February 14, 2014

Journalistic malpractice & the dangers of Russia-bashing

Sochi on my mind: It is hard to think of an issue more politicized in Western media than the topic of Russia. It is commonplace to hear, read, and watch media reports claiming the worst possible things about Russia and Russians. 

Criticisms are magnified even more when the subject is Vladimir Putin. While Russia does have a long list of issues to grapple with (like just about every other country in the world), the kind of media coverage it receives in turn engenders a serious security threat to the international system. Russia bashing is dangerous for us all.

Whether one likes it or not, Russia is an important power in the world. Having a seat on the UN Security Council confirms its voice will be heard. In fact, Russia often represents the concerns of most of the globe on the Security Council, although this is hardly ever pointed out by the western powers on the Council, particularly the United States. Russia is not a spoiler; rather it holds back the unilateral tendencies held by those in Western capitals. It is almost unthinkable that anyone in the mainstream would ever inform audiences of this reality.

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The level of journalistic malpractice committed against Russia blinds Western electorates, poisons public opinion, and emboldens the reckless political class. The denigration of the Sochi Games was to be expected. Cheap shots, lazy reporting and maniacal commentary are a form of entertainment served up by Western mainstream media. The Games have come and will soon pass into history. But their impact will be felt long after.


http://rt.com/op-edge/western-media-russia-bashing-293/

September 16, 2013

Secret Cheney letter outlines strategy for Syria and a new Cold War.

From the Office of the Military-Industrial-Security Council

Dear Colleague-in-Arms,

You've probably noticed lately that Americans are tiring of the War on Terror. And you've also noticed that after Syria and Iran, where else is there to profit in the Middle East in the War on Terror? I'll tell you. Absolutely nowhere. So we've got to keep focused five or ten years into the future to figure out where our next revenue stream will come from once the War on Terror runs its course. More on that later. Our immediate concerns now is with Syria.

We've got our boots on the ground with the rebel forces in Syria, working on another atrocity that we can pin on Assad and his forces. Did I just say another? You bet. As you know, that chemical attack was the work of "our" rebels, who would not even exist if it wasn't for USA involvement and funding. But our control of the story and the media, along with thousands of sock-puppet accounts on political sites both on the left and the right assured that the rebel's involvement would be overwhelmed by our control of the message.

Sock-puppets. I love that term. It makes what we do sound rather innocent, doesn't it?

Mark my word, this Syria setback for us is only temporary. My moles in State and Defense assure me that Obama had nothing to do with this current setback. It was that bumbling fool Kerry and that Putin who screwed us up. But don't worry. We're already at work making sure Kerry stays on message the next time, and we're taking steps to neutralize Mr. Putin's involvement. No, not in that manner. Too bad I never had an opportunity to go hunting with Vlad. I think we both would have had a blast!

Now don't get me wrong. Vlad is serving a very useful purpose. To us. Once a country's WMD's are secured and we know they can't be used against our troops, putting our troops on the ground is so much easier and politically feasible, with a whole lot less possibility for blow-back. Our quisling political "leaders" want to cover their asses, so this gives them that cover. And it ensures that those troops will stay longer and will bomb more frequently and indiscriminately, ensuring profits for us and our shareholders for the next couple of years. So thanks for your help Vlad!

So back to that future revenue stream. Where's it going to come from?

Americans are becoming tired of "Boots on the Ground" wars. So that's what we've got to focus on. And you all know what's the best model of a war with a ton of military spending and very few people getting killed. And that model is the Cold War. And if we play it right, Cold War II could be more profitable than both the original Cold War and the War on Terror. Combined. Now I know a few of you wanted to make China the target of Cold War II. But face it. A ton of our military components and replacement parts are sourced there, plus it's where all those electronic doodads that keep Americans so distracted come from. And a distracted American is a loyal American. So the Council nixed that idea.

No, the target of Cold War II will once again be Russia. They were such a good enemy before, and people still believe all that propaganda we fed them, even now, 30 and 40 and 50 years later. They still haven't figured out we made a lot of that shit up. So the first part is already in place. Plus, they've got oil. Plenty of it. They have a very visible public figure running that place, and a central target to demonize makes military spending so much easier to swallow. I mean, who the hell runs China anyway? And while our online sock-puppets are focused on more short-term issues, especially Syria, there's a lot of Russia hate already being whipped up on websites on both the left and the right. By their own members. (Suckers.) We've got the demonization of the Russian people and their religious beliefs and their leadership coming on strong. And when the left and right start demonizing the same country and the same people, you'll understand that Russia is the correct enemy.

Now, the left demonizing a whole group of people might surprise some, but not me. A lot of them like to fool themselves into believing that they stand for peace and love and tolerance and all that nonsense, but I've always called bullshit on that. You give them the right target and the right propaganda, and their militaristic side comes blasting through like a Tomahawk missile. Our monitors say its better than we would have hoped for at this point. Believe me, we'll soon have a strategy in place to keep this momentum going. What good is all this hate if we're not positioned to use it to our advantage?

There will be much, much more on this in an upcoming dispatch. In the meantime...

To a glorious and militaristic future...

Dick Cheney
Honorary Chairman
The Military-Industrial-Security Council


DC/mjs