War Made Easy


I was listening to a very interesting exerpt from an Alternative Radio broadcast lecture given by Normon Soloman called "War Made Easy". The synopsis of this lecture, available from www.alternativeradio.org , reads as follows:

War is the health of the state," the radical writer Randolph Bourne once said. And when the U.S. goes to war most of the corporate media wrap themselves in the American flag and join the parade. Instead of being on the sidelines and acting as independent and critical observers, too many journalists become cheerleaders. And in several notorious cases reporters have actually become conduits for government disinformation and propaganda. They simply take Pentagon and White House press releases and change a few words around and recycle them as "news." Media subordination to state power weakens democracy, does not serve the information needs of citizens, and makes war easy.

The audio clip I heard has Solomon quoting the infamous Nazi, Hermann Goering, who said, and I'm paraphrasing here, "war is easy regardless of what the public want. To get them to do the government's bidding, you simply tell them that they are being attacked and single out the pacifists as being unpatriotic, etc."

In previous missives I have been very critical of the mainstream media and this is further evidence of the social programming to which I have alluded to. The information that I am quoting here is also a product of a specific media niche, that of the left wing liberal organ. Though the left wing media always seems to be somewhat better in its foundations in contrast to CNN, etc., it is comprised largely of intellectuals who sometimes are rooted too deeply in their cerebral existence and idealisms to see the real world for what it is. So that which I have provided above is to be considered rather than accepted as gospel.

I have written the following over and over again: Reality is one's perception of existence. Existence is the fabrication of nothingness into being. Nothing implies "no thing" and therefore "some thing". Thus everything is an echo. I originally wrote this on a 20th Century Fiction exam while doing my undergrad degree at Dalhousie University. You see, my rather eccentric prof would circle words like "reality" and "normal" in a paper and ask "what do you mean by this?" So, at the beginning of each essay I would write this set of definitions.

The point is, life is grey, not black and white, yet we try to live as if it is black and white. The truth is, all we see, hear and do is filtered through our selves and thus an echo of something, but never the thing in its actual form.

In closing, I simply ask that people try to maintain an open mind, try to read several points of view as opposed to padding your beliefs with things that don't offend your ideals and think before taking a stand. Personally, I think the war in Iraq, as this is ultimately what this lecture was about, was the wrong action to take. I am willing to listen to opposing views, and perhaps might even change my point of view one day. That is what it is to truly be a free thinker, in my opinion.