game coaches and officials, followed by a welcoming reception at 6 p.m. for all registered attendees and exhibitors in the Exhibitor Hall.
Saturday is the busiest day of the event and opens with an 8 a.m. “State of Play” address by USA Lacrosse CEO Marc Riccio. A full slate of 65 sessions on Saturday runs until the last set gets underway at 5 p.m. Sunday’s sessions run from 9 a.m. through 12 noon.
The full schedule is available when you Download the official USA Lacrosse Convention & FanFest app for free on Apple and Android devices. The app includes a complete and customizable schedule, comprehensive maps, exhibitor listings, attraction and dining listings, event push notifications and much more.
Type in “USA Lacrosse LaxCon” in the search bar to find the app.
Some LaxCon schedule notes:
There will be gold medalists galore. From 2022 alone there will be six U.S. women’s team gold medalists (Megan Douty, Molly Hendrick, Ally Mastroianni, Charlotte North, Kylie Ohlmiller and Caylee Waters) to women’s game coaches and three World Games gold medalists from Canada speaking (John Byrne, Dana Dobbie and Dhane Smith).
New to the format this year will be “double sessions” that feature classroom discussions paired with on-field demonstrations to help drive home key points. Leading these presentations will be:
Gerry Byrne (Harvard)
Karen Healy-Silcott (Howard), Lexi Joseph (Howard) and Megan Whittle (Waterford School, Utah)
Stephy Samaras (ScoreBreak), Molly Hendrick (ScoreBreak)
Jim Stagnitta (Whipsnakes)
Numerous career development opportunities for officials, including sessions on “How to Climb the Ladder” from an assignors point of view for both men’s and women’s game officials
The Exhibit Hall will feature a special Native American hub with famed stickmaker Alf Jacques.
Some of the Native legends in the sport, including Sid Jamieson and Oren Lyons, will be among the speakers sharing educational lessons on Native culture and history.
Fan Fest
In addition to the full convention, a one-day FanFest helps bring the excitement of the sport to the next generation. Tickets are on sale for as little as $10 for students when in advance online.
FanFest takes place at the Baltimore Convention Center on Saturday, Jan. 21 from 10 a.m. through 5 p.m. Highlighting this year’s FanFest is a gold medal celebration for the U.S. women’s national team on the FanFest field at 4 p.m. The team members will receive their championship rings in a private ceremony on Saturday night.
FanFest kicks off with a demo from Hall of Fame player Casey Powell sharing his love of the game. Other FanFest presenters include Gail Lacrosse women’s lacrosse stars Ally Mastorianni, Charlotte North and Izzy Scane and PLL star Nakeie Montgomery with an STX demo session. Other topics covered in sessions and demonstrations include a diversity, equity and inclusion panel from Athletes Unlimited, mental health discussions led by Morgan’s Message, injury prevention with LaxFit from MedStar Health, Name Image Likeness (NIL) updates and a look at wheelchair lacrosse.
Medical Symposium
The 2023 USA Lacrosse Sports Medicine Symposium, presented by MedStar Health, will be held on Friday, Jan. 20 from 1 p.m. through 6 p.m. at the Baltimore Convention Center. This year’s symposium is committed to the discussion and understanding of athlete mental health.
MedStar Health is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team. This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive 4.0 Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credits for learning and change.
Registration is separate from LaxCon and can be completed online.
USA Lacrosse Laxcon 2022 in Baltimore Convention Center, MD
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USA Lacrosse Laxcon® 2022 in
Baltimore Convention Center, MD®
is thrilled to be back in person Jan. 14-16, 2022 in Baltimore. Ask any of the 7,000-plus coaches, fans and officials that come year after year, and they’ll agree — there’s no better way to start your season.
Learn from the sport’s most influential leaders. See the latest in lacrosse gear and tech. Create lasting connections with people who love lacrosse. Tap into a network of experts who are eager to share their experiences and knowledge to help grow the game.
We are better, safer and wiser together. United We Play.
January 14–16, 2022
Baltimore Convention Center, MD
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www.
