BS: Weapons of Mass Deception

Subject: BS: Weapons of Mass Deception
From: Bev and Jerry
Date: 05 Sep 03 - 02:40 PM

We just finished reading a book called "Weapons of Mass Deception" by Sheldon Rampton and John Stauber. It details how public relations firms and their tactics have been, and are still being, used to sell us the war in Iraq.

This is no literary masterpiece in the sense that the quality of the writing could be improved. Mostly, a bunch of stuff from the internet has been pasted together to form a book but it is very well documented with nearly five hundred end notes. Also, much of what is in this book we have read in this forum. But, when it is all concentrated into two hundred pages, the information is astounding.

Although some outright lies have been told, most of the propoganda is in the form of partial truths where what is said is factual but what is not said completely changes the implications of what is said.

To cite one example, an article in the Los Angeles Times this year said that "Air Force General Richard B. Myers,chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters on April 25 that 1,500 cluster bombs had been used during the war but that only 26 had fallen in civilian areas and that there was only one case of death or injury to a noncombatant. However, Myers's statistic referred only to cluster bombs dropped from airplanes and did not include weapons fired from land-based artillery." The same article said, "Human Rights Watch and other organizations, as well as doctors in Baghdad, have reported hundreds of casualties from cluster bombs or similar devices."

Read this book. It's worse than you think it is.

Bev and Jerry

Subject: RE: BS: Weapons of Mass Deception
From: Barry Finn
Date: 05 Sep 03 - 03:59 PM

It can't get worse. Barry

Subject: RE: BS: Weapons of Mass Deception
From: Reiver 2
Date: 05 Sep 03 - 08:42 PM

I agree, Barry!

Reiver 2

Subject: RE: BS: Weapons of Mass Deception
From: Greg F.
Date: 05 Sep 03 - 09:54 PM

Have a little faith. Its gonna get a LOT worse.

Subject: RE: BS: Weapons of Mass Deception
From: Bobert
Date: 05 Sep 03 - 11:01 PM

Shoot, lots of us have been singin' that song for a long time now.... Yeah, back when Teribus and DougR were parrotin' the company line I was poinytin' out that PR firms were being paid millions of tax payers dollars to brainwash folks into thinkin' that Saddam was gettin' ready to attack the US with a nuclear weapons. Remember Condolesa Rice with the "mushroom cloud over our heads" PR lie? Yeah, I wonder how long I'd have to live to pay the taxes that went into that lie?

And they're still blowing my hard earned tax bucks on PR liars!!! "Well, even if there weren't and WMD, Saddam was a bad man!" Like if we're gonna kill all the bad men then we got a big task on our hands. No, this was about oil. Teribus knows it but won't own up to it. It was about imperialism. DougR knows it and won't own up to it. Why? Because they still have PR folks tellin' what to think and what to say....

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: Weapons of Mass Deception
From: Amos
Date: 05 Sep 03 - 11:05 PM

Bobert, when did you run back home and getcher hardball?

A

Subject: RE: BS: Weapons of Mass Deception
From: Bobert
Date: 05 Sep 03 - 11:24 PM

Well, danged, Amos! Really, look at what has gone down here. We went through this danged thing together, didn't we. I mean, this policy has scfrewed up out country for the next 50 years and I'm still really pissed (excuse my French) at Bush and his theivin' buddies. Hey, America deserves more than this creep..

I read in the Washington Post today thay 2/3's of Americans cannot name one single Democratic hopefull for President. What they didn't print is how many Americans can name a NASCAR race car driver! Get my drift here?

Yeah, we got a bunch of thievin' liars runnin' the joint and as long as there are cars to watch driving around in friggin' circles, no one friggin' cares.....

Awww, nebermind.....

Grrrrrrrr.....

Where's T and Dougie when you need 'em....

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: Weapons of Mass Deception
From: Amergin
Date: 06 Sep 03 - 12:22 AM

they are around with their heads stuck in the sand....as usual....

hey bobert...have you read Franken's new book yet? quite disturbing in areas....great read....

Subject: RE: BS: Weapons of Mass Deception
From: Bev and Jerry
Date: 06 Sep 03 - 01:39 AM

while we have not read Al Franken's new book yet, we have seen him talk about it on CSPAN. In this talk he described one example of right wing lies from his book in which Bill O'Reilly of Fox News is seen to have lied on the air several times about his program winning two Peabody Awards, the most prestigious award in journalism. The best part of the show is that O'Reilly was there on the panel talking about his own book and could only make an ad hominem attack on Franken in response.

It is interesting to note that Bill O'Reilly is also cited as an example in "Weapons of Mass Deception". Here it is shown that his show is pure entertainment in which he attempts to humiliate his guests instead of having some kind of exchange of ideas. He is actually quoted as saying to a guest, "I don't care what you think".

Bev and Jerry

Subject: RE: BS: Weapons of Mass Deception
From: Bobert
Date: 06 Sep 03 - 08:36 AM

And it ain't just Bill O'Reilly either. Try *mainstream* Tim Russert. I watched part of his interview (ha), more like an amBush of Howard Dean on NBC. I couldn't believe the rude and mean-spirited nature of the outright frontal assault by the Russert *team* as they would not let the man explain one thing before attacking him with something else. And when you figure how many people are on his staff that prepared this mugging it was more like a good ol' fashion vigilante lynchin' and *not* an interview at all.

But then again, who owns the media? They must be real scared of Howard Dean for some reason...

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: Weapons of Mass Deception
From: Greg F.
Date: 06 Sep 03 - 10:32 AM

Bill O'Reilly's just one of dozens (hundreds"?)of mindless Rush Limbaugh clones unleashed on an undeserving public. Why anyone continues to believe the spew these assholes put out- since they are proven liars many times over- is a mystery.

Subject: RE: BS: Weapons of Mass Deception
From: Amergin
Date: 06 Sep 03 - 12:59 PM

Greg...if it's on tv or in print it must be true.....

sadly most people are too lazy or too ignorant to research things themselves to verify if the crap O'Reilly and Limbaugh spew....and they just want it to be true....

Subject: RE: BS: Weapons of Mass Deception
From: Greg F.
Date: 06 Sep 03 - 05:44 PM

if it's on tv or in print it must be true.....
Hey, I knew that! ;>)

mine was more or less a rhetorical question...... but thanks.

Best, Greg