Clockwork Orange: TVNL Looks At The Fear Factor

[Guest guest]

http://www.tvnewslies.org/html/clockwork_orange_.html

 

Clockwork Orange

 

TVNL LOOKS AT THE FEAR FACTOR

 

“…the only thing we have to fear is fear

itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror... “

 

On four separate occasions during 2003, Americans

were notified by their government that the color of

the day had changed. Only this wasn’t summer camp, and

no one was playing games. On each of these days, the

nation was being warned that our lives were being

threatened more seriously than the day before. The

codified threat alert had changed from Yellow to

Orange. There was nothing we could do. There was

nowhere we could go. It was only a change of color,

but it did the trick: Americans everywhere were being

introduced to the color of fear!

 

Think of it. In these times of heightened alertness

and concerns about terrorism, we were handed a really

effective color code to guide us! Well, maybe not

totally effective, since not a square inch of the

country is ever at Low Green (almost no danger) or

Guarded Blue (oh, maybe just a little danger).

Actually, the best we can hope for on an ordinary day

is Elevated Yellow (we know they’re around,

somewhere), and being resilient and stoic Americans,

we’ve learned to live with that. But for the stage

managers in Washington, that just won’t do.

 

A change from Yellow to Orange is unnerving. Karl

Rove knows that. But a change from Orange back to

Yellow brings a sense of relief to a worried nation.

Karl Rove knows that, too. He knows gratitude and

relief are subliminal partners. “Thank you, George

Bush, he would have us say, “for saving us from those

who would harm us. You’ve taken away the Orange, and

we are no longer afraid. & #65533;?

The image makers in the White House have miraculously

convinced many Americans that George Bush actually is

a “leader & #65533;? who can protect the nation safe.

They’re damn good at smoke and mirrors and

manipulation. This is really the only sell they have,

and keeping Americans unnerved and grateful for their

safety is vital. As a result, TVNL is convinced that

Clockwork Orange – calculated and scheduled, High

alerts - will be in full swing as Election Day nears.

 

 

Take a look at the year that was: The first color

change took place on February 8th, 2003. The country

stayed at High Orange until the 27th of February, when

the Attorney General “in consultation with the

Homeland Security Council & #65533;? made the decision

to return the threat level to an Elevated Yellow risk

of terrorist attack. Nineteen days of fear and

nervousness. The understandable reaction had to be:

“Whew, we’re safe! & #65533;?

Uh, just one thing you might want to know. A key

piece of the information leading to this terror alert

was fabricated, according to two senior law

enforcement officials in Washington and New York. The

media didn’t bother to publicize this. Why spoil a

good thing?

 

The second alert took place on Monday, Mar 17, 2003,

just as the invasion of Iraq was about to begin.. The

national threat level was raised to Orange from Yellow

because, “the Intelligence Community believes that

terrorists will attempt multiple attacks against U.S.

and Coalition targets worldwide in the event of a U.S

- led military campaign against Saddam

Hussein & #65533;?.

SecretaryTomRidge, whom we are very tempted to call

“Agent Orange, & #65533;? lowered the threat level on

April 16th, after a full month of having Americans on

Orange High. Then, it was over. Thank you, George.

No one attacked us. You did good.

 

On May 20th, 2003 Yellow once again became Orange.

This time we were told, “The U.S. Intelligence

Community believes that Al-Qaida has entered an

operational period worldwide, and this may include

attacks in the United States. & #65533;? But, after

ten days, Al-Qaida operatives must have changed their

minds. On May 30th, we went back to Elevated Yellow.

And many people thought: Boy oh boy…Bush must be

keeping the bad guys away. Whatta guy!

 

Most recently, on December 24th, 2003, the national

threat level was once again raised from an " Elevated "

to a " High " risk of terrorist attack – or, as TomRidge

reminded us, “from Code Yellow to Code

Orange. & #65533;? Warned that this might be an attack

worse than 9/11, Americans were also urged to go on

with their holiday plans as usual. Assured that their

lives were safer because of Saddam Hussein’s capture,

they also were given the conflicting message of a

greater threat than ever. Not to worry, George Bush

will save you…..

 

By the 9th of January of this election year, all was

well. Orange was out, Yellow was back in. Actually,

all was not well. Americans were cautioned, “We are

still concerned about the continued threats, but the

threat conditions that we’ve been following have

diminished. Don’t forget for a minute that you still

need your protector, the great and fearless George W.

Bush. Cheers, applause, relief, gratitude – like

clockwork.

 

There are only a few months before the people of this

country go to the polls to make what may be the most

crucial decision in recent history. The image makers

in both parties will be hard at work to sell their

candidates to the public. That’s politics. But the

present administration will have a terribly unfair

advantage if it is permitted to hold the American

psyche hostage. Fear is a compelling factor in human

behavior that can result in either fight or flight.

That’s a given. But it provides us all with a choice.

Americans can succumb to the fear factor and

ultimately believe that this administration can

provide the security Americans need and deserve. Or,

they can fight. They can fight for the restoration of

democracy, the restoration of reason, and the

restoration of respect and admiration from other

nations. Like the classic film by that name, this

Clockwork Orange is a surrealistic distortion of

terror and violence. But unlike the film, we have the

chance to avoid far greater dangers, and see to it

that the threat level is never changed to Red,

We cannot be lured into a false sense of safety by

those who have brought us to this terrible place in

our history. What we desperately need now is an end

to anything remotely like Clockwork Orange. And what

we must fight for right now is the beginning of a very

new reality. There’s not much time.

 

 

 

*

The Myth of Terror

*

Terror Permit Application

*

A VOTE FOR OSAMA, A GOP ELECTION SCAM - “...the

Republicans have absolutely NO OTHER ISSUE on which to

run. None & #65533;?

* THE HOUDINI PROTOCOL TO ELECT GEORGE W. BUSH -

George Bush has not been packaged; he has – in fact -

been invented