While the United States offers many opportunities for the dedicated reader to pursue the truth regarding world affairs, this does not mean either that this pursuit will be easy or the government wants to aid your quest for knowledge. The major corporate sources of news are interwoven into the military-informational-media complex. During the last few decades the concentration of power in this formerly independent industry has been mind-boggling. When competition is reduced in the marketplace of ideas truth becomes a commodity rather than a pursuit. Unfortunately, "Don't Believe Them" by Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr. comes as no surprise. [http.//www.lewockwell.com/Rockwell/mccaffrey.html] Especially, since the focus of his presentation, the Persian Gulf War represents one of the greatest triumphs of government secrecy. [The Art of Deception: Gulf War- http://www.thegrid.net/clear/gulf.htm ]
Whatever credibility the media had retained was lost or at least severely damaged by its actions during "Desert Storm." Buying into the myth that the media had cost the United States its victory in Vietnam, the once independent "Fourth Estate" buckled under to the military's rules of intellectual engagement and watched the war on CNN. Without the presence of an assertive, even annoying press corps, truth was molded by the political and military machinations of the Bush/Schwarzkopf/Powell troika. The whole coverage of the events leading up to the conflict, the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait, the effectiveness of sanctions and the prowess of American weapons technology left a great deal to be desired.
Rockwell's reference to Seymour Hersh's accusation (New Yorker Magazine) that General McCaffrey ordered the slaughter of retreating Iraqi troops does not seem implausible. After all, our mission was to kill the enemy. "White-washed" internal military investigations are not always the product of a sincere search for truth. The absence of a press free to investigate allegations reduces the government's credibility even further. The disturbing, yet intriguing question is why the public expresses so little outrage.
These episodes of government "exaggeration" appear to be following the same patterns. Many times the initial problem is overstated coupled with assurances that we have no intention of involvement. The next step engages American logistical and technical support and before you can say "New World order" we are fully involved. The enemy is vilified and the rare journalist who questions this metamorphosis is deemed to be a "fellow traveler of Lucifer." Our newest expensive military programs perform beyond expectations and all objectives are achieved.
Once the dust settles, stories begin to leak out that official version was based upon overly optimistic assessments of post battle evaluations. (D.O.D. jargon translated out to mean most bombs missed their targets,) An excellent example of the "misinterpretation" of battlefield victories was the glowing reports on Patriot missile performance during and after the Gulf War. (The House Committee on Governmental Operation-Assessment of Patriot Missile system during the Gulf War- http://www.stimson.org/rd-table/patriot.... ) The Introductory paragraph of the executive summary states it the best: "Performance of the Patriot Missile in the Gulf War.
Go To Page: 1 2
| Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: | View all related messages |
For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to Glenn Hameroff's Research Tools topic, please visit the Discussions page.