Propaganda [View all]

[sheshe2]

If you haven't already read Bob Cesca's post this morning titled I'll stop Writing about Glenn Greenwald's NSA Coverage When He Stops Lying, please do so. I ditto everything he said.

I’ll Stop Writing About Glenn Greenwald’s NSA Coverage When He Stops Lying
By Bob Cesca · August 05,2013 Print Friendly | 1863 Views | Politics

On Sunday’s edition of This Week with George Stephanopoulos, Greenwald’s second This Week appearance in a row, he repeated this exaggeration to guest host Martha Radditz:

“Well I think the concern is that whistleblowers in the United States have become the number one public enemy of the United States government, which is incredibly disturbing. McClatchy has been reporting great things about how the Obama administration equates whistleblowing with treason, with all kinds of programs. [...] Whistleblowers in the United States are put into prison for decades and basically disappeared, as we just saw with Bradley Manning…”

Once again, no, there haven’t been any “whistleblowers” under the Obama administration who’ve been imprisoned for “decades.” They’re not the “number one public enemy,” either, unless you dig way, way, way down the list of U.S. enemies beneath the thousands of people, both foreign and domestic, who are seeking to kill Americans, assassinate the president and overthrow our government. Nor have these “whistleblowers” been “disappeared.” Even if Manning goes to jail for decades, there’s no evidence that he’ll be “disappeared” — a word that’s traditionally reserved for sinister, covert kidnappings in which a suspect is grabbed and hauled off in total secrecy and prevented from alerting anyone to his whereabouts or from petitioning for habeas corpus. Extremist language used by a compulsive exaggerator.

Furthermore, Greenwald continues to conflate legitimate whistleblowers with men who’ve leaked national security secrets, generally either to the press or to foreign governments. Based on the fact that the president signed the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act in 2012, he’s clearly used his authority as a means of encouraging government workers to come forward through proper channels and expose anyone who’s engaged in waste, fraud or abuse.

http://thedailybanter.com/2013/08/ill-stop-writing-about-glenn-greenwalds-nsa-coverage-when-he-stops-lying/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ill-stop-writing-about-glenn-greenwalds-nsa-coverage-when-he-stops-lying&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

SNIP

First of all...their argument is weak and needs to be buttressed to be heard. The use of hyperbolic propaganda tells us that the purveyors think the recipients are ignorant and need to be manipulated.

Secondly, this kind of propaganda is always meant to instill fear. People react when they're afraid. The trouble is, most often they are attracted to the wrong solutions. Witness Bush/Cheney in the aftermath of 9/11.

I don't take kindly to manipulation and fear-mongering. But that's the kind of propaganda that Greenwald is engaging. And so I agree with Cesca, as long as he's being given a platform for that nonsense, I'll be responding.

http://immasmartypants.blogspot.com/2013/08/propaganda.html

In conclusion, President Obama wrote about his response to this kind of thing years ago.

FRI SEP 30, 2005 AT 07:38 AM PDT
Tone, Truth, and the Democratic Party
byBarack ObamaFollowforDaily Kos

And I firmly believe that whenever we exaggerate or demonize, or oversimplify or overstate our case, we lose. Whenever we dumb down the political debate, we lose. A polarized electorate that is turned off of politics, and easily dismisses both parties because of the nasty, dishonest tone of the debate, works perfectly well for those who seek to chip away at the very idea of government because, in the end, a cynical electorate is a selfish electorate.

[Our goal should be to stick to our guns on those core values that make this country great, show a spirit of flexibility and sustained attention that can achieve those goals, and try to create the sort of serious, adult, consensus around our problems that can admit Democrats, Republicans and Independents of good will. This is more than just a matter of "framing," although clarity of language, thought, and heart are required. It's a matter of actually having faith in the American people's ability to hear a real and authentic debate about the issues that matter.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/09/30/153069/-Tone-Truth-and-the-Democratic-Party#

http://immasmartypants.blogspot.com/2013/08/propaganda.html
Read more at the links.