Legendary comedian George Carlin recommended that everyone abide by three simple concepts: never believe the government, don’t listen to the media, and do a little thing called thinking. Every American should follow this sound advice, but too often emotions take over and logical and rational considerations are tossed aside.
The Iraq War
Sixteen years ago the neoconservatives inside the White House, Washington swamp, foreign policy establishment, and mainstream media sold the American people a pack of lies to justify an invasion of a country that did not attack the United States nor pose a security threat. Despite the Iraq War proving within months to be a disaster and failing to meet its objective of locating weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), the neocons mendaciously kept insisting that the bombs were there.
The cause of this foreign policy blunder has never been determined, leading to one of two conclusions. The first is that billions of tax dollars were coveted by the agencies in charge of such missions. The second is that the government blatantly lied to everyone to muster support. You can deduce which one is the reason for the Iraq War.
In the years following the invasion, the neocons and others pushing the propaganda campaign have attempted to kill two birds with one stone: protect themselves and build Cold War 2.0. Many have claimed that Russia helped Saddam Hussein destroy the WMDs or hide them from the rest of the world. So, you see, Max Boot, David Frum, and Ralph Peters were right all along; those pesky Russians were the real culprits in 4,424 casualties, 32,000 injuries, and tens of thousands of civilian deaths.
Every generation witnesses a monstrous scandal, lie, or boondoggle...
It turns out the Iraq War is just another example in a long line of propaganda campaigns filled with fuzzy facts veiling political machinations foisted on American citizens. A look back at history shows just how vulnerable the public can be to orchestrated operations to sway opinion. We never seem to learn our lesson, falling for the gag every time.
“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.”
A Teachable Moment
Every generation witnesses a monstrous scandal, lie, or boondoggle that makes it question its trust in the government or politicians or the media.
In the early 20th century, Americans were dragged into Europe to fight a conflict marketed as a war to end all wars and to protect the world for democracy. Baby Boomers endured the guns and butter of the Vietnam War, which started on the basis of a fictitious account of the Gulf of Tonkin incident. Operation Desert Storm was launched on the false testimony of Nayirah al-Ṣabaḥ, who claimed Iraqi soldiers took scores of babies out of incubators and left them to die on cold floors. It turned out she was the daughter of a Kuwaiti ambassador who had been coached by the CIA.
Yet, in spite of the multiple fibs exposed over the course of this nation’s young history, the American public still buys these hoaxes. The latest swindle? Russiagate.
For more than two years, the deep state and mainstream press have regurgitated the lie that President Donald Trump colluded with Moscow to win the White House and advance Russian causes. The Counterfeit News Network, MSNPC, and the other left-leaning outlets asserted that Trump was a Manchurian candidate, a puppet of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Newspaper articles, op-eds, cable news broadcasts, and late-night talk shows ran with the Red Scare-style story ad nauseam, duping gullible leftists, Never-Trumpers, and anyone else who wanted to believe simply out hate for the billionaire real estate mogul. Thousands of hours of minute-by-minute reporting -- “the walls are closing in,” “bombshells,” “tipping points,” and “beginning of the end” -- were based on nothing but wishful thinking and anonymous rumors.
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Now that special counsel Robert Mueller has ended his investigation with no further indictments, confirming that President Trump did not collude with Russia, will the peddlers of misinformation apologize to readers and viewers who fell for the anti-Trump blitzkrieg? Hardly. In fact, many in the press are gaslighting, claiming variously that the Mueller probe was a coverup or that the media were more intrigued by events occurring in New York all this time.
Yeah, and Hillary Clinton is president.
To this day, plenty of Iraq War apologists and proponents insist it was a justifiable occupation because it ousted Hussein and saved the Kurds, even though WMDs were never found. Years from now, will journalists still be shouting to the heavens that there was Trump-Russia collusion all along? Likely. They just feel it, damn the facts!
The Russia hoax is this generation’s WMD.
Neocon Lies
The legendary 19th-century novelist Mark Twain had it right when he hilariously wrote, “Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But then I repeat myself.” Perhaps Twain would not mind if his iconic quote were tweaked: “Suppose you were a liar. And suppose you were a neoconservative and a leftist. But then I repeat myself.” That would be quite appropriate in today’s climate, whether it refers to initiating a foolish war or attacking President Trump. Unfortunately, the next generation undoubtedly will be the victim of another major ruse, that will divide the nation (again), cost taxpayers (again), and discredit the media (again). Isn’t this the definition of insanity?
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