total information management...
What a wonderful term... "Total Information Management"
Think about that...
In the context of the current war crime called the Iraq war.
We no longer think about it in terms of an illegal occupation and mass murder of Iraqis. We see it as collateral damage in a righteous war on an evil called "terror". This "terror" is a very one sided thing. We do not do "terror" to them. Only "they" do terror. And who are "they"? Well we are led to believe, in this wonderful age of Total Information Management, that that there is no Iraqi resistance to our illegal occupation... that there is only an evil al Qeida-led "terrorist" outfit which has taken over and is butchering innocent Iraqis by the truckload and the mosquefull.
This is the age of the camcorder and the digicam... the age of mobile phones with imaging capability...
And what's coming out of Iraq which shows a legitimate opposition doing its work? Nothing. Nix. Nada. Zip.
Images are most important yet I see virtually nothing except pro-Yankee, anti-al-Qeida propaganda.
Is the Iraqi resistance asleep? Or is it really only comprised of those evil maniacs bombing innocent civillians on a daily basis? Or is it so stupid that it uses no camcorders, digicams or mobile phones to bring us images of what the Yanks are up to in Iraq?
Is the Iraqi resistance stupid? Or is there really only a violent dimension to this resistance. Where are the images of massive peaceful protests? Is it because the Iraqi resistance does not understand the power of (a) peaceful people power, and (b) the images which are put out to the world?
In the information war, the Yanks are winning hands down.
The silence is deafening...
And depressing...
Ah, but Eli Lilly has the answer... Prozac... The complacency drug...
Total Population Management...
Enjoy...
Think about that...
In the context of the current war crime called the Iraq war.
We no longer think about it in terms of an illegal occupation and mass murder of Iraqis. We see it as collateral damage in a righteous war on an evil called "terror". This "terror" is a very one sided thing. We do not do "terror" to them. Only "they" do terror. And who are "they"? Well we are led to believe, in this wonderful age of Total Information Management, that that there is no Iraqi resistance to our illegal occupation... that there is only an evil al Qeida-led "terrorist" outfit which has taken over and is butchering innocent Iraqis by the truckload and the mosquefull.
This is the age of the camcorder and the digicam... the age of mobile phones with imaging capability...
And what's coming out of Iraq which shows a legitimate opposition doing its work? Nothing. Nix. Nada. Zip.
Images are most important yet I see virtually nothing except pro-Yankee, anti-al-Qeida propaganda.
Is the Iraqi resistance asleep? Or is it really only comprised of those evil maniacs bombing innocent civillians on a daily basis? Or is it so stupid that it uses no camcorders, digicams or mobile phones to bring us images of what the Yanks are up to in Iraq?
Is the Iraqi resistance stupid? Or is there really only a violent dimension to this resistance. Where are the images of massive peaceful protests? Is it because the Iraqi resistance does not understand the power of (a) peaceful people power, and (b) the images which are put out to the world?
In the information war, the Yanks are winning hands down.
The silence is deafening...
And depressing...
Ah, but Eli Lilly has the answer... Prozac... The complacency drug...
Total Population Management...
Enjoy...
posted by The Editor at
2:35 AM
14 Comments:
I don't feel remotely comfortable taking a stab at what Iraqis must be thinking right now. Wondering what it's like in their shoes finds me lost from the get-go. What would a picture do? All I know for sure is that an average Iragi woman my age has a completely different set of goals than I do - and at this point, I think those goals have suddenly become much less attainable for her.
From what I've read the army is trying its best to close down any GI blogs that are showing how it is for the ordinary soldier, most of whom would like to get out of the country.
In a confused situation it's easier to put out disinformation as truth and Americans are spin experts.
It's not adults that I worry about but the children whose minds must be almost destroyed by what is happening around them. Can they ever become normal when all this is over? For them it's never been a war but a nightmare.
Hey ! How can you bemoan 'total information management' when you've got - well, quite a few readers getting information from your site that's not managed or massaged?
All right - it's just a blog...but just watch how sites such as yours take over from the totally managed mainstream media.
You can believe me on that.
You read it here.
Sammy
Tom Engelhardt has a more in-depth analysis of this Total Information Management at George's Inferno: And Other Images from a No-Name War. The main point is that the Bush Administration has cleverly avoiding naming the current war in Iraq as such. The most reference appears to be the situation in Iraq.
From the US government's point of view, such ambiguity allows them to claim war-time powers (such as the CIA gulag) while avoiding invoking the requirements of the Geneva Conventions which are applicable during war-time (including insurgencies).
