Propaganda American Style

Michael Jacobsen is a member of Veterans for Peace, Chapter 111

Do you have that déjà vu feeling that we’re drifting toward war against Iran? There are sound-bites on a daily basis — just like the lead-up to the Iraq invasion. The mainstream press is alive with unsubstantiated assertions about Iran’s nuclear capabilities even though U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta admitted late last year that there are “no indicators that the Iranians have made a decision to develop a nuclear weapon.”1 Some say it’s just saber-rattling. I said that to myself before the first Iraq war in 1991 and again in 2002–3. I thought then it was unimaginable that we might actually preemptively “shock and awe” bomb another sovereign nation and then occupy it. It was too brazenly similar to the 1939 Blitzkrieg (lightning war) invasion of Poland by the Nazis.

The chances may be slim that Obama would attack Iran prior to the election. But, there are powerful supra-governmental forces that would love to strategically control Iran’s oil fields — the world’s third largest. If a “conservative” gets elected President, fasten your seat-belt. The propaganda red carpet is being laid now for that potentiality.

As I begin to write, the prophetic lyrics of Jackson Browne’s 1986 song, “Lives In the Balance” drift across my mind and through this article.

“I’ve been waiting for something to happen
For a week or a month or a year
With the blood in the ink of the headlines
And the sound of the crowd in my ear
You might ask what it takes to remember
When you know that you’ve seen it before
Where a government lies to a people
And a country is drifting to war…”2

This article is intended to be a primer, to explain a few of the major techniques multinational corporate propagandists use to psychologically assault the “hearts and minds” of the American people and thus control the use of our taxpayer assets and human flesh. It is hoped that citizens may better understand thought-control techniques so that they may challenge multinational corporate interests. Please note that I specifically refer to multinational corporations. It is my firm belief that such corporations are loyal only to their “bottom-line” and have little or no loyalty to the United States and its citizens — aside from picking our pockets. When I use the word corporation from here on, I am referring specifically to multinational corporations.

American propaganda is arguably the most sophisticated form of thought-control ever devised. It is neither crude nor obvious unless one is awake and aware. Propagandists use the very best of psychological methodology, brain neurology, public relations (sanitized propaganda), and the best of marketing and advertising techniques. American propagandists use military style Psychological Operations or “psyops” expertise developed to manipulate the human mind and influence specific outcomes. The military psyops slogan is, “Capture their minds and their hearts and souls will follow.” Such thought-control was developed to be used against “the enemy.” But, psyops is arguably being used in a war against the American people on an ongoing basis even though it is supposed to be illegal.3

“They sell us the president the same way

They sell us our clothes and our cars

They sell us every thing from youth to religion

The same time they sell us our wars…”2

Propagandists divide the world of experience into two formal halves, such as absolute good and absolute evil. Such a technique employs jingoistic “sound-bite” terminology such as “axis of evil” to define the enemy. Many people are susceptible to such a black-and-white simplistic world view devoid of any nuance. Many people need to feel accepted by others rather than to be different and once the tide of public opinion is swayed in one direction, it is difficult for many people to buck that tide. Propagandists are experts at enormous lies. They call the media “liberal” (their term for socialist) when in reality, the media is primarily corporatist. Murdering innocent civilians and calling the murdered “collateral damage” is an example of a concerted effort to use language in an attempt to minimize heinous war crimes.

Propagandists know that logic and reason are trumped by basic human emotions. And, fear is the most powerful motivator of them all. Powerful emotions activate portions of the brain disconnected from the brain’s centers of logic and reason. In other words, the part of our brain that fears, does not communicate with the reasoning portion of our brain and we become disconnected from ourselves. Fear and terror cause debilitating primordial panic and we may not even be aware of it at a conscious level. Propagandists use irrational terror to manipulate emotional vulnerabilities. Invoking images of “mushroom clouds” and “terrorists” and threats of imminent attack trigger the basic survival instincts of “fight or flight.” When survival instincts are triggered, a deep-seated desire to be protected by a strong “father/mother” figure can emerge under the surface of consciousness. Combined with that is the powerful counterpart urge to protect our children and loved ones. We will even give up our Constitutional liberties, for a perceived sense of security. Also, there are strong tribal, nationalistic, and religious affiliations that can elicit the urge to “circle the wagons” and “defend the fort” against those who are dangerous or perceived as such. Differences rather than similarities are focused upon as “the enemy” is stripped of any vestige of common humanity.4 Feelings of “patriotic fervor” or blind revenge (as after 9/11) motivate negative conditioned responses. Such strong emotions molded by the propagandists can result in heinous war crimes in the support of their global vision of a “New World Order.”5

