Friday, November 14, 2003

By Raff Ellis

YellowTimes.org Columnist (United States)

(YellowTimes.org) – As often happens, current events seem to be torn from the pages of history and, as Santayana said, those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it. Of course, the places and names change but a meticulous inspection reveals the same patterns and the same destructive behavior.

When the Russian Revolution appeared on the world stage, life, which was already quite cheap, became incredibly cheaper, to be dispensed with on a whim in the cause of the end result -- an establishment and solidification of the new regime. Minds had to be changed or the bodies that housed them eliminated. Independent thought was dangerous and expressly forbidden. Many people, in order to curry favor with those in power, informed on their neighbors and adopted the slogans of "patriotism." Individuals could be incarcerated on an impulse of the government, tortured, sent off to the Gulag or worse, the firing squad. There was no Bill of Rights for these people.

To further their ends, the Bolsheviks co-opted communications and created Tass and Isvestia, the infamous propaganda organs of the Soviet regime. American students were taught at an early age how terrible this was, how we couldn't believe what was printed or said by these despicable people. This could never happen in America where we were free to think what we wanted and the press would always report the truth.

So, what has happened? In the glorious USA we've had a revolution of our own. No, it wasn't an armed rebellion but an insidious, creeping change from our former democratic government to one where an oligarchy of big businesses interests has seized control. We now have in Washington our own modern version of Bolshevism. Far out, you say? I don't think so.

Consider that since the events of 9/11 we have had an administration empowered to seize people, citizens or not, and incarcerate or deport them without charge, without due process, without legal representation and without familial notification. We've created our own Gulag called Guantanamo and others we know not of. Our Justice Department is "disappearing" people and blocks all attempts at accountability in the name of security. We even send people off to countries where we know they will be tortured. The president, who has been given and has assumed dictatorial powers, decides whether a person has rights or whether enacted laws apply to them. Do we too, like the hapless Russians, not have a Bill of Rights?

Consider also the monopolistic communications empires that have been created by "friends" and patrons of the administration. When you think about it, what is the difference between Fox Network and Tass? They both spout the party line without regard for the truth. They promote their government's adventures while reviling dissident opinion. In short, Fox is just like their Bolshevik brethren.

Investigative journalism has gone the way of the vacuum tube radio. What doth it profit a newsman to report the actual chaos in Iraq instead of the coalition-claimed "positive" developments? Or the serious morale problems in our armed forces, glossed over by fraudulent form letters sent to the press? What of the true body count of dead and wounded and images of the dead GIs returning home that would perchance awaken a compliant general public? How about the casualties inflicted on the Iraqi civilians, casualties that aren't counted because they don't count? Or the numerous lies told by administration officials to justify their war mongering and pillaging of the treasury to support their adventures? Where are the juicy stories of profiteering by corporate friends and relatives of the administration in the reconstruction of Iraq? Is not the chaos in Afghanistan, where the "huge victory" is in reality limited to the occupation of one large city, a reportable event?

Instead of these earthshaking stories "respected" journalists write columns that claim the Patriot Act is a benign piece of legislation that is misunderstood and that the reconstruction contract awards for Iraq are strictly above board. One newspaper filled its pages with the breathtakingly important details about the firing of a local college football coach (217 column inches in one edition) instead of events in the Middle East (92 column inches in the same edition) that are supposed to be "vital to America's security interests." Yet, hundreds of people are being shot at and many are being killed every day in Iraq and Afghanistan, and this gets a fraction of the ink used about a football coach being fired. No, the lackey press does not highlight the nasty things that do not further their interests or protect their administration friends.

You should also take note that whenever someone rushes to cover up their bad acts by labeling critics with pejorative names you can be sure their actions will not bear close scrutiny. When people tried to complain in Bolshevik Russia they were called counter-revolutionaries and dealt with extremely harshly. When Americans complain about their country's policies they are called unpatriotic and subjected to public ridicule. The rallies and protests of dissenters aren't reported fairly, if at all. If you criticize George W. Bush you are being disrespectful of the presidency. If you criticize the war in Iraq you are not supporting our troops. If you criticize the Justice Department or Homeland Security you don't care about the defense of our country. If you criticize America's Middle East policy you are anti-Semitic. I could go on but I think you get the picture. All tyrannical regimes have used the same strategy.

Unfortunately, these tactics always work on a largely docile and uninformed population, a large number of whom, like their president, don't read the newspapers and form their opinions from a few repeated sound bites. When the history of this era is written it will contain all the eerie similarities of times past that we refused to recognize and learn from.

[Raff Ellis lives in the United States and is a retired former strategic planner and computer industry executive. He has had an abiding and active interest in the Middle East since early adulthood and has traveled to the region many times over the last 30 years.]

