The National Media:
The Establishment's Propaganda Machine

This is the beginning page of an unsettling account of Propaganda in America – written in 1990 – following our Invasion of Panama – employing the media's coverage of the event as a prime example of distortion of facts. Unfortunately nothing has changed much since then in terms of the national media. However bless the unrestricted flow of information on the Internet.

National Ignorance of Central American Politics?

or

Those Rapacious Baldheads

"We’ve got to drive those crazy baldheads out of the town."

                          ---Bob Marley & the Wailers

The ‘Baldheads’ are those rapacious international businessmen that exploit local economies for their raw materials & cheap labor. Everyone is talking about it – 'everyone' except the general American Public. 'It' is the American economic & political exploitation of Central America, South America & in fact the entire world.

Bob Marley sings about this phenomenon from Jamaica. Che Guevara talks about the United States being the head of the Beast from all over South America. He exhorts his followers to fight the Beast here in America at the head of its corruption rather than attempting to attack the tail in the South.

In 100 Years of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez of Colombia tells a poignant story of a thriving Indian village driven to dust by a combination of factors including the American ‘baldhead’ businessmen manipulating local politics for their gain & the community's loss. They exert so much monetary & military influence that they actually make it illegal to oppose them, the baldheads. Of course they bring in the military to enforce their rules.

"It makes me embarrassed to be an American,” says the awakening Public.

"Why is that? We're only protecting American business rights against those dirty Communists that are trying to take over the world," slobbers the slimy Politician. Reeking of dead bodies he is emotionally crippled by the guilt of responsibility for the lost dreams of entire generations – his Soul so distorted by the lust for power & greed that he can only think about another Vote to satisfy his need to dominate the Planet.

The American businessman's dollar sign eyes filter all experience through the almighty economic spreadsheet. Half pennies extended over a global constituency in the hundreds of millions make fortunes for the handful at the top. The dollar signs that obscure their vision don't allow them to see the abject suffering created by their dirty tricks throughout a hemisphere – actually the entire planet.

Why are Americans generally unaware of their international behavior? Read on for details of the greatest cover-up you can ever imagine.

The Theory behind the Propaganda

or

The Irresistible Economics of Greed

Noahm Chomsky speaks eloquently of the blindness of the American public to their international image due to the controlled aspect of the national press in a well-researched book, Manufacturing Consent. Why is the United States Press a National Suppress rather than a Voice of Truth? The Word is normally used as a sword – cutting through falsehood, revealing corruption & greed. What about our vaunted liberal press noted for deposing King Richard Nixon by exposing the dirty tricks of Watergate?

Following is a brief examination of the theory behind the idea that the national press is a propaganda instrument of the Federal Government, which is a tool of Big Business, which is, of course, intimately connected with the Defense Industry and the Army, which, defends them and provides them with spectacular profits.

1. First the national press is Big Business with assets in the Billions of dollars. Self-criticism has never been one of humankind’s stronger attributes.

2. Furthermore the National Press relies upon Big Business to pay its bills via Advertising. ‘He who pays the piper calls the tune’ & ‘Don't bite the hand that feeds you’ are a few of the proverbs that come to mind. It is not in the best interests of the national media, i.e. magazines, newspapers, & television, to criticize their Sponsors.

3. Third the national press relies heavily upon the Government to supply its news. Not having the manpower to cover everything the media must rely upon the government for a substantial amount of its information. They don't care that this information is distorted in favor of Big Business, as they are Big Business.

4. Finally comes the economic motivation of the reporters, themselves. Our political radicals are not sent to a physical Siberia. Instead they are banished to an economic Siberia. Mainstream Politicians, Journalists, & TV Media People regularly command salaries in the 6 Digit vicinity, hundreds of thousands a year, with a 7 digit potential, not to mention the perks. In contrast those out of these mainstream jobs have salaries in the 5-digit vicinity, an order of magnitude less. So these heartless donkeys don't have to be too bright to realize the advantages of mainstream politics or the very real disadvantages of speaking out against:

1. The Newspaper itself, his boss,

2. The Sponsors who pay his salary, or

3. The Government which gives him the stories that his bosses like to hear.

 

Excommunication is the worst punishment of all. And once ostracized from the mainstream there are rarely any second chances. With these economic punishments who wouldn't be loath to pursue Truth over mainstream Dogma. After all Reporters are only Human – regularly pursuing their best interests at the expense of others.

Summarizing: International and national information goes through these major 'filters' before reaching us in our small town newspaper.