“And there’s a shadow on the faces

Of the men who send the guns

To the wars that are fought in places

Where their business interest runs…”2

“Who are these propagandists?” you may be asking. They are the multinational corporations who employ lobbyists that for all intents and purposes, own our government. They have a vested interest in power and control, empire building and war profiteering. Hired propagandists basically support a “multinational mafia” where the neighborhoods are now global markets and strategic locations. War is exceedingly profitable. Find out who owns the media, understand their financial interests and it is then easy to determine media bias. For example, General Electric owns 49 percent of NBC and is usually listed among the top 20 weapons contractors. This would explain why former NBC News Anchor Tom Brokaw said at the lead-up to the Iraq war, “One of the things we don’t want to do is destroy the infrastructure of Iraq because in a few days we’re going to own that country.” Our own Boeing Corporation, being the second largest military contractor, feeds on government contracts and corporate subsidies, pays little or no taxes (like GE), out sources jobs overseas and purchases legislation from Congresspersons such as Norm Dicks, Patty Murray, Maria Cantwell and Rick Larsen.6

The website costsofwar.org calculates the true costs of the wars of the last decade. The astronomical total is estimated at between $3.2 – $4 trillion dollars. To bring this unimaginable figure home, each woman, child, and man in the United States owes between $10,000 and $13,000 apiece.

“On the radio talk shows and the T.V.

You hear one thing again and again

How the U.S.A. stands for freedom

And we come to the aid of a friend”2

Propagandists hide the true human costs of war. Consider the data in the following paragraph gathered by Brown University:7 In the past decade, more than 37,740 soldiers have died including more than 6,000 U.S. troops, 2,300 U.S. contractors, more than 1,190 Allied troops, and more than 22, 200 Iraqi, Afghan and Pakistani security forces. More than 550,000 disability claims have been filed with the U.S. Veterans Administration since the fall of 2010. Nearly 70,000 allied forces have been seriously wounded. A Rand study found that 26 percent of troops likely have some mental health problems as the suicide rate for returning veterans spikes ever upward. Estimates of Iraqi civilian deaths alone are between 650,000 to well over one million.8/9 A little known fact is that over 40 percent of the Iraqi population is under the age of 15.10 Cluster bomb munitions are especially devastating to civilian populations. The Iraqi environment has been polluted with toxic chemicals and depleted uranium causing deformed children. There are 3.5 million Iraqi war refugees — 1.8 million fleeing Iraq to other countries and 1.7 million displaced within their own country. Most professionals (doctors, engineers, and educators) have fled, leaving Iraq one of the most illiterate countries in the Arab world11 with their cities and infrastructure bombed back to the stone-age. The biggest losers are the women and children who are barely surviving in a hostile environment with many of their male family members dead or wounded. Heavily armed sectarian militias roam the streets and many citizens live in a constant state of fear and uncertainty.

“There are lives in the balance

There are people under fire

There are children at the cannons

And there is blood on the wire …”2

Joseph Goebbels was Hitler’s Minister of Propaganda and National Enlightenment. He used a very specific set of principles to control the primal emotions of the German people.12 One might imagine that Goebbels would be impressed with propaganda American style, which seems to use many of Goebbels’ techniques. One principle is to “reach the audience ahead of competing propaganda.” For example, if the Republican Party is using Goebbels’ techniques, the principle is to beat the Democrats to the punch and blame them for using the same techniques Goebbels used — as did Congressman Allen West of Florida last December. Most recently, Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum, during a campaign stop at the Christ Redeemer Church, Sunday, Feb. 19, 2012, in Cumming, GA, strongly implied that Americans need to get involved in the upcoming election in the same way Americans needed to get involved in fighting Hitler prior to World War II.13

Corporate owned media blatantly and repeatedly lied about the need to attack Iraq. Fairness and Accuracy in Media (FAIR) states that less than 1 percent of “experts” interviewed on mainstream media opposed the war and that overall, only 3 percent of all mainstream media reporting was anti-war. First we were told that Saddam Hussein was closely aligned with al-Qaeda terrorists that attacked the U.S. on 9/11. Then we were told that Saddam was a “Hitler” who gassed and murdered his own people. However, the story-teller left out the most important part of the story – that the United States was supporting Saddam with arms, finances and military intelligence during the time he was gassing the Kurds and killing over 100,000 Iranians during the 1980s.14/15 Then came the preposterous lie that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction with the capability to launch missiles across the Atlantic to strike U.S. targets. Then followed the military grade uranium-tubes myth. Then propagandists served-up the lofty vision of spreading democracy and American ideals to the Middle East. Finally, there came unconvincing arguments such as the need to “fight terrorists over there” and to “not leave before the job is done.” All the while a “support the troops” bumper-sticker mentality prevailed. Few so-called patriots considered that “support the troops” might mean never sending troops into harm’s way unless absolutely necessary or to “bring the troops home.”

