[B5JMS] Propaganda

[b5jms-admin at cs.columbia.edu]

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
From: "David Williams" <dwilliams298 at attbi.com>
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 2003 05:40:34 GMT
Lines: 42

Well........

Surfing during commercials for Whose Line..., I came across something that I
still can't quite wrap my brain around.

On the HISTORY channel, was a brand spankin' new American military
propaganda show called "U.S. Weapons", hosted by Arthur "Wooden-Face" Kent.
The show was all about showing off our latest weapons and military tech.
Now they have these kind of shows all the time.  But this one caught me
really off-guard.
Now get this, because this is the important part:

Listening to the narration, this show's theme was to show off all of the new
tech that WILL BE USED in the IMPENDING war with Iraq that WILL BE TAKING
PLACE SHORTLY!
No qualifiers.  No ifs, ands or buts.  Much to my surprise, the war has
already started.

Over and over they said things like, "This is the type of bomber we will
use, and here's where we're going to station them.  This is what their
mission will be, and this is the type of tech we will use.  Then, once we
get into Baghdad, we will switch to tactic A-B-C, etc."  The entire
narration was delivered like somebody discussing a project that was fully
approved and under-way.

I was bothered for two reasons:
1. This was the H-I-S-T-O-R-Y  channel.  I naively thought they were
supposed to educate their viewers on history, not serve as a blatant
propaganda machine for the history-makers in D.C. hell-bent on war.
2. This may be the first documentary I've seen that un-abashedly refers to a
FUTURE war that WILL take place, as if it's inevitable.

Now, if this was an on-the-spot news report, it'd be one thing.  But this
show has clearly been in the works for quite some time, and just waiting for
a green light to air.  If the tone of this show is any indicator, I think we
can count on the war starting this weekend.

I don't know if I'm making my point clear, but my disgust just leaves me....





=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
From: jmsatb5 at aol.com (Jms at B5)
Date: 16 Jan 2003 19:48:23 GMT
Lines: 40

>Listening to the narration, this show's theme was to show off all of the new
>tech that WILL BE USED in the IMPENDING war with Iraq that WILL BE TAKING
>PLACE SHORTLY!
>No qualifiers.  No ifs, ands or buts.  Much to my surprise, the war has
>already started.

Of course it has.

Lemme break this down a bit....

First, we've been carrying out an increasing number of air strikes and sorties
against Iraqi targets toward the North for over a year.  So in that sense,
we're already in action.

Second the sheer cost factor in moving a couple hundred thousand troops from
here to there is so huge that you can't and don't do that unless you intend to
use them.  You don't put that much force in place and then not use them.  

Bush and company are going in no matter what is or isn't found in Iraq.  And
they'll go in next month, almost certainly.  Because, as noted, this has really
little or nothing to do with terrorism; the intent is to redraw the map of the
Middle East.  Nothing more, nothing less.

The "war" will last maybe a couple of weeks.  If that.  

The repercussions...those will go on for decades.

As a Brit once said of World War II, "The duration's gonna be a lot longer than
the war, mate."

 jms

(jmsatb5 at aol.com)
(all message content (c) 2003 by synthetic worlds, ltd., 
permission to reprint specifically denied to SFX Magazine 
and don't send me story ideas)