Raff Ellis encourages your comments: rellis@YellowTimes.org

YellowTimes.org is an international news and opinion publication. YellowTimes.org encourages its material to be reproduced, reprinted, or broadcast provided that any such reproduction identifies the original source, http://www.YellowTimes.org. Internet web links to http://www.YellowTimes.org are appreciated.

YellowTimes? Look, if we don't start raising the bar in what we read and don't read, we are going to be forever relegated to insignificance. Is that what we want, to be marginalized into obscurity?

Either that or some neo-con is posting this stuff to discredit us.

We have to remain focused on the goal. And not be distracted by entrapment journalism.

Notice the above Post. Here we have a great example of Faux Friend Poster - the technique at play is to say "see I'm one of you" and I don't think you should pay attention to the Article.

PsyOps/PR/ Disinformation.

Yellow Times has frequently made the mistake of being Dead On. They have had to move the Site at least 3 Times as a result of Government Pressure on their ISP.

Translation of the Above Post: "Pay no attention to that man behind the Curtain".

Far too often in our efforts to better inform the public about the dangers of the neo-cons, we shamelessly discredit the names of many of those who are the foundation and inspiration of the modern day progressive movement. Among those are the people's hero: Josep Stalin.

Stalin rightfully rounded up and shipped off to the gulogs many of those who today would be associated with the right-wing conservative movement. It is these people who continually promote such shameless ideas as individual freedom over socialist values, freedom of speech over doing what is best for the Party, and freedom of religious practices with their imaginary god over doing what is right for the State. This article is correct in that it is time we once again implement these time-tested methods to control these mindless beasts for the betterment of all mankind. Once these instigators are eliminated, then we who are active in the struggle can begin to build a society where all are equal in the site of the State and our leaders can take us onward into the new sunrise, just as Stalin did for his people.

Yes the shills seem to be trying to trick people into believing that they are thinking, caring individuals. In reality the transparent fundamental bigotries of their attempts is just one more indication of how lamebrained they really are. Who would believe such chattel?

Contributors, creators, organizers and readers of IndyMedia sites are light years ahead of these pawns of the death state...you would think they would figure it out after awhile, but alas they just follow their corrupt masters orders unwaveringly, like some kind of psychotic machine.

How do I know you're not working in conjunction with the one to whom you are refering? How do I know you're not the same person?

The neo-cons are definately out to discredit us, one way or the other. This YellowTimes article could be a plant, or it might not be. There's a lot of suspecious activity going on here. I'll judge for myself. I don't need you to do my thinking for me.

Here we have the "reasonable Person" attack. Again notice the twist - it become obvious when you observe that it is intended to divert you from giving the article any weight.

It's still PsyOps - just a different tactic.

Learn to recognize them and you'll be that much harder to manipulate.

By all means "Think For Yourself", but don't be a Sucker for a disinformation / discreditation line either.

Something tells me these "PsyOps Alerts" are meant to draw our attention away. Who among us believes it is necessary to point out psyops to others? For what purpose would someone feel obligated to do this except for their own purposes?

what are you saying?

are u saying that someone

is warning us of psyops

for the purpose of distracting

us? why is it that someone

finds it necessary to warn us

seeing that we progressives

are all intelligent people who

are much to wise to these methods?

i too wonder.

Notice our little friend having failed thus far tries to up the Confusion Factor by questioning motives.

Notice the pattern: At no time is the substance of the article addressed.

PsyOps/PR People will writhe and twist but never address the issues - it destroys what they are trying to do - spread confusion and ignorance.

It's seems our PsyOps Alert "friend" was the first to question motives. One classic example of psyops is to accuse the other person of what you are doing yourself.

We can think for ourselves. We don't need you babysitting us like we are your children.

Babysit you like you were chilren? Why, who else would do that but.....DINGO!!!

Hey dingo! Still out protecting this obscure site as thought it meant anything? I saw your writing and knew right off it was you, "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain", "PsyOps/PR/ Disinformation". Same ole dingo!! Thinks he's gotta keep everyone up to speed. You know, he's the only one who can.

So dingo, someone brought up a good point. If you whackos are so smart, why do you feel the need to warn them? You don't have to warn people who are intelligent, do you? No, you don't. Says something about the people you hang out with that you have to warn them. I mean, how bright can they be?

Personally, this sounds like the typical chatter I read here all the time. And like always, the ones who sound a little........... "out of touch" shall we say........have to be immediately dismissed. Of course, go to any IMC and peck around and you'll find these same types. Just no dingo and crew there to try and cover their whacko tracks.

Well dingo, still got your address and other personal information. I'm hanging on to it just in case. You know, it amazing what professions can discover, and they don't cost that much to hire. Don't expect a X-mas card. See ya, Warren.