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Baltimore Convention Center, MD upcoming events
| Date | Event | Hall |
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| July 19–22, 2023 | NACUF National Conference | |
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| July 24–27, 2023 | CBRN Defense Conference and Exhibition | Hall A |
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| September 28 – October 1, 2023 | VidCon Baltimore | |
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| October 12–14, 2023 | Architecture of High Value Health Care National Conference | |
| October 13, 2023 | Health and Fitness Expo | |
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| November 16–18, 2023 | American Towman Exposition | |
| December 1–4, 2023 | MFA Annual Conference |
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America’s Sunset Sarcoma of Good Intentions (continued. Beginning in #1/2015 et seq.) Part Two. Igor Efimov. Seven Arts, No. 11 – LitBook
Part two
CTO
12. Journalist
Better to the churchyard,
Than to the festering infirmary
Chesateley Korost,
Readers of newspapers.
Marina Tsvetaeva
Creating the state structure of the United States, the founding fathers, following the model of the Ancient Roman Republic, divided the supreme power into three branches: executive, legislative and judicial. But they did not take into account one detail: the ancient Romans did not have a printing press./cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/60234985/DSC_0088.0.jpeg)
By the end of the 18th century, Gutenberg’s invention had become an important participant in public life in all civilized countries. Alexander Hamilton and James Madison were already fighting for a federal constitution with the help of printing presses, publishing dozens of articles in newspapers and magazines. They went down in American history as the Federalist Notes.1 And from the very first years, the press became practically the fourth branch of government.
Those who today condemn the scandalous tone of newspaper attacks on the elected representatives of the people have probably forgotten or simply have no idea what evil feathers did under the first presidents. There was no mercy for anyone.
About Washington:
“You ignored the voice of the people and stooped to the role of party leader. Now no one will see you as a saint with infallible judgments. Such behavior allows us to throw off the blindfold and see that we are not the father of the nation, but a man who claims to be the owner.
If there has ever been a politician who betrayed his duties to the country and the people, then this is certainly George Washington. 2
About John Adams:
“The greatest hypocrite, repulsive pedant, unsurpassed fool… A strange combination of ignorance and ferocity, deceit and weakness… Hermaphrodite character, in which there is neither masculine firmness and determination, nor feminine softness and sensitivity. In governing the country, he should be left with only formal functions: to make speeches before Congress once a year, to sign the adopted laws, to appear before foreign ambassadors. For such work, a salary of a thousand dollars a year would be quite enough.0079
The journalists did not spare each other either:
“The subversive forces in our country are using an alien named James Callender as a tool. In the name of honor and justice, how long will we tolerate such a nit, the embodiment of party filth and corruption, which has taken on human form, continued to operate with impunity? Is it not time for him and his kind to be afraid to defame our country and government, to express contempt for the entire American people, to call on our enemies to despise us and pour poison of slander on our constitutional authorities? He already deserved the gallows.
”4
In 1798, Congress even passed a law making vilifying government officials punishable by fines and imprisonment. Jefferson, having taken the presidency in 1801, repealed this law. Immediately, the scribblers released by him from prisons furiously and ingeniously attacked him. Apparently, scandal and scolding were even then the best guarantee of financial success in this “second oldest profession.”
I cannot be suspected of any bias towards the world of journalism. My bookshelves are filled with collections of articles by brilliant American journalists who deservedly received their Pulitzer and other prizes. Three members of my family have been working talentedly in this field for many years. I myself have published dozens of articles in newspapers and magazines over 50 years, and I have spoken on radio and television many times. Half of the authors of The Hermitage were journalists, so I had the opportunity to become closely acquainted with the difficult conditions of their work.
But I also couldn’t help but notice the profound and important changes that have taken place in the American press over the past half century.
The first time I had a chance to read newspaper reports carefully was in the early 1980s, when I became interested in investigating the assassination of President Kennedy. I was struck by how unanimously the leading press organs attacked the critics of the official version presented in the Warren Commission report. Famed broadcaster Walter Cronkite expressed outrage that the sales of books that reject the commission’s findings far outweigh the sale of the report itself. Another TV commentator, Eric Severide, explained this fact by the “conspiratorial mentality of the Americans”, who de like to spin stories that Hitler is alive and hiding somewhere, and Roosevelt knew in advance about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. “To imagine that the Commission deliberately distorted any facts is pure idiocy,” he declared.5
I wanted to remind the angry journalist that no one was trying to find a conspiracy in the behavior of the two psychopaths who shot President Ford, or the assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan, or the murder of singer John Lennon.
It also became clear to me that for ten months the American press could receive information about the investigation of the sensational murder only from the hands of the investigators of the official Commission. By issuing this information in small portions, the commission could stop communicating with journalists who would dare to show corrosive skepticism. There was a kind of gradual domestication: those who commented positively on the investigation process found it difficult later to retract their words and rebel against the final conclusions.
