Dear Editor,
Soviets knew they were being lied to about everything and didn’t believe rumors unless they were confirmed by official denials. American propaganda is concealed so that average “consumers” don’t notice. Americans have little real understanding of the world, but have hazy impressions that match official tales. “News” about American actions comes from official sources: Pentagon sources say; State Department sources say; according to White House officials. They quote people from “think tanks” that give advice to your “representative”.
In our government operated schools, during the heart of the cold war, we were taught that Russian schools lied to their students. We thought ours didn’t. Few question their programming. Without whistleblowers, we don’t get a second opinion on what the government tells us about its actions.
American comic book thinking is displayed in how we classify foreign leaders and view the world. Good, bad, and French; Britain’s Prime Minister good, Mahmud afterdinnerjacket in Iran bad, and Netanyahu tough. Castro is Satan, as was Chavez, who now burns in hell, where those who nationalize their oil always go. Neutral leaders who aren’t obvious villains are French. The UN Secretary General usually seems French.
Europe is socialistic, girly and bankrupt. Israel is always right, the medieval Arabs are always wrong, and they treat women badly; we must give them democracy. Everything south of the Rio Grande is big drug-filled Mexico. Russians are still commies. Cutting war spending will weaken America. Someday we have to bomb Iran. Invading Iraq was a well-intentioned mistake, but the world’s better without Saddam. Off to the voting booth for “change”, that never happens.
Chavez died from cancer and the world wonders if we killed him. Why not; we admitted to trying to kill Castro, and others. President Kennedy was assassinated and the truth never identified to say nothing of 9/11, so, there’s no evil too low.
“Liberty” and the sacred “free market” have covered the world, as the Plague once covered Europe, but the benefits are hard to find. Russia is a cesspool of crony capitalism, “free” Europe is depressed, and America has become a class-divided police state.
We’re given two choices for any “calamity”: hide or march bravely off to war. Our “free” Acceptable Opinion Machine aims “consumers” towards the “Right” idea. We aren’t permitted gray in our black and white worldview. Think tanks tell us they’re a group who favor “open markets”. You’re surprised to see this new idea so you investigate the Members list and find a dazzling group whose motivations are always pure: Archer Daniels Midland, Bank of America, Cargill, BP, Coca-Cola, Monsanto and the list goes on. They’re selfless benefactors helping others and couldn’t be a front for corporations who want citizens to be their serfs.
That’s how propaganda is done. We’re bringing democracy to the heathens. One bright morning, free market values will be restored so the Venezuelan peasants, liberated from the tyranny of free healthcare and education, can get right with God again.
American politicians attach derogatory labels to things they wish to control to aide their efforts to own the subject; entitlement, death tax, assault rifle and right to life are a few. We’re told when you destroy manmade items its vandalism but when the boss destroys a forest its progress.
In America today, the wealthiest one percent of all Americans have a greater net worth than the bottom 90 percent combined. The main source of wealth inequality is political corruption and “our” centralized State that grants and supports monopolies. The “Gilded Age” was a warm up.
HSBC admitted to money laundering for drug cartels and violating American sanctions on several countries. They did it repeatedly for years, were caught, kept doing it and making profits. How many citizens went to prison during that time for possession of small amounts of drugs? What do you think about laws that send us to prison if we defy them, when big banks in America break them at will? Revolutions happen when injustice reaches the point that “big” people get to break the law while little people violating similar laws are locked up.
A “conspiracy theorist” is someone who notices things without official permission and “terrorists” are those who challenge the government monopoly on violence. The propaganda parakeets call the opposition in Syria, rebels but when it’s America invading, those rebels become insurgents and/or terrorists. Our war on terrorism is only on their terrorists, and no declarations of war needed.
America claims to be the “indispensable democratic nation,” as we violate our own laws, recreating the torture dungeons of medieval Europe. Few acknowledge the divide between the propaganda about our wonderfulness and what “our government” practices.
Our national pastime is war, control and don’t let facts get in the way. Now we’re watching the same vicious cowards that gave us the Iraq disaster, mongering war with Syria/Iran. If they fail, it will only be because we can’t afford a new war just now.
We’re told Iran is a danger to world peace but it’s not explained why; we have to attack them for being resistant to the empire.
No amount of military failure deters us from war, and no amount of oil floating in the ocean deters us from off-shore drilling. We’re the empire. Don’t say anything because you might draw attention to yourself, get arrested, face criticism, get called names and not be invited to the right parties.
Craig Dudley