8.14.2003
It boggles the mind
I'll have little or no computer access for a week or nine days so I imagine I'll blog very little.
My copy of In These Times came yesterday- "Psyops" is the theme. Read "How to Sell a War".
“I am not a national security strategist or a military tactician,” Rendon said. “I am a politician, and a person who uses communication to meet public policy or corporate policy objectives. In fact, I am an information warrior and a perception manager.” He reminded the Air Force cadets that when victorious troops rolled into Kuwait City at the end of the first war in the Persian Gulf, they were greeted by hundreds of Kuwaitis waving small American flags. The scene, flashed around the world on television screens, sent the message that U.S. Marines were being welcomed in Kuwait as liberating heroes.
“Did you ever stop to wonder,” Rendon asked, “how the people of Kuwait City, after being held hostage for seven long and painful months, were able to get hand-held American, and for that matter, the flags of other coalition countries?” He paused for effect. “Well, you now know the answer. That was one of my jobs then.”
It goes on to say
The paradox of the American war in Iraq, however, is that perception management has been much more successful at “influencing the emotions, motives, and objective reasoning” of the American people than it has been at reaching “foreign audiences.”
further on
A 1998 U.S. Air Force manual titled Information Operations, which includes a section titled “Psychological Operations,” states: “There is a growing information infrastructure that transcends industry, the media, and the military, and includes both government and nongovernment entities. It is characterized by a merging of civilian and military information networks and technologies. … In reality, a news broadcast, a diplomatic communiqué, and a military message ordering the execution of an operation all depend on the [global information infrastructure].” In this environment, psyops “are designed to convey selected information and indicators to foreign leaders and audiences to influence their emotions, motives, objective reasoning, and ultimately their behavior,” while “military deception misleads adversaries, causing them to act in accordance with the originator’s objectives.” Indeed, it says, quoting Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu, “All warfare is based on deception.”
More than anybody else, it was the American public who was deceived by administration’s psyops—a covert disinformation campaign that was directed at the American people
The article excerpts the Rampton and Stauber book "Weapons of Mass Deception". Read it, buy it, suggest it to your local library. I have given 5 copies of their earlier work "Trust Us- We're Experts" as gifts because everyone needs to know what they are sharing. Corporate proffesionals are doing all they can to pollute our mental environments and influence our attitudes for their ends. Read how it is done, how insidious and ubiquitous these PR folks and their thought scams are in our everyday media life.
Reading the In these Times article will show you just what a scam the whole Attack Iraq scheme was from begining to end. Talk to people about this; it is the opposite of Democracy- people will see that right away. A Patriot, an American doesn't want to be manipulated by corporate hacks- that is not at all consonant with any concept that embraces "The Land of the Free, the Home of the Brave". Folks need to be awoken to the fact that the present regime is a bunch of slick, anti-Democratic flim-flam men, Carnival Barkers for a corrupt moneyed elite whose product is Death. The death of our American ideals, of our liberties and way of life, of our natural world. Of human decency. And finally of our children and ourselves.
It is easy for we regular people, we "little" people to choose life. That is what we are. So hug your loved ones, appreciate the wind on your cheek and the warmh of the sun and get this information out there! Life is what we are fighting for. And the dignity that goes with being human. Let's take our country back.
8/14/2003
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Go visit Tom Tomarrow at This Modern World and buy his latest book "The Great Big Book of Tomarrow".
I owe Tom Tomarrow a special thank you. After reading his strip in numerous papers and magazines, seeing his art on the covers of PR Watch creator's books as well as books from the Center for Popular Economics ( my Economics alma mater) I thought to check out his website. That is how I learned of blogs and blogging, and through his links of Ruminate This, Eschaton, skippy the bush kangaroo.
Thank you Tom. You've touched my life.
And your new book is hot!
8/14/2003
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