If you are those who hate North Korea, Iran and any country the US hates, you may want to read the full article by Stephen Lendman in World Affairs column under the thread 'Wake up or sleep with the curse of the evil West/US forever in www.redbeanforum.com. Below are some extracts from his article on Weapons of Mass Deception.
Selling War: "You Furnish the Pictures, and I'll Furnish the War."
By Stephen Lendman
Global Research, January 27, 2012
Throughout its history, America glorified wars in the name of peace. From inception, they're perpetuated against one or more domestic or foreign adversaries.
They include mass killing, assaults and abuse. Pacifism's called sissy or unpatriotic. Propaganda insists America's peace-loving. In fact, more than ever today, it's addicted to permanent war and violence....
In April 2007, Washington Post writer Tom Shales headlined, "A Media Role in Selling the War? No Question," saying:
"It's always depressing to learn that you've been had, but incalculably more so when the deception has resulted in thousands of Americans dying in the Iraq war effort" based on lies.
As in all wars, the more people rely on television for news, the less they know, and more susceptible they become to government and media propaganda.
In their book, "Weapons of Mass Deception: The Uses of Propaganda in Bush's War on Iraq," Sheldon Rampton and John Stauber showed how manipulative propaganda sold the public on war.
Combining PR and media deception, Operation: Iraqi Freedom was created. Deconstructing the process, they showed how top Bush officials planned war prior to his election, but waited until September 2002 for "product launch" to inform the public.
Using 'big lie" tactics, they associated Saddam with 9/11, forged documents to allege WMDs, and worked secretly to create the opposition Iraqi National Congress (INC). The PR Rendon Group coined the term. It got millions in funding and worked closely with CIA operatives. It became a driving force for war....
A Final Comment
Things remain the same. Deceptive reports manipulate the public mind on Syria and Iran. "There is no doubt that the mainstream media are crucial in this idea of selling that the US is going to be in a perpetual war."
They're key in making Americans believe military intervention is vital. Robert Parry said:
"I've worked at Newsweek as well (as AP) and other major US news organizations. And what I saw, especially at places like Newsweek, was this idea that the media was actually part of the establishment. It was that the American people were to be guided more than informed."
In fact, "political solutions" are alien to America's vocabulary. War profiteers demand jingoism. A century ago people were manipulated to accept war with Cuba. William Randolph Hearst hyped the big lie about Spain sinking the battleship Maine when, in fact, a coal bunker explosion did it.
Hearst, however, told his Havana illustrator: "You furnish the pictures, and I'll furnish the war." To this day, lies launch them. They're all based on lies to get people to go along with what wouldn't be possible otherwise.
2/03/2012
Dr Toh Chin Chye passed away
Toh Chin Chye passed away this morning at the age of 90. He was one of the founding father of PAP and modern Singapore. He was also a Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the PAP then.
Another historical figure that has turned to ash. Another chapter of Singapore's history comes to an end.
Another historical figure that has turned to ash. Another chapter of Singapore's history comes to an end.
The rich communists are coming
Unbelieveable! Up to 30 years ago, communists are the parallels to poor, uncouth, ruthless and revolutionaries. Today the communists are the new rich, the big spenders. They are travelling the world using their communist passports and welcomed with red carpets, to spend their communist dollars. The top fine arts auctioneers, the top luxury car makers, the top jewelry and designers, are all queuing up to wait on the communists as their best clients.
What else is new? Who would become the new beggars of the 21st Century? We used to have tourists from the US, Japan and Europe. But these were the retirees and many have gone broke because their pension funds were washed down the drain by the crooks in Wall Streets.
The rich communists are the new rich entrepreneurs, young and vibrant, princelings and children of the nouve riche. And they are seen as the big spenders. The communists are big spenders! They don’t go to Chinatown for cheap handicraft from China. They marched into LV, Gucci, Prada, Coach in Orchard Road with sacks of cash.
Strange indeed. And stranger still, China is the most trustworthy country in the world, UAE number two, ‘according to the ‘2012 Edelman Trust Barometer, an Edelman Public Relations annual trust and credibility survey run across 25 countries. The global online survey measures trust levels in four key institutions - government, businesses, non-governmental organisations and media.’ Singapore comes in third.
What else is new? Who would become the new beggars of the 21st Century? We used to have tourists from the US, Japan and Europe. But these were the retirees and many have gone broke because their pension funds were washed down the drain by the crooks in Wall Streets.
The rich communists are the new rich entrepreneurs, young and vibrant, princelings and children of the nouve riche. And they are seen as the big spenders. The communists are big spenders! They don’t go to Chinatown for cheap handicraft from China. They marched into LV, Gucci, Prada, Coach in Orchard Road with sacks of cash.
Strange indeed. And stranger still, China is the most trustworthy country in the world, UAE number two, ‘according to the ‘2012 Edelman Trust Barometer, an Edelman Public Relations annual trust and credibility survey run across 25 countries. The global online survey measures trust levels in four key institutions - government, businesses, non-governmental organisations and media.’ Singapore comes in third.
SPP’s renewal plan
Chiam See Tong said he is aggressively pushing for leadership renewal for his party. The departure of the 6 promising young men and women is a big set back to the Party. It is not reported that the party is aggressively trying to bring in people in their 20s into the CEC. Chiam is now 76 and still young if other politicians can still be active in the late 80s. So Chiam has another ten more years to bring up the youth in his party to fill his shoe.
What is a bit unfortunate is that at this point in time, there is hardly anyone to fill his big shoe and to take over the party leadership just in case. Chiam may have very high and demanding standards for whoever to succeed him. Such a person must be difficult to find for him to take so long and has to look at the twenty somethings. Maybe with Lina Chiam in charge, there is still plenty of time as she is only 62.
