Rumsfeld Zeros in on the Internet ( Pass On )

[Guest guest]

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_mike_whi_060224_rumsfeld_zeros_in_on.htm

 

February 24, 2006

 

Rumsfeld Zeros in on the Internet

 

by Mike Whitney

 

http://www.opednews.com

 

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was warmly greeted at the recent

meeting of the Council on Foreign Relations. The CFR is the

hand-picked assemblage of western elites from big-energy, corporate

media, high-finance and the weapons industry. These are the 4,000 or

so members of the American ruling class who determine the shape of

policy and ensure that the management of the global economic system

remains in the hands of U.S. bluebloods.

 

As the Pentagon's chief-coordinator, Rumsfeld enjoys a prominent place

among American mandarins. He is the caretaker of their most prized

possession; the high-tech, taxpayer-funded, laser-guided war machine.

The US Military is the crown-jewel of the American empire; a

fully-operational security apparatus for the protection of pilfered

resources and the ongoing subjugation of the developing world.

 

Rumsfeld's speech alerted his audience to the threats facing America

in the new century.

 

He opined: " We meet today in the 6th year in what promises to be a

long struggle against an enemy that in many ways is unlike any our

country has ever faced. And, in this war, some of the most critical

battles may not be in the mountains in Afghanistan or in the streets

of Iraq, but in newsrooms—in places like New York, London, Cairo, and

elsewhere. "

 

" New York " ?

 

" Our enemies have skillfully adapted to fighting wars in today's media

age, but for the most part our country has not " .

 

Huh? Does Rummy mean those grainy, poorly-produced videos of Bin Laden

and co.?

 

" Consider that the violent extremists have established `media

relations committees'—and have proven to be highly-successful at

manipulating opinion-elites. They plan to design their

headline-grabbing attacks using every means of communications to

intimidate and break the collective will of free people " .

 

What gibberish.

 

It's foolish to mention " intimidating and breaking the collective will

of free people " without entering Abu Ghraib, Guantanomo and Falluja

into the discussion. Rumsfeld is just griping about the disgrace he's

heaped on America's reputation by his refusal to conform to even

minimal standards of decency. Instead, he insists that America's

declining stature in the world is the result of a hostile media and

" skillful enemies " ; in other words, anyone with a computer keyboard

and a rudimentary sense of moral judgment.

 

(Our enemies) " know that communications transcend borders…and that a

single news story , handled skillfully, can be as damaging to our

cause and as helpful to theirs, as any other method of military attack " .

 

If the Pentagon is really so worried about " bad press coverage " why

not close down the torture-chambers and withdrawal from Iraq? Instead,

Rumsfeld is making the case for a preemptive-assault on free speech.

 

" The growing number of media outlets in many parts of the world….too

often serve to inflame and distort, rather than explain and inform.

And while Al Qaida and extremist movements have utilized this forum

for many years, and have successfully poisoned the Muslim public's

view of the West, we have barely even begun to compete in reaching

their audiences. "

 

" Inflame and distort " ?

 

What distortion? Do cameras distort the photos of abused prisoners,

desperate people, or decimated cities?

 

Rumsfeld's analysis borders on the delusional. Al Qaida doesn't have a

well-oiled propaganda mechanism that provides a steady stream of

fabrications to whip the public into a frenzy. That's the American

media's assignment. And, they haven't " poisoned Muslim public opinion "

against us. That has been entirely the doing of the Pentagon warlords

and their White House compatriots.

 

" The standard US government public affairs operation was designed

primarily …to be reactive rather than proactive…Government, however,

is beginning to adapt "

 

" Proactive news " ? In other words, propaganda.

 

Rumsfeld confirms his dedication to propaganda by defending the bogus

stories that were printed in Iraqi newspapers by Pentagon contractors.

(We) " sought non-traditional means to provide accurate information to

the Iraqi people in the face of an aggressive campaign of

disinformation….This has been deemed inappropriate—for examples the

allegations of `buying news' " .

 

A brazen defense of intentionally planted lies; how low can we sink?

 

This has had a " chilling effect for those who are asked to serve in

the military public affairs field. "

 

Is it really that difficult to print the truth?

 

Rumsfeld boasts of the vast changes in " communications planning "

taking place at the Pentagon.

 

A " public affairs " strategy is at the heart of the new paradigm,

replete with " rapid response " teams to address the nagging issues of

bombed-out wedding parties, starving prisoners, and devastated cities.

No problem is so great that it can't be papered-over by a public

relations team trained in the black-art of deception, obfuscation, and

slight-of-hand. Trickery now tops the list of military priorities.

 

" US Central Command has launched an online communications effort that

includes electronic news updates and a links campaign that has

resulted in several hundred blogs receiving and publishing CENTCOM

content. "

 

The military plans to develop the " institutional capability " to

respond to critical news coverage within the same news cycle and to

develop a comprehensive scheme for infiltrating the internet.

 

The Pentagon's strategy for taking over the internet and controlling

the free flow of information has already been chronicled in a recently

declassified report, " The Information Operations Roadmap " ; is a window

into the minds of those who see free speech as dangerous as an " enemy

weapons-system " .

 

The Pentagon is aiming for " full spectrum dominance " of the Internet.

Their objective is to manipulate public perceptions, quash competing

points of view, and perpetuate a narrative of American generosity and

good-will.

 

Rumsfeld's comments are intended to awaken his constituents to the

massive information war that is being waged to transform the Internet

into the progeny of the MSM; a reliable partner for the dissemination

of establishment-friendly news.

 

The Associated Press reported recently that the US government

conducted a massive simulated attack on the Internet called

" Cyber-Storm " . The wargame was designed, among other things, to

" respond to misinformation campaigns and activist calls by internet

bloggers, online diarists whose `Web logs " include political rantings

and musings about current events " .

 

Before Bush took office, " political rantings and musings about current

events " were protected under the 1st amendment.

 

No more.

 

The War Department is planning to insert itself into every area of the

Internet from blogs to chat rooms, from leftist web sites to editorial

commentary. Their rapid response team will be on hair-trigger alert to

dispute any tidbit of information that challenges the official storyline.

 

We can expect to encounter, as the BBC notes, " psychological

operations (that) try to manipulate the thoughts and the beliefs of

the enemy (as well as) computer network specialists who seek to

destroy enemy networks. "

 

The enemy, of course, is anyone who refuses to accept their servile

role in the new world order or who disrupts the smooth-operation of

the Bush police-state.

 

The resolve to foreclose on free speech has never been greater.

 

As for Rumsfeld's devotees at the CFR, the problem of savaging civil

liberties is never seriously raised. After all, these are the primary

beneficiaries of Washington's global resource-war; should it matter

that other people's freedom is sacrificed to perpetuate the

fundamental institutions of class and privilege?

 

Rumsfeld is right. The only way to prevail on the

information-battlefield is to " take no prisoners " ; police the

Internet, uproot the troublemakers and activists who provide the

truth, and " catapult the propaganda " (Bush) from every bullhorn and

web site across the virtual-universe. Free speech is a luxury we

cannot afford if it threatens to undermine the basic platforms of

western white rule.

 

As Rumsfeld said, " We are fighting a battle where the survival of our

free way of life is at stake. "

 

Indeed, it is.

 

 

 

Mike lives in Washington State with his charming wife Joan and two

spoiled and overfed dogs, Cocoa and Pat-Fergie.