By Timo Cerantola
When it comes to government and media, I don't know whom to trust anymore. I certainly don't trust ours - that's for sure.
I'll never understand or underestimate the public's ability to mindlessly buy into government/media spin. Whether it's about the economic crisis, America's war against all things un-American or a healthcare system that treats everyone equally bad, why haven't we collectively figured out that our politicians and their shilling corporate monkey media men are totally full of (insert appropriate foul word here)?
The "stolen" Iran election debacle for example, is very likely just another propaganda campaign directed from the highest levels to demonize, destabilize and eventually create a case for war against Iran.
As with any over-hyped media frenzy surrounding a political or social issue, my "BS meter" goes off the scale and I immediately suspect I'm being served up a healthy helping of misinformation and blatant lies.
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Whether it's about Iran's building nuclear weapons (Iran is building a nuclear power station) or the supposedly "stolen" Iranian election, the message from on high is that, we the people are supposed to be very, very afraid.
To me, it merely appears to be the next chapter in a series of dubious claims designed to set up Iran and prepare the population for a "military solution" to the serious "Iranian problem" we face.
I imagine any day now, the Ahmadinejad/Hitler comparisons will be made, followed by a call for war to fight for freedom, democracy and to save Iran (bomb their cities) from that evil dictatorial miscreant Ahmadinejad - who isn't even the guy in charge. (Ahmadinejad is just the face America's public is being taught to hate).
Over the years, the names of the countries change, but it's a tired old story that imperial America has spun for the last 60 or so years. And, with a dumbed-down, knuckle-dragging public that is greatly lacking in critical thinking skills (not to mention memory) it's an easy sell.
Next will come the "you're either with us or against us crowd" a sleazy group of flag waving "media patriots" who demand you send your sons and daughters off to fight the good war, whilst they cheer the troops, tie the yellow ribbons and stoke the fires of war from a safe distance. Patriotic media people who prefer to remain inside their TV studios where it's safe, next to their groupies, toupees and tele-prompters.
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