The biggest lie of all, a lie of omission, was the evasion of the real reason for the invasion — the strategic control of Iraq’s oil fields by multinational corporations. It is not surprising that a dominant percentage of Iraq’s oil fields are currently being operated by multinational petroleum corporations.

So, why are propagandists proclaiming that Iran is an imminent threat to the United States? And is it coincidental that Iran has significant strategic oil reserves? There may be truth to the assertion that Iran’s top leadership may be a direct threat to Israel. It may simultaneously be true that Iran is threatened by Israel’s 200 nuclear weapons. And why would Iran not be threatened by the 45 U.S. bases in countries surrounding Iran.16 How might the U.S. respond if we were surrounded by 45 military bases ­— by a country that have a history of preemptive military strikes? According to a recent Global Research article, opinion polls validate the triumph of propaganda spin on public opinion. For example, one survey found that 64 percent of Americans believe Iran is most likely enriching uranium “to build a nuclear weapon” when no evidence exists. Another poll stated that 58 percent said the U.S. should use military force to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, if necessary.17

However, for the sake of the 95 percent of Iran’s innocent citizens, and for the security of the entire region, we must find a negotiated resolution to any conflicts of interest rather than a preemptive strike against Iran. Are we going to stand aside if our nation drifts toward preemptive war against Iran or any other nation? Please engage the “What You Can Do list” or explore your own creative projects.

And, the lyrics of Jackson Browne’s song continue to drift across my mind:

“I want to know who the men in the shadows are

I want to hear somebody asking them why

They can be counted on to tell us who our enemies are

But they’re never the ones to fight or to die…”2

• Explore alternative news web sites and understand each particular bias

• Listen to DemocracyNow.org and support them financially

• Learn about propaganda techniques to protect yourself

• Share your knowledge of propaganda techniques with others

• Join together with like-minded folks for mutual support and action

• Discuss potentially challenging topics with family, friends and acquaintances

• Demand a reduction in military funding and the end to foreign war carnage

1. Shanker, Thom “Aides Qualify Panetta's Comments on Iran,” The New York Times, 12/20/2011.

2. Browne, Jackson “Lives in the Balance,” Asylum Records, 1986.

3. Hastings, Michael “Another Runaway General: Army Deploys Psy-ops on U.S. Senators,” Rolling Stone, 2/24/2011.

4. Levin, Jack and Rabrenovic, Gordana “Why We Hate,” Prometheus Books, 2004, p. 36.

5. Curtis, Adam “The Century of the Self,” BBC television series, four episodes, 3/17, 3/24, 3/31 and 4/7/2002.

6. Website: www.opensecrets.org. Center for Responsive Politics.

7. “Costs of War” producd by Brown University — see http://costofwar.org.

8. Burnham, Gilbert; Lafta, Riyadh; Doocy, Shann and Roberts, Les “Mortality after the 2003 invasion of Iraq: a cross-sectional cluster sample survey. The Lanslet, 10/21/2006.

9. “Iraq War casualties.” Opinion Research Business. 9/14/2007.

10. Hammoud, Hassan R. “Illiteracy in the Arab World.” UNESCO, Beirut, April 2005.

11. Woods, Elliott “Iraq: Under Worse Management,” Bloomberg Business Week, 1/18/ 2012.

12. Doob, Leonard W. “Public Opinion and Propaganda,” The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, 1966

13. Kaplan, Rebecca “Santorum defends World War II 2012 election comparison,” CBS News, 2/20/12.

14. Friedman, Alan “Spider's Web: The Secret History of How the White Ho use Illegally Armed Iraq,” Bantam Books, 1993.

15. Timmerman, Kenneth R. “The Death Lobby: How the West Armed Iraq,” Houghton Miffin, 1991.

16. “Who Is Threatening Whom? 45 U.S. Bases Surround Iran,” www.informationclearinghouse.info. 2/11/2011.

17. globalresearch.ca, Schreiner, Ben “War Propaganda’s Triumph: U.S. Public Opinion on Iran”, Global Research, 2/16/12