Voluntary Amnesia in the Service of War

[reprehensor]

Voluntary Amnesia in the Service of War.

snip

For maximum propaganda effect, the agenda-setting must be decoupled as much as possible from clear truths -- about the current president’s mendacity in connection with Iraq, and about the record of U.S. government actions toward Iran.

While a seriously discredited President Bush strains to do damage control about his past lies and present machinations on Iraq, the U.S.
media coverage typically presents his statements about Iran without so much as a whiff of suspicion. A proven liar is treated like a presumptive truth-teller.

The ambient noise of American media evokes history -- distant or recent -- as an option we may choose to decline, like mustard on a burger. We’re encouraged to mentally disconnect from relevant historic events. Double standards prevail.

Red-white-and-blue journalists don’t doubt that the past sins of Washington’s present-day foes are quite relevant today. So, it’s assumed to be incisive when reporters keep reminding news consumers that Saddam Hussein committed huge crimes such as mass killing of Kurds. But what about the fact that most of the worst of those crimes occurred while the United States was supportive of Hussein’s regime? That question gets short shrift.

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