Ideally, everyone would agree that the duty of a journalist is to report facts objectively, not to embellish or distort them. But no living person can, in his activity, distance himself from his own passions, beliefs, convictions, phobias, and hopes. And statistical surveys have shown that, according to their political convictions, the American press, like the American professors, overwhelmingly chooses to defend the “impulse for justice”, that is, they vote for the Democratic Party.
This distortion was especially evident in the way the press covered the Vietnam War.
The story told to me by veteran Ken N. could never have appeared in the major American newspapers and magazines. The atrocities committed by the Viet Cong and the Khmer Rouge were hushed up, ignored, interpreted as separate outbursts of justified anger. When the communists managed to carry out a series of synchronized attacks on the South Vietnamese cities in 1968, called the “Tet Offensive”, the fact that they were brilliantly repulsed by the Americans, with huge losses for the attackers, was hushed up, but the thesis was pedaled: “The war cannot be won” .6
The famous North Vietnamese General Vo Nguyen Giap described the military situation many years later:
“Our losses were enormous, we did not expect such … The fighting of 1968 almost destroyed our forces in the south … We could not defeat the half-million American army, but this was not our goal. We sought to break the will of the American government to continue the war .
.. If we had counted only on military confrontation, we would have been defeated in two hours … We lost almost a million soldiers in the fighting.0079
In an interview with another prominent North Vietnamese officer, a journalist asked in 1995: “Did the American anti-war movement play a role in Hanoi’s victory?” “Key,” the officer replied. “Our leadership listened to the American news about the protests every morning. Visits to Hanoi by figures such as the actress Jane Fonda and former Attorney General Ramsey Clark gave us the confidence to continue the fight despite military setbacks… These men represented America’s conscience. American democracy allowed for protests and dissent that weakened the will to win.”8
In parallel with the Vietnam War in the United States, there was a stormy confrontation around interracial issues. For the most part, journalists were on the side of those who opposed segregation, advocated for the expansion of black rights, and readily picked up accusations against whites without bothering to check their justice.
The inertia of this attitude towards racial conflicts only strengthened over the years and produced storms of indignation at the “crimes” that turned out to be invented from beginning to end.
In 1987, the story of a Negro girl, Tawana Brawley, made a lot of noise. She got a difficult fate. The mother married a man who had served time for the brutal murder of his previous wife. He beat his stepdaughter for any reason, once he tried to start beating right in the police station, where fourteen-year-old Tavana was brought for shoplifting. At the age of fifteen, the girl already had a boyfriend who was behind bars. In November, she skipped school to visit him in prison, went from there to one party, then another, and did not sober up until three days later. For such a long absence, retribution at the hands of his stepfather must have been fierce.
What was left for poor Tavana?
In her circle they believed everything bad that was said about the whites. So she made up a convoluted story that at least all blacks had to believe: that three white men kidnapped her, dragged her into the forest, kept her there in the cold for three days, raping and mocking her.
The “evidence” props she had thought up testified to a rich fantasy: burnt clothes, cut shoes, a large plastic bag in which she was found in a landfill, with a body smeared with excrement and covered with racist inscriptions.
It is not known how many blacks were among the sixteen members of the Grand Jury, but most refused to believe her story. First, the medical examination carried out ruled out an act of rape. No burns, cuts, or frostbite marks were found on the body. The feces turned out to be dog feces. Racist inscriptions were made upside down. Witnesses appeared who admitted that they saw Tavana having fun during the days of her disappearance.
But the American press inflated and savored the story for two years. From the TV screens, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, actor Bill Cosby and other black rights advocates cursed the ruthless racists and American justice that tries to protect criminals. The suspects they named even dared to file libel suits that resulted in Al Sharpton being ordered to pay $345,000 and Tavana herself, who converted to Islam and worked as a nurse in Virginia, was ordered to pay $185,000.
9
In 1996, the press raised a fuss about the growing number of church burnings attended by blacks. White racists were again cursed, the same Jesse Jackson spoke of a “conspiracy” against black culture, Time magazine wrote that the speeches of Republican politicians inspire arsonists, USA Today – that “these are attempts to kill the spirit of black America.” The investigation showed that the number of black church fires had only declined over the past 15 years, that white churches were burning with the same frequency, and where arson could be suspected, a third of the suspects were black. 10 But who will read the boring truth of statistics?
