(554 Obama-dumping days until 2012 election-Hugh's Obama's Scandals List)
Mike Whitney has one of the best takes I have read about Osama Bin Laden’s alleged demise. (For what it is worth, I didn’t think Osama was still alive. I still entertain this as a possibility, given the phenomenal degree of lying the Obama administration and military have committed.)
Whitney writes:
What does matter, however, is the way that bin Laden has been used to expunge 200 years of American history, eviscerate the Bill of Rights, mobilize the country for perpetual war, and elevate the president to supreme leader. That matters to me, and I think it should matter to you, too.
[snip]
“In the Nov-Dec 1998 issue of Foreign Affairs he (Zelikow) co-authored an article called ‘Catastrophic Terrorism’ in which he speculated that if the 1993 bombing of the World Trade center had succeeded ‘the resulting horror and chaos would have exceeded our ability to describe it. Such an act of catastrophic terrorism would be a watershed event in American history. ‘It could involve loss of life and property unprecedented in peacetime and undermine America’s fundamental sense of security, as did the Soviet bomb test in 1949. The US might respond with draconian measures scaling back civil liberties, allowing wider surveillance of citizens, detention of suspects and use of deadly force.” (Wikipedia)
Zelikow’s article presumes that if one creates his own “searing event”, he can steer public opinion in whatever direction he chooses. It's just a matter of the state and media working together to maintain a consistent storyline. And, western media has done a stand-up job in this regard, never veering from the official narrative and never allowing anyone who disputes the prevailing storyline to appear on the major news programs.
So, how does bin Laden fit into all this? The fact is, Bin Laden is just an inconsequential cog in the mighty machinery of state propaganda. This has more to do with "perception management" than terrorism. Bin Laden just provides a credible rationale for pursuing policies that are contrary to the public's interest. Any Hollywood-type villain would have done just as well. (Although it does help that he's a Muslim and 75% of the world's remaining oil reserves are located in countries that are predominantly Islamic)
Bin Laden has got to be the most successful psychological operation (psy ops) of all time. Propaganda works, that's clear, although maybe not as its authors intended. The real effect of fear-mongering and repetition are far more subtle, like water on a stone. After years of listening to the same tedious refrain, the public's mood gradually darkens as they succumb to the idiocy of demagogues. And that's what's happened here. They've just worn us out. People are sick of the whole damn thing and can't be bothered anymore.
Bin Laden is scary, all right, like the dinner guest who won't go home until the last drop of wine is drunk and you can barely keep your eyes open. But is that scary or just boring?
You know, once you discern the forest from the trees’ psy-ops mass manipulation of your fellow citizens, it is hard not to live over a vomit bucket. Institutional mass evil is a genuinely sickening assault to the human spirit. The moral and unconstitutional outrages have been coming fast and furiously during this past dark and deadly decade.
Given the moral compass-lessness and capacity for non-stop lying of the Obama administration, with this latest “media phenomenon” I smell a super-powered RAT. I am not talking about bin Laden. I am talking about the possibility of a military-enabled invention for an election. An election, as well any other aggrandizing opportunities to be made by the exploiting “gifted for mendacity” powers that be and their enabling cronies. You know, sneaky little things, like launching a war or two?
Sliding Osama’s body into the sea -- out of “respect for Muslim law” -- that is rich. Are they doing all they can to encourage conspiracy theorists? Maybe. I am sure there is a payoff there. Maybe so they can later apply the proverbial tin foil hats on people like me. Maybe they are just so stupid in their arrogance and rush to reach their goals and get on with the next toxic agenda item. Stupidity or steroidal evil? I guess they come together often. And too often win, at least for a hellishly long time. The Afghanistan War is failing. One of the reasons, because the tax dollars our government has ruthlessly used on war frequently wind up enabling the very insurgents killing our troops. Is that pattern an indication of incompetence, deliberateness and/or the irrelevance of human welfare, any humans', to our evil overlords? All of the above I would say.
