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CounterPunch
March 13,
2003
Guns, Oil and Drugs
In G.O.D. We
Trust
by WENDY BRINKER
"In the space age, the village idiot
rules."
- Iggy Pop
Okay, so we ceased to be a democracy in December
of 1999 when the White House was usurped, but the larger esoteric
question that burns is how could a human being of such mediocre
caliber rise to power and in one pivotal moment in time, take
the good will the world felt for America after 9-11, a moment
of peace and empathy that could have galvanized the entire planet,
and shove it right back up the world's ass? And we stand helpless
to the affront.
We're barreling towards the cliff's edge
and there's nothing to grab onto. What is shocking is the number
of people in this country that seem to think everything's okay.
I guess when you're looking down from the lofty heights at the
top of the socio-economic food chain; it's difficult to discern
all those dots on the map as human beings. Besides, Saddam's
the only guy living in Iraq anyway. Support your troops is the
war cry of every "good" American, but it's really just
a euphemism for support mass murder for vast oil deposits and
imperialism, but hey, who's going to stop us?
Why, this war is just a question of divine
providence. Much like when we handed the indigenous Indians pox-laden
blankets and they were all but wiped out. It's god's will that
we should take this land, and by god, it's our god-given right
to avenge any horrible deed and if you don't actually commit
one, by god, we'll invent one. We're blessed, we're Americans.
This country's psyche received a traumatic
blow with the terrorist attacks, and now, left unchecked, it's
really sick - paranoid and a danger to itself and others. And
it's being further manipulated by real life Simon Bar Sinisters
who want to rule the world. Defense contractors, oil barons and
pharmaceutical companies and their merchants are licking their
chops at the prospects - in the name of god and country, of course.
The highest law enforcement official
in the land, the enforcer of all that is good and sacred is a
holy roller Pentecostal that anoints his feet and refuses to
dance (maybe there's a connection). He espouses that anyone opposing
U.S. military actions is supporting terrorism and in league with
"evil doers" and shall face certain ruin. Surely he
must be dancing a little jig late at night when no one's looking
as he's stuffing the Bill of Rights through the paper shredder.
Riding down America's highways you see
the phrase "God Bless America" and American flags adorning
store windows, changeable letter boards, t-shirts and bumpers.
Every gas guzzling SUV vying to cut you off at the Super Wal-Mart
entrance proudly displays a plastic old glory flapping in the
wind. They have to pick up their Prozac and swiffer sweepers
and get home in time to find out who gets voted off Survivor.
The kids, the ones set to inherit our
good fortune, are strapped in the back, along for the ride. Their
primary sources of body and soul nourishment and mental stimulation
now come from fast food, Ritalin and Play Station 2. The pharmaceutical
companies, goliaths of capitalism, are inventing diseases and
cures for the little tikes as fast as they can name them, not
to mention the economic shots they get every time the color-coded
alert scale moves from yellow to orange.
And there's the guy sporting the mullet
in the pickup with the NRA and confederate flag sticker on the
back window. He's always looking to kick somebody's ass, why
not Saddam's or Bin Laden's. Everywhere you turn, it's surreal.
It's like the last scene in Invasion of the Body Snatchers -
Donald Sutherland is going to point at me any second now and
make that horrible sound! Must stay calm
Why does this mass ignorance plague us
so? Because America still believe there exists in corporate media
journalistic integrity. But how can that be when the NBC Nightly
News is broadcast every night from the General Electric building,
one of the country's largest defense contractors. The FCC, who
regulates and issues broadcast licenses to all media outlets,
is headed by Michael Powell, son of General Colin Powell, who
has a definite interest in how the "War on Terror"
is being reported. Sheep tending's easy when the fences are all
built in the minds of the herd.
The "Big Lie" technique was
popularized by Josef Goebbels, the Nazi minister of propaganda,
who believed that people would believe anything, no matter how
blatantly false, as long as it was repeated consistently and
confidently. The rules of propaganda are simple and timeless
and they are taking them straight out of the book: Use repetitive
phrases that short circuit thinking and have emotional appeal
to the audience and arouse feelings in favor or against a group
or person. Oversimplify complex theories and causes of events
and cite lofty reasons to justify your own actions. Many statements
are made where the conclusion does not necessitate the premise.
The White House and their stenographers
repeatedly refer to anyone opposing an invasion as being part
of the "Axis of Evil". The administration insists there
are ties between Bin Laden and Saddam, however, no proof of that
exists. In fact, Bin Laden is on record calling Saddam an infidel.
Bush's statement "A war on Iraq will bring peace to the
region" is completely non sequitur. Surely a spin even Goebbels
would be proud. The entire so-called "war on terror"
is a Big Lie. What is involved is detective work in order to
find Al Qaeda. The "war" is an excuse to give Dumbya
dictatorial powers. If the UN Security Council does not sustain
an invasion of Iraq, the heads of states that send their troops
into Iraq illegally should have UN warrants issued for them as
war criminals. If Bush invades Iraq illegally, unless he declares
himself president-for-life or declares permanent martial law,
when he is soundly defeated in 2004, he should be handed over
to the UN for prosecution.
It's going to be a rough ride folks.
Hopefully we will emerge from this intact, but the new world
order is here for now. Here are a few ways we might be able to
ride the storm out.
1. Turn off your television IMMEDIATELY!
Reserve viewing privileges for old sci-fi movies and gangster
serials. You might pick up some helpful tips.
2. Be counted. VOTE, demonstrate, write
letters and engage people in conversation.
3. Get your news from reliable Internet
sites and independent media. Avoid "news" reports where
"Showdown with Iraq" graphics fly in like it's the
Super Bowl. This can impede the digestive process.
4. Shop and consume thoughtfully and
conscientiously. Think about whom you give your money to. Are
they bane of the planet? Is their product really necessary and
is it really helping you?
5. Hold a vision of peace as a real
possibility. To argue or fight or kill each other over the abstract
truths of propagandists is insanity. Once the reigns of reason
and hope have been surrendered, we are all in grave danger. And
if a mutant dog with a human head runs up to you on the street,
act like it's no big deal and keep walking. Must stay calm...
Wendy Brinker
is a writer and film-maker from South Carolina. Visit her excellent
website at www.meridiangraphics.net.
She can be reached at: wbrinker@turnipseed.net
Yesterday's
Features
Bill and Kathleen Christison
On
the Road to Iraq: First Stop Amman
Uri Avnery
An Approaching Emergency
Ray Close
A CIA
Analyst on Forging Intelligence
Michael Neumann
An
Unfounded Rush to Cynicism: a Rebuttal of Perry Anderson
Gary Leupp
Bush's
"Press" Conference
Kurt Nimmo
Perle's Slurs: Smearing Sy Hersh
Terry Jones
Bush
Goes in for the Kill
CounterPunch Wire
Vietnam 2 Pre-Flight Check
Alexander Cockburn
What Will the US Find If It Invades Iraq?
Robert Fisk
Blix
Undermines Bush War Plan
Website of the Day
The
Blix Report
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