But these data are subject to strict control in the media. An independent organization analyzed how people with AIDS are represented on the evening news on various television channels. It turned out that among the patients shown on the screen, only 6% were homosexuals. In real life, homosexuals make up 58%. On screen, 16% were black or Hispanic.
In real life, they are 46%. Only 2% of those shown admitted that they inject drugs. In real life, there are 23%.11
In addition to football, golf, baseball, basketball, there is a little-known game in America, borrowed, according to rumors, from the Iroquois, called lacrosse. It is a bit like grass hockey, but in it the players do not use sticks, but sticks, at the end of which nets are attached in the form of a tea strainer. The athlete catches the ball in this net, runs with it, passes to another, who tries to throw it into the opponent’s goal. This sport has its fans, and its champions, and its legends.
In the spring of 2006, the Duke University lacrosse team in Durham, North Carolina decided to throw a party at their captain’s house. To complete the fun, they ordered two exotic dancers from a local escort club and were disappointed when they were sent not white ones, as they asked, but black ones.
“Oh, you don’t like black people?! Well, you will dance with me! ”, – one decided.
And she went to the police with a complaint of rape.
This time, not only the press rushed to inflate the scandal. The local prosecutor also decided to use the situation to improve his rather shaky reputation. The university administration stopped the games, fired the coach, announced the names of the accused students. Nuclear tests in North Korea, wars in the Middle East, tensions between China and Japan have all faded, giving way to the intimate details of yet another sensational court feud in the news.12
Alas, as in the case of Tavana Brawley, the lies of the “victim” turned out to be swept to a living thread, the ends did not meet. For example, from the photographs of the suspects shown to her, she chose for the role of “rapists” just those two students who left the party at the beginning, and the taxi driver who took them away confirmed this. The prosecutor was so zealous in manipulating the evidence that the state bar revoked his license. The state attorney general dismissed the case for lack of corpus delicti.
However, no defamation case was filed, so the green light is on for future “sexual assault fighters.”13
In the pantheon of American journalism, two names hold a firm place: Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward. These two young employees of the Washington Post newspaper boldly rushed to unearth and expose the secret affairs of the Nixon administration, fanned the storm of the Watergate scandal, which, after two years of stubborn confrontation, led to the forced resignation of the American president. Young David against the giant Goliath – such a comparison has surfaced more than once in the descriptions of this drama. It became the subject of the famous Hollywood film All the President’s Men, where the roles of journalists were played by famous actors Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford. Actor Hal Hallbrook played a less visible but key figure, presented on the screen not under the name, but under the nickname “Deep Throat”. For thirty years, Woodward kept the promise he had made to his secret informant, who would reveal the secrets of the White House to him, and did not reveal his name until he died.
His name was Mark Felt. He was a longtime and dedicated member of the FBI. Hoover elevated him to the post of director of the organization’s internal police. In the hierarchy, he was ranked third, and after the sudden dismissal of Bill Sullivan in the fall of 1971, he moved to second. In the spring, Hoover died, and Felt was waiting for the post of director to go to him. He even prepared a biographical note about himself with a photograph that he was going to present to reporters. But the president decided otherwise: he made the director of the FBI an employee of the Department of Justice, Patrick Gray, a former submarine captain. He never served in intelligence, but he was a staunch supporter of Nixon for a quarter of a century.14 Could the president have foreseen that this appointment would be a fatal mistake that would ruin his career?
Unidentified night visitors arrested at the Watergate Hotel on the night of June 17th were carrying listening devices that they apparently intended to install in the rooms designated for attendees of the forthcoming Democratic Party convention.
The police notified the FBI about the incident, and they, as usual, opened a special case. Later that day, a call came from the White House, and John Ehrlichman, on behalf of the president, ordered the investigation to be stopped. The agent on duty refused, despite the caller’s threats, and reported everything to Mark Felt. Thus, he knew from the very beginning that the night robbers were sent by the White House.15
What motivated him when he began to secretly transfer explosive information to his old acquaintance, journalist Bob Woodward? The feeling of revenge of a vain official, bypassed by fasting? The hope that the scandal will prevent Nixon from winning the upcoming elections and the new president will appoint him director of the FBI? Or is it still a belated realization that it is not good and illegal to install eavesdropping?
Something else is important for our investigation. The Watergate story sheds light on the relationship between the press and the rest of the government.