No wonder the Obama administration and military are relentlessly ritualistically torturing Bradley Manning for the alleged (though Obama has cavalierly and anti-constitutionally announced Manning is guilty) Wikileaks releases given the institutionalized sociopathology they reveal. Sadly, most of zombie America is still clueless about the US as a profoundly war criminal nation. Too intellectually lazy, amorally or economically-desperate narcissistic and/or ferociously dedicated to denial -- maybe to TEAM Dem or Repub -- or TEAM African American -- or TEAM authoritarian-powered personalities over character -- to fathom the phenomenal degree of moral and legal law-breaking going on within our corporate-captured government.
I think the Obama administration, as the Bush administration, is capable of saying ANYTHING for political aggrandizement. ANYTHING. Bush et al. liked the shadows more. Obama likes to do his magic acts of mendacity out front, flashing the disarming smile. A bigger adrenalin thrill I have heard that the morally-challenged enjoy. Though, thinking back, Bush seemed to enjoy the same rush at times. His wink wink was more apparent. Obama plays the cards deftly closer to his chest and that is even more crazymaking to his dizzied marks.
I am still recovering from the “gobsmacking mendacity” of the latest PR rape/Viagara slander bomb to launch a full-out war with Libya. What happened to that? Was it swallowed as massively and quickly as the alleged Viagara tabs?
But just in case that awesome US-disseminated in the very halls of the UN slander didn’t work well enough, the bin Laden circus will distract the citizenry at home just long enough for the US and NATO to criminally bomb the shit out of another country for corporatism profit.
Wow, are we being collectively played! Obama is one lousy president for the citizenry but as a perpetual con-artist candidate, a p.r. genius. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, he can’t really govern a nation in spite of the remote and wise community organizer bipartisan spin. But, whew, his resume sure rocks and continues to expand. Presidency. First Black President. Nobel Peace Prize. Capture of Bin Laden. Oprah’s bud.
Too bad he is also a prime agent of destroying the lives of the lower economically secure 99% living creatures of the planet. At this he is a HUGE SUCCESS. A+ for destruction. A+ for being the best tool of oligarchy ever to come down the pike. And how the dog and pony show between Obama and the right has effectively disenfranchised any annoying people of conscience still existing in America. Obama as catalyst of destruction gets ignored, as he is enabled because he is at the same time a genuine victim of media-encouraged jingoism and racism. How brilliant a play on tunnel-visioned, cherry-picking faux-progressives!
Now the corporate media is buzzing about Obama’s spike in 2012 political capital. How there is probably no one to his right capable of defeating him.
Anyone to his LEFT, one might ask? Or maybe not in 2011 America.
Do you think this is still a democracy? Do you think the citizens of this ex-democracy have the wit to fathom the Good Germanhood pen they have been herded into? Especially with a crazymaking disinforming media blasting at them 24/7.
I suppose the Good Germanhood pen is physically more comfortable than the ones Manning and his heroic ilk are in. Physically if not spiritually.
Over 1 million people have been killed and 4 million displaced since Bush et al. decided to make the 9/11 tragic attack not a police action but a MILITARY action, which meant insanely waging wars to destroy two countries, neither of which the bogeyman Osama and his entourage came from. The total of soldier deaths in Afghanistan, by the way, has doubled in the short time since Obama has been in office, so don’t suggest he is just a poor guy trying to clean up the mess. Mr. End the Wars to win the election, Mr. Drone-Happy Military Escalation Imperialist post-election.
This small detail of waging pre-emptive trojan horse for profit war to deal with what should have been a police action in which the yet to be demonized Taliban in Pakistan was actually ready to cooperate with and hand over a bin Laden for trial -- but a war-determined Bush said “F*ck you” to that -- never seemed to be a biggie to those in power. Maybe to Feingold and Kucinich and a few others you could count on one hand. Realpolitick won’t make it to the mass media and will not be uttered by 99.9% of our oath-taking faux-representatives in the White House or in Congress -- national or state I am now cynically thinking.