1. The Press is Big Business, which will certainly not stab itself or those of like kind.

2. The Sponsors, who are Big Business, must be appeased because it is they who pay the bills.

3. The Government, who supplies the bulk of the information to the press, is pro-Big Business because it is the Biggest Business of all.

4. The Reporters must repeat the party line if they are to receive their corporate promotions.

As to the vaunted liberal press, Richard Nixon in 1973, Noriega in 1989, were puppets that no longer served any purpose. Richard Nixon had become ineffective – unable to push the agenda of the Rich, & unpopular – giving Big Business a bad name. Manuel Noriega had double-crossed the people, who had set him up – turning on the snakes that had spawned him – an unforgivable sin. In Nixon's case, he remained loyal to the end and they set him down gently allowing him to live the rest of his life a multi-millionaire in luxury palaces in Southern California. Because Noriega double crossed them but knew too much, he just disappeared.

Establishment Myths & the Advantages of Parroting

The National Media provides a real public service to those on the way up the Hierarchy by generating the propaganda of the Establishment Party. It tells them the ideas they are supposed to believe if they are to climb the corporate ladder. Those who don’t mind crushing others in their rise to the top parrot the ideas and opinions that are provided by the Press to their bosses, who parrot to the boss above them and so on to the leaders at the top, These executives are very happy indeed because it showed that their propaganda machine worked perfectly. The parrots are rewarded accordingly.

So what are the Myths that the Establishment is trying to propagate?

First, a few definitions:

The Establishment: the complex of government, business, military, & regrettably the news media that directly benefits from the exploitation of poor people all over the world. Unfortunately most of us fall into this category, including myself.

       Myths: In this specialized definition, those ideas and images of ourselves propagated by the media to create a positive image of Government & Business before the Great American Public, the Voter.

Now a few of the more prevalent myths:

      1. America is a peace loving nation.

      2. America is a friend of the People.

      3. America helps third world countries establish democracies all over the planet.

      4. America extends to these countries the same personal liberties that we take for granted here in the USA.

      5. Communism threatens our system of free enterprise, so we should stamp it out.

      6. Accordingly the countries we choose to protect are struggling to establish a democracy against Communist-inspired terrorism.

Panamanian Myth: America the beautiful has liberated Panama from an evil dictator. All the Panamanians are overjoyed to see us, because their personal liberties have been restored. This relates to the myth that we extend our own personal freedoms to our allies.

The Social Security Myth: The Government is collecting extra taxes to save for our future.

The El Salvador myth: This is a small country struggling to establish a democracy while valiantly fighting off the forces of evil – Communism inspired by Cuba & Russia.

 

Following are some concrete examples to unfortunately support these assertions. Note that our sources are not radical left wing publications. Most of the information contained in these articles comes from our very own Santa Barbara New Press, an affiliate of the New York Times, and a mainstream Almanac. Although the information which points to the truth is there, it is highly filtered and disguised – only reported on the back pages – at the end of a long article – preceded by a distorting headline – mentioned once & never again – de-emphasized when they first appear. The techniques to distort the truth are myriad – dazzling in their splendor.

Proceed at your own risk. The reality is painful for those of us with unchained Hearts.

Beware the Red Dust

Note: the assertion that the National Media is a Propaganda Machine for the Establishment is not intended to be inflammatory – generating anger or outrage. Instead it is issued as a warning – such as ‘Caution: Slippery Payment: Dangerous when Wet’. In this case – ‘Beware of believing what you read or are shown by the Media. It can lead to needless anxiety, anger, depression, mob mentality and/or hysteria – which is frequently detrimental to the infested party as well as those in the immediate vicinity. Definitely an infectious disease.’

The antidote to the poison is wu wei – non-action in the midst of action. Root internally. Resist the directives or reacting emotionally to their content. Certainly don’t get overwhelmed by a feeling of outrage - as it could paralyze life’s progress. Instead view the Establishment as the opponent who is attempting to unbalance us with its propaganda – exploit us through our emotions. To counteract their directives cultivate a state of emotionless awareness – the optimal state for defensive combat. Don’t allow them to manipulate us through anger, fear, arrogance or even confidence. Establish a state of awareness through daily periods of quietude. It is imperative to stay focused and alert to avoid calamity. ‘Think globally. Act locally.’

The Taoists call this cultural conditioning ‘red dust’ because it is continually generated by those around us, the newspapers, magazines, and TV. Beware the red dust, as it leads to reactive behavior – momentum without intentionality – the automatic response of the Amygdala without the Frontal Lobe to temper it.

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