A journalist often acts not as an independent force, but as a dangerous and effective weapon in someone’s hands. Articles in the Washington Post caught the attention of major figures in the Democratic Party, opening up a seductive prospect for them: to attack the Republican president who won the election 1972 years by a wide margin. Already in February 1973, Democratic Senator Sam Ervin invited Woodward to his office and said that he was creating a Senate committee to investigate and would be grateful for any information.
This radically changed the alignment of forces.
Now any person mentioned in the articles of journalists, even an employee of the White House or the CIA, could be summoned to the Senate Committee and required to testify under oath. It was precisely in this manner that criminal cases were initiated one after another against Nixon’s employees, whose testimony served as the basis for initiating the process of impeachment of the president.16
The American press, like the American professors, gravitates toward the Democratic Party in its political predilections.
It seems that neither Bob Woodward, nor Carl Bernstein, nor their boss, Katherine Graham, nor the editors of other newspapers and magazines would have shown such perseverance and extraordinary courage if the object of their revelations was a Democratic politician, and not a Republican.
Fourteen years later, the combined forces of Democrats and journalists launched a similar attack on Republican President Ronald Reagan. His closest collaborators, Admiral Poindexter and Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North at 1986-1987 became the objects of a special investigation into their secret arms sales to Iran, which was then at war with Iraq. The proceeds from these sales were sent to anti-communist rebels in Nicaragua, which was prohibited by a special act of Congress. The case did not go as far as impeachment, but Poindexter and North had to fight off charges of perjury in court for several years, and their lawyers managed to achieve acquittal only at the appeal stage.17
“It was all pure politics,” Oliver North wrote in his memoirs.
. “Historically, the Congressional hearings were another battle in a two-hundred-year war between the legislative and executive branches of government over control of America’s foreign policy. By summer 19For 1987, the White House was ready to sacrifice the executors of its orders in order to stay in power. By allowing the criminalization of the actions of those who carried out its orders, the presidential administration provided an opportunity to bypass the root causes of the conflict. Congress was fine with that, and the press got a gift.”18
The question arises: why can’t the Republican Party use the same tactics against Democratic presidents? For me, the answer is clear: because it will never be able to get the fourth branch of government, the American press, as an ally. Even Clinton, surrounded by lawsuits and investigations, was able to avoid impeachment and stay in the presidency.
Nothing to say about others.
Kennedy and Johnson were implicated in attempts on the lives of foreign leaders – the press virtually passed over these revelations when they were made under Republican President Ford.
Under Carter, communist expansion took over country after country around the world, Palestinian and other terrorists attacked the free world almost every week, an attempt to rescue hostages taken from the American embassy in Tehran ended in shameful failure, but all this was never brought up as a result of the softness of the president.
Today, Democratic President Obama is pushing through his nightmarish health reform, which will impose a disguised new tax on the poorest part of the population, but most journalists seem oblivious to the oxymoronic absurdity of the phrase “prohibit not buying insurance.” On the other hand, the president himself is well aware of the power of the fourth branch of power and already in the first year of his reign invited Bob Woodward to the White House and gave him a long interview, which later became another bestseller of the famous journalist called “Obama’s War”.19
The fourth branch of power differs from the other three in that it is operated by people whom we do not choose.
“How can you not choose this? – will object to me. “By buying a newspaper, subscribing to a magazine, turning on that TV channel and not this one, you are voting in the most convincing way: with your hard-earned dollar.”
If the dollar were equivalent to a ballot, tabloids with their millions of copies would be at the top of power. The serious press works on minds in more subtle ways. Possessing the gift of eloquence, journalists easily discard any critical reviews of their work. “If they are accused of negative coverage of events, they will say that this is the real world. Accused of left-liberal bias, editors will say that they are more often blamed for leaning to the right, as well as being biased towards blacks or anti-blacks, business or environmentalists. If reproaches are pouring in from all sides, this only indicates a balanced approach, right? If they say that the news is presented too superficially and in a sensationalist way, reporters will say that this is exactly what the reading public demands.
”20
The figure of the sophist played a prominent role in ancient civilization. Initially, they taught people the art of eloquence, which was necessary for participation in political and judicial activities. But gradually it degenerated into the art of verbal trickery and demagogy, used to distort the real picture of what is happening beyond recognition in public disputes. There is an anecdote: Themistocles, expelled from Athens, was asked who is stronger in wrestling: he or his rival Pericles? “I don’t know, we haven’t had a chance to fight,” Themistocles replied. “But if it happened and I won, Pericles would start talking, and in five minutes all the audience would believe that he won.”