LKY also has a big shoe to fill. And being a giant in his own right, finding anyone to fill his shoe was a near impossibility. But he managed to find several to fill it. It is really no mean feat to find someone to fill LKY’s shoe.
I hope Chiam will be able to find someone quick to fill his shoe as well, no matter how big it is, or how difficult it is to find someone good enough. Filling political shoe is a very demanding task as the expectations are extremely high from the incumbent’s perspective. The emperors generally found it easier to have their own sons to fill them. The North Koreans are still doing it. In a democratic process, it is a bit touchy when sons are expected to fill the shoes of fathers, and of course, much easier to fit in.
What is a bit unfortunate is that at this point in time, there is hardly anyone to fill his big shoe and to take over the party leadership just in case. Chiam may have very high and demanding standards for whoever to succeed him. Such a person must be difficult to find for him to take so long and has to look at the twenty somethings. Maybe with Lina Chiam in charge, there is still plenty of time as she is only 62.
LKY also has a big shoe to fill. And being a giant in his own right, finding anyone to fill his shoe was a near impossibility. But he managed to find several to fill it. It is really no mean feat to find someone to fill LKY’s shoe.
I hope Chiam will be able to find someone quick to fill his shoe as well, no matter how big it is, or how difficult it is to find someone good enough. Filling political shoe is a very demanding task as the expectations are extremely high from the incumbent’s perspective. The emperors generally found it easier to have their own sons to fill them. The North Koreans are still doing it. In a democratic process, it is a bit touchy when sons are expected to fill the shoes of fathers, and of course, much easier to fit in.
A minority in your own country
Singaporeans becoming a minority in his own country is becoming a reality. Front page news in mypaper reported that in a foreign bank, in a team of 12 middle management banking staff, only 5 are Singaporeans. And it seems that this phenomenon is getting more widespread and may become a permanent and pervasive feature in the banking industry and other industries as well, particularly IT.
The reason for this pathetic state of affair is that Singaporeans did not possess the specialized skills set or experience for these positions. And the foreign banks could only find them from overseas, Europe, India and the Philippines.
As for skill sets, these are partially acquired on the job and through academic training in the learning institutions. It is now apparent that our leaning institutions are producing graduates that are not marketable or do not possess the skill sets needed, or producing too little. Whose fault is that? Is it so difficult to produce the kind of skill sets that the finance industry needs if developing countries like India and the Philippines are producing them in hordes? I am sure these talents from the developing countries do not buy their papers from streets of Manila or Mumbai. They must have the skill sets that our learning institutions failed to produce and our industries needed.
The remedy is to send our students to the learning institutions in India and the Philippines for their education. They seem to be doing something right and we, despite our world rankings, are not producing the graduates for the market, or in trickles.
The second important point is experience. Singaporeans do not have the required experience but developing country workers have. Where and how these workers acquired the experience that our workers could not get? Who gave them the opportunity to acquire the experience?
This is the main cause of the lack of experienced Singaporean CEOs in the finance industry because we do not give our people the chance and the experience. And if this is the way to go, soon all the CEO positions will be filled by foreigners and so will be the finance industry middle management, and so will be the IT industry and other industries.
We have become a country that not only did not produce the right products for the industry, we don’t even offer them the chance to gain the experience to become more professional and for higher appointments.
What is happening? And in many cases, the experience and opportunities were given to foreigners to gain their experience here. And this is progress. Singaporean first? This is our country, this is our home. And we are supposed to defend it while the good jobs are given to foreigners. A new citizen is still a foreigner yesterday. If every foreigner is given all the plump jobs and become citizens tomorrow because of it, then technically all the top jobs are Singaporeans. Is this acceptable or the right thing to do? We need to reclaim this country for Singaporeans before it is too late.
The reason for this pathetic state of affair is that Singaporeans did not possess the specialized skills set or experience for these positions. And the foreign banks could only find them from overseas, Europe, India and the Philippines.
As for skill sets, these are partially acquired on the job and through academic training in the learning institutions. It is now apparent that our leaning institutions are producing graduates that are not marketable or do not possess the skill sets needed, or producing too little. Whose fault is that? Is it so difficult to produce the kind of skill sets that the finance industry needs if developing countries like India and the Philippines are producing them in hordes? I am sure these talents from the developing countries do not buy their papers from streets of Manila or Mumbai. They must have the skill sets that our learning institutions failed to produce and our industries needed.
The remedy is to send our students to the learning institutions in India and the Philippines for their education. They seem to be doing something right and we, despite our world rankings, are not producing the graduates for the market, or in trickles.
The second important point is experience. Singaporeans do not have the required experience but developing country workers have. Where and how these workers acquired the experience that our workers could not get? Who gave them the opportunity to acquire the experience?
This is the main cause of the lack of experienced Singaporean CEOs in the finance industry because we do not give our people the chance and the experience. And if this is the way to go, soon all the CEO positions will be filled by foreigners and so will be the finance industry middle management, and so will be the IT industry and other industries.
We have become a country that not only did not produce the right products for the industry, we don’t even offer them the chance to gain the experience to become more professional and for higher appointments.
What is happening? And in many cases, the experience and opportunities were given to foreigners to gain their experience here. And this is progress. Singaporean first? This is our country, this is our home. And we are supposed to defend it while the good jobs are given to foreigners. A new citizen is still a foreigner yesterday. If every foreigner is given all the plump jobs and become citizens tomorrow because of it, then technically all the top jobs are Singaporeans. Is this acceptable or the right thing to do? We need to reclaim this country for Singaporeans before it is too late.
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