A lot of time, effort, ink and air time has been devoted to both
media malfeasance and the use of government resources to directly and
indirectly control what is and is not reported to the American people.
Propaganda, disinformation, and misinformation have become the rule
rather than the exception. The litany of information manipulation has
sparked entire boutique industries, including, but not limited to: “The
Strange Death of Vince Foster,” Waco, Ruby Ridge, the Oklahoma City
bombing, TWA Flight 800, terrorist threats (real and imagined), nuclear,
biological and chemical threats, civilian detention facilities, FEMA,
and more.
The latest revelation, according to a former administration insider,
was reported in July 29 edition of the Washington Times. Reportedly, “a new
multi-agency plan to closely control the dissemination of public
information abroad is really aimed at ‘spinning the American public.'”
And guess what campers? YOU get to pay for it.
Notwithstanding the consistent unrelenting flood of propaganda, “the
U.S. public has refused to back President Clinton’s foreign policy.”
Some of you might question, “What foreign policy?” The fact is the
administration has its collective panties in a bunch in the wake of this
apparent inability to sell the gospel according to Bill-Jeff.
Apparently, the Clintonistas are torqued that coverage of foreign
news is “distorted” and they have become convinced that “they need to
fight it at all costs.” OK, how do they do that? They have already used
the IRS as a political tool to attack critics. They have already
established a database and a stash of FBI files that make Nixon’s puny
“enemies list” look like a penny compared to Bill Gates’ net worth.
They already have the mainstream media decision-makers staffed with
sycophant quislings. What next?
Well, the latest abuse of power under the color of authority is
“using resources that are aimed at spinning the news.” Thanks to the
wizardry of presidential decision directives, the president can (and
does) create new policies and the agencies to implement his will.
Congress impotently sits in the shadows alternately clucking and
quivering.
Up jumps the International Public Information (IPI) system, created
in April by Presidential Decision Directive 68. This potential
disinformation tool isn’t bad enough as a bureaucracy, so it is to be
run by Morton Halperin, formerly “Senior Director for Democracy” at the
National Security Council and now head of policy planning at the State
Department — an all around anti-constitutional wonk.
This IPI working group met for the first time last Wednesday. It is
yet further evidence of the evil that unbridled ambition can wrought
without sufficient checks and balances. The IPI charter, still
classified top secret, reportedly synthesizes the functions of agencies
like the old USIA and Radio Free Europe. Those agencies were supposed
to be aimed overseas, to sell New Deal propaganda. The leaked text of
the draft charter is written in typical bureaucratese-speak. However,
if that fictional “reasonable person” reads between the lines of the
form, the substance is clear. Under the purview of IPI overseas
information (propaganda) will “be coordinated, integrated, de-conflicted
and synchronized with the (IPI) to achieve a synergistic effect” at
home. What the heck does that mean? Simply stated, we will have the
dubious distinction of paying (with OUR tax dollars) for our own
indoctrination. Cool … and Machiavelli smiled.
The Washington Times got their hands on a copy of a draft charter
which states the purpose of this outfit is “to prevent and mitigate
crises and to influence foreign audiences in ways favorable to the
achievement of U.S. foreign policy objectives.” Anonymous insiders
report that honchos from defense, intelligence, diplomatic and other
assorted alphabet soup groups gathered at the State department to review
the draft charter.
I have often said that “Knowledge is Power — IF you take that
knowledge and do something with it.” However, if or when an abusive
government is ever able to restrict, control, and manage that
knowledge/information, they will have effectively neutered potential
critical analysis.
According to Clintonista officials, “… news coverage is distorted
at home and they need to fight it at all costs by using resources that
are aimed at spinning the news,”
Presidential Decision Directive 68, which ordered the creation of the
International Public Information was designed to make sure that all
government agencies disseminating information abroad share a single
message. Kind of an imperial mandate to get everyone on the same sheet
of music. God forbid that some fact or statistic which contradicts the
preconceived opinion or stated policy were ever to leak out into the
space time continuum of consciousness.
One former senior official dared complain that this charter “did not
distinguish what would be done overseas and what would be done at home.
… It talks about a news war.”
BINGO! The devil is always in the details. The IPI charter does not
distinguish between overseas information and domestic information
because the intention is to slap a tighter bridle on domestic critics.
The administration has reacted promptly to reject any accusations
that IPI could or would ever be used in a partisan manner OR be used to
influence public opinion. Sure. The administration would no more use
this new propaganda scalpel than they would use the IRS, FBI, BATF,
Treasury, CIA, FEMA or any other agency in a “political” way. In
effect, the administration is saying “Trust us.” However, we don’t,
can’t, and should not trust them. Why should we?
This administration has routinely and consistently proved to be
corrupt, disingenuous, duplicitous, untruthful, mean-spirited, and
manipulative. The same president was just fined for having lied to a
judge under oath. Lying has been proven to be the one life-long
axiomatic consistent of the man.
Now it is revealed he ostensibly wants to codify lying with a new
propaganda agency. The International Public Information (IPI) system may
be the form of this latest abuse of power, but “International Propaganda
Institute” is more accurate.
