The United State military is currently engaged in such a system. Its War on Terror is, by many accounts, actually causing terrorism.
A while back I wrote a post attempting to illustrate the human tragedy of war. This week the world was confronted with that tragedy in graphic fashion with the leaking of the 2007 Baghdad helicopter incident, in which US Army gunmen slaughtered a group of Iraqi men that included two Reuters journalists, and then first once more when a passerby in a van stopped to help the victims. To add to the matter, in the weeks following the incident the Defense Department lied about the substance of the matter and the western media went right along with it, ignoring the accounts of witnessed on the ground that were reported by Afghan and Arab news.
In February the military engaged in similar reckless action killing 5 innocent Afghan civilians, and then lied to cover up the incident. Now, the patriarch of that murdered family has indicated that his anger may drive him to become a suicide bomber, as explained by Salon.com’s Glenn Greenwald:
(editor's note: to access Greenwald's article, click the logo above. My commentary continues below)
As the US military bombs and strafes its way across the Hindu Kush it leaves a trail of death, destruction, and anger in its wake. In its effort to execute this war with a minimum number of American casualties, the military employs methods that put innocent Afghan citizens in greater harm’s way. This is not a strategy that will lead to peace across that land, but it does let politicians avoid the inconvenient matter of having soldiers returning to the US draped in the American flag, a condition that would end the culture of citizen apathy that allows this war to continue.
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4 comments:
Mr. Greenwald's allusion to the defibrillating images of the Vietnam War's flag draped coffins parading through the 60's era living rooms astutely calls out the American citizens' current feedback loop.
Then: War ends due to American journalistic integrity and citizen protest. Linear action.
Now: Sycophantic, complacent American media and citizenry are driven to chasing their own tails of platitudinous rants of spreading "freedom," "democracy," crushing the threat of "Middle Eastern terrorists." Circular action.
Resulting Loop: U.S polices "Middle East" against terrorists. Said "terrorists" defend themselves. "Terrorist attacks" spun as need to further spread democracy and freedom in Middle East. Military action justified by platitudinous cries of "protecting freedom and democracy through our brave men and women's selfless fighting in the Middle East." Military action continues. "Terrorists" defend selves (i.e. children, spouses, beliefs, right to life, etc.) "Terrorist attacks" spun as need to further spread democracy and freedom in Middle East...
Nothing is severing this loop of American ignorance and complacency. The Bush administration forbade images of dead soldiers - a stance that continues - knowing this alone could end their hegemonic agenda. Media complies.
The only voice ringing in the hollowed halls of democracy now is the Pharaoh of feedback loops - Fox news.
Ironically, it may take the courage and outrage of our "enemy" - the Afghans - fueled by the murder of their own families and friends (i.e. loved ones,) to bring any kind of resistance to this "War on Terror."
Where are the reports on these "My Lai massacres" Mike refers to above? Where are our Cronkites reporting on them? Our Woodward and Bernsteins? Where is our Nobel Peace Prize winning President?
Joe B said: "Where are the reports on these "My Lai massacres" Mike refers to above? Where are our Cronkites reporting on them? Our Woodward and Bernsteins? Where is our Nobel Peace Prize winning President?"
Where are these reports?
The Web.
Excellent award winning bloggers like the aforementioned Greenwald at salon.com; the fearless Jeremy Scahill who almost singlehandedly has been responsible for the coverage of the Blackwater fiasco (http://rebelreports.com/); former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter who has railed against the US drumbeat of war built on vacuous claims of WMDs in Iraq and Iran (http://www.truthdig.com/scott_ritter); and Nir Rosen, a free-lancer who has spent more time on the ground in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Somalia than most 'mainstream' journalists combined (http://www.nirrosen.com/blog/).
These are the Woodwards and Bernsteins of our time.
We live in media 2.0 world, but most of us still haven't upgraded from version 1.0
I agree there are those out there that you mention. But these are generally only read by the already informed. My point was that the journalists I mentioned unearthed atrocities and brought them to the general public thus informing them. The average citizen caught in the loop will not seek out information to stop the merry-go-round.
Joe, I couldn't agree more with your comments. And I share the same concerns. I don't know how we stop the merry-go-round, but it's harming the republic.
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