Post by PapaSmurerf on Apr 22, 2008 16:34:30 GMT -5
Ron Paul Vindicated Again On Foreign Policy
April 22nd, 2008 11:42 am | by marc
The more news that comes out about the current administration’s foreign policy and Iraq war maneuvers the more Ron Paul’s Presidential campaign rhetoric is vindicated. If Ron Paul were the type to gloat we would likely see him prancing up and down the aisles of the House floor pointing at his cohorts repeatedly shouting “I told you so! I told you so!”
As enjoyable that act would be for Ron Paul’s supporters, it is unlikely to happen. Ron Paul is a gentleman in the truest sense. Today media pundits feel vindicated at their negative predictions regarding Ron Paul’s chances for the GOP nomination. It must be nice to be able to make predictions and then have the power to help them come about. The media marginalization of Ron Paul is just one example of this. In another example, it is Ron Paul who is vindicated.
On March 23rd, 2008 Ron Paul released a statement that marked the five year anniversary of the U.S. going into Iraq. Not surprisingly he had some harsh honest words.
From the beginning, the march to war was paved with false assumptions and lies. Senior administration officials claimed repeatedly that Iraq was somehow responsible for the attacks of September 11, 2001. They claimed that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. They manipulated the fear of the American people after 9/11 to further a war agenda that they had been planning years before that attack. The mainstream media was complicit in this war propaganda. (Source)
These words certainly would anger any war-loving neo-conservative Bush apologist, but earlier this week a New York Times investigation revealed the truth. The evidence is fairly damning. We notice the machine at work all the time as we watch the news and see military analysts interviewed as experts on the war. It turns out many of these experts are paid puppets of propaganda. Many of these ex-military men now work for defense contractors. When the bottom line depends on extending the war it’s not surprising to see the war hammer rhetoric reach peak levels from these so called unbiased analysts.
The effort, which began with the buildup to the Iraq war and continues to this day, has sought to exploit ideological and military allegiances, and also a powerful financial dynamic: Most of the analysts have ties to military contractors vested in the very war policies they are asked to assess on air.
Those business relationships are hardly ever disclosed to the viewers, and sometimes not even to the networks themselves. But collectively, the men on the plane and several dozen other military analysts represent more than 150 military contractors either as lobbyists, senior executives, board members or consultants. The companies include defense heavyweights, but also scores of smaller companies, all part of a vast assemblage of contractors scrambling for hundreds of billions in military business generated by the administration’s war on terror. It is a furious competition, one in which inside information and easy access to senior officials are highly prized. (Source: NYTimes)
These claims are not just something the New York Times dreamed up as a media smear job. The article includes direct quotes from military analysts speaking frankly about the propaganda effort.
A few expressed regret for participating in what they regarded as an effort to dupe the American public with propaganda dressed as independent military analysis.
“It was them saying, ‘We need to stick our hands up your back and move your mouth for you,’ ” Robert S. Bevelacqua, a retired Green Beret and former Fox News analyst, said.
This story should be the talk of the country, but sadly it is not. Here is concrete proof that you are being manipulated by the media, the government, and defense contractors. Why is there not widespread outrage? Have we just been conditioned to accept such things over time since it has become the norm?
A cynical, apathetic, and inactive populace is the foundation of fascism. I sincerely hope we never get to that point, but I suspect some of you reading this believe we already have.
Read the full New York Times Article and become justly outraged.
Repost from LibertyMaven.com