Random musings and activities of a 30 something mom, potential sprint triathlete, vegetarian, dog and cat owner, and a evolving urban homesteader just trying to do the right thing in life for my daughter and the world around us. If the blog seems random, it's because life is and hits us all at 100mph.
Friday, June 09, 2006

PostHeaderIcon Being Spoon Fed by the Media?

originally posted on myspace.com on June 9, 2006


Ok, this is two blogs in one, though related.

The first part is disappointment that a story I feel is VERY important to the current war and the future of our military that is not being discussed. Secondly, is it not being discussed because of political power & the American public being spoon fed by those in control?

Or is this story simply not as important as I think it is?

The story I'm referring to is that the Pentagon has decided to take the Geneva Detainee rules from the military field manuals, because in a post-9/11 world, things must be done differently (so they say). Here is a partial quote and a link to the article:

"The Pentagon has decided to omit from new detainee policies a key tenet of the Geneva Convention that explicitly bans "humiliating and degrading treatment," according to knowledgeable military officials, a step that would mark a further, potentially permanent, shift away from strict adherence to international human rights standards."

Click Here to read whole story

I heard this on a short blurb on a local station, but have no seen it discussed AT ALL on CNN, or FOX, or on talk radio (that I have listened to). Shouldn't this be debated more
fiercely than the gay marriage amendment? I mean, we established that convention after ww2 and the atrocities that were experienced then. (here is a little background on the Geneva Convention if interested : Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. It's interesting)

This story has much bigger ramifications than the current war. How can the US decide it no longer has to play by international rules? We then become the outlaws and see ourselves above the law.


Interestingly, the government is able to convince Americans that this is in our best interest. How do they do that? Through use of political power and the media.

There are two main sources of political power (in my opinion). 1: mass opinion. 2: money.

Money can buy soldiers. Opinion can buy unity. Opinion, not money, should be the first and main tool at all times!

Today the media is controlled by the tempters, who gain money by means of what the mass likes to hear most. There is no simpler a goal, then the control of the media. One message can be copied and sent to millions of men, while millions of soldiers would be needed to oppress millions of men. Using the military to control the people is what the stupid leader does, as it is both costly and inefficient. Mobilization of opinion is hard to start, and hard to stop; it picks up momentum. An idea can become a religion, and religion people will die for and blindly defend.

The media of today is reminiscent to me of "newspeak" and "doublespeak" from Orwell's book 1984. In todays media those methods are being used with Americans. Here are a few examples:

1) When they kill, they're terrorists. When we kill, we're striking against terror.
2) When terrorists attack, they're terrorizing. When we attack, we're retaliating.
3) When people decry civilian deaths caused by the U.S. government, they're aiding propaganda efforts. But, when civilian deaths are caused by bombers who hate America, the perpetrators are evil and those deaths are tragedies.

Fifty-two years ago, Orwell wrote an essay titled "Politics and the English Language." Today, his words remain as relevant as ever: "In our time, political speech and writing are largely the defense of the indefensible."

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Quotes as I come across them......

“Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, an hour, a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it last forever.” ~~~Lance Armstrong

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." ~~~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

"I like running because it's a challenge. If you run hard, there's the pain----and you've got to work your way through the pain. You know, lately it seems all you hear is 'Don't overdo it' and 'Don't push yourself.' Well, I think that's a lot of bull. If you push the human body, it will respond." ~~~Bob Clarke, Philadelphia Flyers general manager, NHL Hall of Famer. (Will-Weber's "Voices From the Midpack" chapter.)

The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don’t define them, or ever seriously consider them as believable or achievable. Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them.~~~Denis Watley

Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not; it is the first lesson that ought to be learned; and however early a man's training begins, it is probably the last lesson that he learns thoroughly. ~~~Thomas H. Huxley (1825 - 1895)

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