Thomas Sowell called modern sophistry the term “verbal virtuosity” – “verbal virtuosity”. Neither a politician, nor a lawyer, nor a professor, nor, of course, a journalist can do without it in today’s America.
In previous chapters we have seen how petty regulation slows down or paralyzes the activities of teachers, engineers, policemen, builders, judges, financiers.
Well, what about journalists? Are they not being looked after? Occasionally one hears of a newspaper being sued for defamation or slander, but these are rare and often result in the issuance of an apology and a token payment of one dollar to the victim.
No, in the nationwide campaign for the total regulation of all aspects of our lives, the press has got not the role of controlled, but the role of controllers. In the past five decades, journalists have become the controllers of politicians, and indulge in this activity with disproportionate passion and conviction.
In 1973, Nixon, who was elected for a second term, faced fateful problems for the country: the exit from the Vietnam War unleashed by his Democratic predecessors, the easing of tensions with two thermonuclear superpowers – the USSR and China, another fire in the Middle East in connection with the outbreak of in October by the Yom Kippur War. But in the eyes of Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein, their boss, Katherine Graham and all the other “Watergate fighters”, this was a hundred times less important than the question “did the President know or did not know that his subordinates were engaged in illegal eavesdropping”?
It remains a mystery where daredevils in America who are willing to enter the political arena come from.
To be prepared for the fact that your entire past, day by day and minute by minute, will be brought under the light of a corrosive and often hostile trial – you need to be a sinless saint to decide on this. How many worthy, perspicacious, knowledgeable people, needed by the country, are left out of political life for fear of being splattered with newspaper mud!
Moreover, we know only those stories that were inflated to the level of a scandal. Judge Clarence Thomas was not afraid of the hype raised by Anita Hill, who accused him of sexual harassment (1991), did not withdraw his candidacy and was confirmed as a member of the Supreme Court. But, for example, in 1993, the Ministry of Justice remained decapitated for several months, because the candidates for the post of Attorney General showed “dark spots”: both at some time illegal immigrants served as nannies in the house. The White House did not even dare to propose such proposals for approval by Congress.
If you could create a committee of leading journalists and ask them to compile a list of required qualities and rules of conduct that a candidate for political office in the United States must follow, what would be included first? An honest, non-drinking, good family man, a regular taxpayer, observing all the covenants of “political correctness” in his speeches, honoring the principles of democracy, an environmentalist, a fighter against racism and religious intolerance, and so on, and so on, and so on, up to to a glowing halo above his head.
But I’m not sure that what we have agreed to designate with the words “thirst for freedom” and “thirst for justice” would fall into this list. Such irrational concepts are not in use in the modern American press.
Researcher James Fellows writes in his book Breaking the News:
“The role of a journalist confers great power on a person. No wonder the press is called the fourth branch of government. You can publicly denigrate a person, and he does not have the opportunity to adequately answer you. On a positive note, you can expand the public’s understanding of real issues. But all too often, the press reduces public issues to a showdown between various politicians, all of whom should be viewed with suspicion. As a rule, today’s journalist does not approach his tasks with a sufficient sense of responsibility commensurate with the power he has inherited. And the harm from this extends much further than he can see.”21
Notes:
1. Federalist Papers.
New York: MetroBooks, 2002.
2. Durey, Michael. “With the Hammer of Truth” (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 1990), p. 95.
3. Ibid., p. 107.
4. Ibid., p. 108.
5. Moscovit, Andrei. Did Castro Kill Kennedy? (Washington: Cuban American National Foundation, 1996) p. 24.
6. Sowell, Thomas. Dismantling America (New York: Basic Books, 2010), p. 267.
7. Sowell, Thomas. Intellectuals and Society (New York: Basic Books, 2009), p. 249, 248.
8. Ibid.
9. Wikipedia, Tawana Brawley.
10. Sowell, Thomas. Intellectuals, op. cit., p. 128.
11. Ibid., p. 121.
12. Sowell, Dismantling, op. cit., p. 306.
13. Wikipedia, Duke University Case.
14. Weiner, Tim. Enemies: a History of the FBI (New York: Random House, 2012), p. 307.
15. Ibid., p. 309.
16 Woodward, Bob. The Secret Man. The Story of Watergate’s Deep Throat (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005), p. 93-94.
17.
