I admit that when I heard about the "Orange Alert" I had a suspicion that the Department of Homeland Security was trying to get people into a pro-war hysteria. It just seemed too much like propaganda to me. I wasn't at all surprised to learn that the whole thing was bogus. The idea of a "dirty bomb" being set off in DC, New York or Boston on the 13th or 14th of February seemed a bit too convenient. This article from Salon does a pretty good job describing how the White House used the media as a propaganda machine to get the pro-war message out to the masses.
PLAYING THE "TERRORISM" CARD >> >>By Norman Solomon / Creators Syndicate >> >> These days, it's a crucial ace up Uncle Sam's sleeve "Terrorism" is >>George W. Bush's magic card. >> >> For 17 months now, the word has worked like a political charm for >>the Bush administration. Ever since the terrible crime against humanity >>known as 9/11, the White House has exploited the specter of terrorism to >>move the GOP's doctrinaire agenda. Boosting the military budget, cutting >>social programs and shredding civil liberties are well underway. ------ edited... you cannot post an entire article, please provide a link for the rest. Read the TOS
Re: Re: Orange Alert - pro-war propaganda? Because anyone who posts views contrary to the current administration should be silenced, right?
WHAT? This administration would never play politics with terror! I'm hoping some wise guy in the junta doesn't come up with the bright idea to stage a terrorist "attack." If they were human beings about it, they'd have them captured with a "bomb" before anyone was hurt, but knowing the Bush Administration they're probably picking some blue state metropolitan area to vaporize as we speak. I'm sort of lifting this idea from Vonnegut's "Deadeye Dick," which doesn't make it any less insanely paranoid. But then again, so is linking Saddam with 9/11.
I don't know that the administration is doing this (using terrorism alerts to drum up support and push other news off the front page), but its something to be concerned about. Clearly, Powell's ultra-lame attempt to connect Bin Laden's latest pronouncement to Iraq was conveniantly timed. By the way, not to seem conspiratorial, but does it seem strange that for the last year or more Powell has always being touted as the voice of "reason" and "moderation", and is now telling the most bald-faced lies? Clearly his speech to the UN was quite effective, much more effective (in influencing US public opinion) than if the same speech had been given by a known hawk (Rice or Cheney or Rumsfeld for instance). Was this all a pr scam? Was Powell ever really against the war? Something to think about.
A goverment is using information (propoganda) to manipulate the feelings of its citizens? No way. Propoganda is as old as government. People have always taken advantage of general naiveté of a population. Bush is doing it, Saddam is doing it, Bin Laden is doing it (and in no way am I comparing these men). Turning information to one's own advantage is the way to win a battle. Whether it be to motivate troops, strike fear into a population, or decieve an enemy; it is critical in a "war" such as the one in which the US is presently engaged. I, for one, take most things reported in the news regarding the present global situation with a grain of salt. As much as we would want to trust that our goverment is being honest with us, it is stupid to believe so. The world-wide problem is that people believe everything they read, and everything they see on television. Not just in our country, but all over the world. How quickly did the sentiment regarding the French and Germans change when they stood firm to their beliefs and denied support to the US and its other allies? They who control the information, by-in-large control how the populous under their governmenment thinks.
Re: Re: Re: Orange Alert - pro-war propaganda? No, but the fact that a leftist rag can't compete in the free market of public ideas is very telling.
> No, but the fact that a leftist rag can't compete > in the free market of public ideas is very telling. I agree, Ian. The idea of a liberal press is simply not supported by the facts.
Ian, it's not the Left-ness of Salon that's the problem, it's the internet-ness. Maybe I'm wrong, but there aren't any comparable right wing sites out there. They're all attached to magazines, like NRO, for example. I'll tell you, I can't recall any links presented here to a stand alone, right wing site that publishes so much original content, updated daily.
"I admit that when I heard about the "Orange Alert" I had a suspicion that the Department of Homeland Security was trying to get people into a pro-war hysteria. It just seemed too much like propaganda to me. I wasn't at all surprised to learn that the whole thing was bogus" We who live in NYC have been at "Orange Alert" the bogus alert as you say since 9/11. So nothing changed for us. Things still manage to go on here pretty well better then most places.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Orange Alert - pro-war propaganda? Leftist rag? Paging Camille Paglia, Ariania Huffington and David Horowitz....
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Orange Alert - pro-war propaganda? Uhh, Camille Paglia has admitted to voting for Clinton twice. While she often has moments of brilliance, she is still a liberal feminist. Arianna Huffington? Are you frigging kidding me? She has done a complete about face ever since she drove her husband to homosexuality, and is now an undaunted confused person. David Horowitz is cool, the neo-con quota.
> she drove her husband to homosexuality From my vantage point, living at the time in the district that elected Mike Huffington to his first and only elected position, it was clear at an early stage what was going on. Mike Huffington was rich because of his father Roy's Indonisian oil company. Roy got the stake because of his political connections, and continued to be very connected to the Republicans (being Ambassador to Austria during the Elder Bush years). He almost got Mike a position as assistant secretary of Commerce. Arianna wanted to hitch herself to a rising star. Here was a handsom, rich, connected, all-American man that was clearly going places. It would not be surprising at all to see him running for president. I don't think Arianna cared that he was gay. She and the other people pulling Mike's strings just wanted fame and power. When he lost to Feinstein, that put an end to their dreams - there are few second acts in modern politics. Now she will say anything to stay in the limelight. Not that I disagee with some of the things she is saying now.
Re: Re: Orange Alert - pro-war propaganda? Translation: truth, morality, and principle do not matter; information control is the end-all be-all of global leadership. "Welcome...to the real world."
Re: Re: Re: Orange Alert - pro-war propaganda? If you can refute the information reference, go right ahead. However, truth, morality, and principle still have their place in this world, and are very valuable. But you got one thing right, "Welcome to the real world."