The relationship of the insurgency is to the Muslim world not specificly to the Western or Third world. The insurgents in Iraq see themselves as part of an Islamic struggle whereas the insurgents in Vietnam saw themselves as part of a global Communist struggle. These worldviews dictate how the propaganda is developed and sent out. The Iraqis do appear to be developing any political alliances with people in the non-Muslim world. Whereas the Vietnamese developed political alliances with anyone who was prepared to join the propaganda struggle.
The political vision of the Political Islamists does not appear to have a large following in Iraq. This is especially evident in Fallujah. During the first siege, the insurgents enjoyed great popular support and were able to repel the US attack. When the insurgents had run Fallujah for several months, their support collapsed among the population. When the US renewed the offensive, they were able to occupy Fallujah.
The Workers Communist Party of Iraq (WCPI) is trying to build an alternative to the Political Islamist insurgency and co-operation with the US. They appear to be having very little effect. The WCPI is following the classic Communist strategy of building up support among the population before moving onto the next stage of confronting the ruling class in Iraq.
Sam Ringer, welcome. Maleney, eh? I was up there last December. Bought an autographed copy of An Accidental Terrorist at Rosetta Books. Do you know Steven Lang?
About the Iraqi resistance, I think they've made a dog's breakfast of it. If I were their strategic advisor, and if they followed my advice diligently, they'd have the Yanks out of Iraq by now. Absolutely. And without killing anyone.
blogger has crapped out on me and I have to post at abombanation.blogspot.com.
It looks like Howard has taken "information management" to a new low.
You're a long time getting back to us.
Can I bake a cake with a key to the straight jacket?
Life's passing you by.
Deidre's gone walkabout.
Link packed an entire horse and cat and moved.
Trams are flying in Melbourne.
Footballers CAN walk on water.
Her Maj was looking for you.
Ron's reading books instead of blogging.
Brownie's been fighting bushfires.
The Rodent's still in charge.
Barista's packed up his blog and moved.
Damn I miss being yelled at.
Iraq's an utter dog's breakfast but rrying to analyse what and how exactly is ultra difficult - apart from the fact that the invasion by the COW was unjustified in the first place (unless they went on to do Mugabe and the pack of bastards that run Burma, etc, which of course they didn't). Iraq is a number of nations within a national border and where the insurgency/resistance/'terror' is actually coming from isn't so easy to figure out. Regardless of the illegitimacy of the invasion, the Yanks just don't do 'nation-building' (at least since the Marshall Plan) so the occupation is bringing about all those evil things that the better half and I marched against 3 years ago. The first time either of us had ever protested publicly. And a lot of good it did: in company with everybody else, we were figuratively spat on by that moral midget of a PM.
You're right not to believe a damn thing said by him, his dill of a Foreign Ministser, visiting cardboard cutout celebrities like Condi Rice or the hordes of dimwitted media comentators paid to support the 'cause'.
That expelled, I'll pass on the Prozac but there's a another home brew about to hit the back of te throat.
Phill:
The discrepancy between MSM reporting of operations in Iraq and the scene painted by Riverbend or anyone who is both in touch with the facts AND not gagged by the whitehouse is an ever growing gulf. His bearishness could be forgiven for not wanting to step out his own front door as it would just be a return to a world where such dreadful deciet is the policy of the "leader of the free world".
Gerry, come out and play with us. We can take turns bein' glum and loony.
I just noted yer post was at 2:35 AM and, looking at my comment timestamps, and guessing your blog is set to stamp everything in your [Melbourne or maybe Adelaide?] zone, you were not sleeping well. Tried melatonin? it works for me.
Getting some exercise? get it in the morning.
Hi Gerry - The Ministry Of DisInformation here. After midnight and I have just started.
Where is it written that we MUST Sleep Geensmile? Even the good Free To Air TV doesn't start till midnight. *goes off singing ... After Midnight, we gonna let it all hang out*
The Lying King To amuse you.
OK, first up, thanks to all you wonderful commenters. I do appreciate your comments.
Second, Greensmile, about the after midnight thing, see the next post.
Third, Brownie, are you Crystal? Never mind...
Anyway, Crystal, you're doing my head in, bigtime. That link you provided: Everytime I click on one of those thumbnails, I get nowhere, but ZoneAlarm tells me there's heaps of data going out of my computer to somewhere! NOT HAPPY, CRYSTAL !!!
Zone alarm huh.
Very wary the bear! Good catch.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
==========
<<<<< Home
==========