I could use some help with a Moyer's quote

[ThomWV]

Sometime before 2006 Bill Moyers gave a speech in which he made a statement that I've been trying to find, on and off, for about the last year with no success. I spent about 4 hours yesterday reading as many of his old speeches as I could digest in search of it, but without success. I though it had been said at a Take Back America Conference, or one of the Media Matters events, but as I said, I just can't find it. So I thought I'd post the gist of it here in the hope it might strike a cord of memory and someone might be able to quote it.

What suggested that maybe those who harbored conspiracy theories weren't so nuts after all. He said that a group of people had taken control of much of our lives and that it was their common outlook, not a spelt out conspiracy that connected them together - that no, it was not in any real sense conspiracy, but then the effect was not noticeably different.

Can anyone help me out on this one. His words were precise and I'd really like to have exactly what he said to help clarify my thinking on some things.

[Syrinx]

1. is this it?

You need not harbor the notion of a vast, right wing conspiracy to think this more collusion more than pure coincidence. Conspiracy is unnecessary when ideology hungers for power and its many adherents swarm of their own accord to the same pot of honey. Stretching from the editorial pages of the Wall Street Journal to the faux news of Rupert Murdoch’s empire to the nattering nabobs of no-nothing radio to a legion of think tanks paid for and bought by conglomerates—the religious, partisan and corporate right have raised a mighty megaphone for sectarian, economic, and political forces that aim to transform the egalitarian and democratic ideals embodied in our founding documents. Authoritarianism. With no strong opposition party to challenge such triumphalist hegemony, it is left to journalism to be democracy’s best friend. That is why so many journalists joined with you in questioning Michael Powell’s bid—blessed by the White House—to permit further concentration of media ownership. If free and independent journalism committed to telling the truth without fear or favor is suffocated, the oxygen goes out of democracy. And there is a surer way to intimidate and then silence mainstream journalism than to be the boss.

http://www.democracynow.org/2004/12/24/bill_moyers_our_democracy_is_in

[ThomWV]

3. That is exactly it! Thank you very much.

What amazes me is that I thought I had read ever word Democracy Now had transcribed from him. I just could not find it.

It is the single line "Conspiracy is unnecessary when ideology hungers for power and its many adherents swarm of their own accord to the same pot of honey." that described for me the great failure of this country that began with the election of Ronald Reagan, and blossomed under Bush II.

[Syrinx]

4. you're welcome!

Sometimes all it takes is a fresh set of eyes. :)

[ProgressiveEconomist]

2. Google searches like THIS one might have saved you much time. Restrict domains

to pbs.org, which is very likely to archive anything Moyers says, put in a phrase with the essence of your quote surrounded by +"", and you get http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=moyers+%2B%22conspiracy+is+unnecessary%22+site%3Apbs.org .

This link gets one hit, which contains syrinx's quote (from reply #1) under the heading,

"Keynote Address to the National Conference on Media Reform
by Bill Moyers
Founding Director, Public Affairs Television
President, The Schumann Center for Media and Democracy
November 8, 2003
Madison, Wisconsin "

If this is not the quote you were looking for, try tweaking the phrase in the Google search.