We talk about the lobby-loading millions and billions our elected representatives have garnered handing over America to the kleptocrats. But when you really consider the value of a human soul, I’m thinking they seriously under-sold.
[cross-posted at correntewire and sacramento for democracy]
Obama seems to assume we have really short memories. Fox News declared him dead in Dec 2001. See link:
http://www.healthsmartsantafe.com//media/1715/FOX_NEWS_says_Osama_was_dead_since_2001/
http://www.healthsmartsantafe.com//media/1715/FOX_NEWS_says_Osama_was_dead_since_2001/
yes, the propaganda continues. I am not sure yet what to make of this latest event. I think the propaganda/warmachine will have to fabricate some new villain. but it seems to take years to pull that off. I am not sure there are good candidates lined up right now. so there could be a short reprieve. another possibility is a new 911 type event. by the way, I highly recommend looking into 911 truth. you are inches away from it. lots of links in my post "comprehensive links on 911"
Watching Obama, the politicians and the media is like watching the same group of crazy people playing tennis against themselves with us thoroughly powerless in the nose-bleed cheap seats.
The games are all very manic, as they scurry to one side of the net to whack their serves and returns, then all stampede together to the other side of the net. Pretending there is really an integrated country and not a smoke and mirrors fiasco in America and wherever we involve ourselves abroad.
Disenfranchisement of the sane and the moral.
I remember an article or book entitled "Osama bin Elvis" maybe? The author was quite convincing Osama had died and any Osama sightings were just part of the "terror" mythology used for the West's psy ops advantages. Osama was so ill. Whether he is was just killed or died long ago, does it really matter to the evil game going on by those presuming to wear such white hats this week?
Stuart, appreciate your communications. Tx. Remember you from long ago, Oxford/Seminal at FDL maybe?
Hope you are taking care of your precious self.
The games are all very manic, as they scurry to one side of the net to whack their serves and returns, then all stampede together to the other side of the net. Pretending there is really an integrated country and not a smoke and mirrors fiasco in America and wherever we involve ourselves abroad.
Disenfranchisement of the sane and the moral.
I remember an article or book entitled "Osama bin Elvis" maybe? The author was quite convincing Osama had died and any Osama sightings were just part of the "terror" mythology used for the West's psy ops advantages. Osama was so ill. Whether he is was just killed or died long ago, does it really matter to the evil game going on by those presuming to wear such white hats this week?
Stuart, appreciate your communications. Tx. Remember you from long ago, Oxford/Seminal at FDL maybe?
Hope you are taking care of your precious self.
vzn, I remember when I used to exhale with relief when I read or heard in the media about some heinous crime being committed. Since it had been called out by the journalists, accountability would be happening I trusted. Not so today. If something vile is called out by journalists or bloggers, usually citizen or alternate media ones, though sometimes some stand-up ones with celebrity give truth to power, like Greenwald, or some who cherry-pick the truth and seem more dangerous than helpful like Maddow now. Anyway, the big diff now is that the government administration and their cronies follow gangsta (skull & bones?) loyalty rules, and it is the whistleblowers or even the journalists that better watch their backs, though the crime clubbers are so arrogantly secure in their mendacious thieving and criminal activities that they just let those of us trying to stay awake and sane rail on in awe-filled horror and anger, maybe even enjoying our righteous helplessness. Obama seems to have a particular sniveling contempt and shameless satisfaction in horrifying the people of conscience. The lead "pragmatic" wiping his feet over and over on the faces of the "purists". Many who gave him the benefit of the doubt and worked for him during the first wave of lies. He has been amassing an amazing number of benefits of the doubt. People sure don't like to be wrong after they have trusted. Denial is a big waiting room in America now.
Thanks again, vzn.
I suspect the so-called "conspiracy theorists" imaginatively fall far short of the actual scope of the moral and legal crimes of the collective owners of the heart of darkness devouring America and the world.
Thanks again, vzn.
I suspect the so-called "conspiracy theorists" imaginatively fall far short of the actual scope of the moral and legal crimes of the collective owners of the heart of darkness devouring America and the world.
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