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War Propaganda


Here is an email I received in response to one of my essays.

Disgusted with Pro-War Propaganda : Kathi : 2005-11-19

Hi — I looked up your Website from Google after having received a pro-war propaganda powerpoint presentation from a couple of knuckleheads who work for the US Navy and who no doubt thought is was a good idea to pass it on to all their friends. While the supposed authors are made plain on the title slide — it so reeks of deceptive pro-war sentimentalist brainwash such as happy Iraqi people expressing gratitude to happy soldiers as if doing a great service for them; solders pictured with happy Iraqi children holding hands etc (denying the reality of the innocent mutilated and dead children); a sentimental country music soundtrack (no I’m not a fan) with expressed pro-war opinions supposedly made by US marines fighting the battle for our freedom and expressing an abundance of willingness to fight and die in Iraq — etc etc. The photos look professional and the sound track is very well done. It’s entitled ifIdiebeforeyouwake.pss — named for the country music soundtrack. This so angers me — I think it would be great if someone could redo the powerpoint image/sound track showing/describing the realities of the Iraq war — war in general — probably too much to hope for. At the very least a reference to this piece probably should to be placed online to point out that it is in fact propaganda. I’m interested to know what you have to say about such propaganda. Thank you,

The people who want to sell war have a hard time. There is no more obnoxious product imaginable than war. Sane people only consider it when they believe they have no alternative but death or enslavement. It brings unimaginable misery and suffering. It is extremely costly. However, to the few, such as those depicted in these photographs, it can bring obscene riches. They are willing to sacrifice the rest of us and will use any means necessary to convince others that war is honourable and necessary. The US government has borrowed $250 billion for the Iraq war. Much of that money went to enrich a few people who could afford lavish sums to sell the war by every conceivable means, including that PowerPoint video you spoke of. Consider it as advertising for a life-denying product, like tobacco. The only way to sell war is to lie outrageously. Perhaps clever lawyers could sue the bastards for violations of the truth in advertising laws. In the meantime, find someone with expertise in PowerPoint and make your own presentation countering its lies.

Is it possible that a few rich men — a small class of men — have persuaded a million poor men to attack and attempt to destroy another million men as poor as they, so that the rich may be richer still?

They told them that this brutal war was the destiny of the race. It was for the glory of the emperor; it was for the honour of the state; it was for their king and country. False — false as hell! They make war to capture markets by murder, raw materials by rape. They find it cheaper to steal than to exchange, easier to butcher than to buy. This is the secret of war. It is the secret of all wars: profit.

Business. Profit. Blood money.

Threaten a reduction on the profit of their money and the beast in them awakens with a snarl. They become as ruthless as savages, brutal as madmen, remorseless as executioners.
~ Dr. Norman Bethune (1890-03-04 1939-11-12 age:49)


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