Driving Us Crazy?
Gary Aldrich (archive)
November 17, 2004
I was reading the newspapers this morning when it occurred to me that if I continued to watch world events too closely, I might, in fact, go crazy. Let me explain.
I already know that I’m not getting truthful information. Therefore, I realize I need to read every news article with a skeptic’s attention. When I get halfway through the latest spin, I find myself thinking, “OK, where is the angle?” Nobody reports the news straight anymore.
My example for today is the numerous stories circulating about that shooting in Iraq. No, I am not speaking of the dear, innocent lady who had her brains blown out by the terrorists after spending her lifetime trying to help those barbarians. I am speaking of the “insurgent” who was shot by the hyper-agitated Marine who believed the “insurgent” was faking that he was dead. In fact, he was not dead. Or, was he? Did the Marine shoot a dead man?
How will we ever know? And, what the heck is an insurgent, anyway? The Old Media have invented code words that are used so freely these days it’s hard to tell if they are referring to the good guys or the bad guys. The Old Media like it that way. The Old Media have created a virtual dictionary to report on the activities of the United States in Iraq. Thus, the word “insurgent.” It sounds so much nicer and more innocent than “terrorist”, doesn’t it? But, aren’t these men really terrorists? If they are not terrorists, then who are they? And, why would the Old Media give them the benefit of the doubt?
Why are these “insurgents” fighting in a mosque? Why do they have guns and bombs in there? If they are not soldiers, and I presume they are not, doesn’t that make them spies? If terrorists don’t wear uniforms, how do Marines tell terrorists apart from our Old Media’s newly created victim class, “insurgents?” If “insurgents” are shooting at our guys, are their bullets less deadly?
How do we know that the “insurgent” is not wearing a bomb set to go off when our Marines attempt to check him for weapons, or determine if he’s wounded? Would you want to be the Marine who is designated to find out if “insurgents” faking death are really human bombs? Can a terrorist get better treatment from our Marines if he pretends he’s an “insurgent?”
As NBC shows this very inflammatory clip over and over again, we, as a nation, are not allowed to see the woman human rights activist’s head explode as an “insurgent” pulls the trigger. Tell me, why is that? Why can’t we see that video? You say it’s because we’re too sensitive, and it’s too shocking for us to see? We don’t want to alarm the kiddies, you claim? But, it’s OK to show the Marine pulling the trigger on an “innocent” insurgent?
While I am at it, why are all the video clips of the terrorist’s throat-cutting activities forbidden for our viewing while photo after video clip of our “atrocities” are played over and over again, no matter how false, suggestive, or grisly?
And why are we forbidden from seeing those Trade Towers fall down, about once a month, as a reminder to us of why we are at war, fighting with terrorists?
I’ll tell you why you can see some video clips, but not others. Whether or not you wish to believe it and whether they actually know what they’re doing – many in the Old Media are rooting for the other side. As a nation, it is time we come to grips with this embarrassing and disturbing reality. Some are worse than others, but only an entity with an intense loathing for this nation’s interest would try to make our fighting men and women look bad by using word games. And, ladies and gentlemen, they are painting our soldiers as monsters every opportunity that they get – and they are doing it with great relish and great vigor.
The world might be less crazy if the news people stopped trying to manipulate us.
We can’t vote them out of office – but we don’t have to watch their poisonous programming, nor do we have to shop with their sponsors who make their propaganda machine roll on and on. Don’t tune in to them anymore, and I promise you they will go away.
We can start with NBC and CBS, and the others will quickly discover their journalistic ethics when the dark specter of unemployment glances in their direction.
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