Hello, Topeka, Kansas- (over) Is anyone out there? Come in, Springfield...Dracut.. (over)..Hello, Woodland...Hello- anybody!
You may have already seen it. The warm and fuzzy e-mail looks something like this:
"Subject: soldier's patch
Check it out...
Look at the black patch under the U.S. flag...
You gotta love them (the soldiers) and their humor.
This SHOULD be on the front cover of Time, Newsweek, etc.
But it won't be.
Let's you and I "put it there" by forwarding this all around the world (so to speak)!
The flags are France, Germany, and Russia -- in case you don't know. "
Luv,
Macountry Moorthan Youdo
So, one gullible person reads this (and doesn't go to snopes.com or urbanlegends.about.com to check out the veracity of the e-mail), and they send it off- to be forwarded on and on and on to a hundred thousand other innocent "wannit-to-be so's")
Anyway, in case you haven't been the victim of the daily, ongoing Iraq-prop e-mail onslaught, or haven't gotten this particular one yet, here's the real story behind the so-called "Soldier's Patch"
How good they are at it! (Makes me want to cry...how really good the machine and its unknowing disciples are...)
Who was it that said, "No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public"....?
....and- since the very beginning of the Bush charade in Iraq- we have all seen that anyone who dares to challenge the invasion is immediately branded a traitor, a liberal tree-hugger or just plain un-American.... for not supporting our soldiers, etc.
So freakin'sad..
The Machine working 24/7:
Comments
Am I missing something? what is the point of this article?
Posted by: memory man | September 24, 2004 2:42 AM
It seems that finally the old media (network news) is trying to compete with the new media (internet & talk radio). For years we have known to take what we see on the net with a grain of salt, especially photographs. Now CBS has taken a page from the internet fanatics. The networks were usually more subtle in their manipulation. Dan Rather would make his biased point by deciding what to report, what not to report and some really artful use of the language to keep it subtle. Now we can't beleive anything. There is no such thing as truth or proof. Very few people are really open minded and looking for real answers. We all just choose our side and look for validation to prove we're corrrect and call everything from the other side a lie.
Posted by: jay | September 24, 2004 4:10 AM
If it is our civic responsibility to correct this defect in our society and to move toward a unified democracy, we must demand truth and accuracy from everyone. Democracy has been reduced to sound bites, inaccuracies, manipulations and half-truths when, in fact, it requires facts from all viewpoints, careful deliberations and continuous, open dialogue.
The internet does not easily lend itself to open dialogue, but we can make it happen (if that is truly what people want). As to those e-mails, why not correct them and send them back to the senders? Or send them back with instructions on where to find "the real story"?
Posted by: elp | September 24, 2004 4:40 AM
Jay I think you hit the nail on the head!!
Posted by: sb | September 24, 2004 9:17 AM
Charles:
you are cheating, I know this blog is not a democracy but I would like it if you added the word "updated" when you change something on a posting such as text or a graphic, as you did with the cat stevens post, otherwise you make peoples comments look out of place. Namely my previous comments. yes i know that leaves me wide open.
Posted by: memory man | September 24, 2004 11:40 AM
memory man:
The substance of this article was already on the original post when you made your comment-"What is the point of this article?" You asked.. The point was already on the original post. Point being that many people are constantly getting hosed by the lies, propaganda, and phony platitudes the Machine and you take part in on a daily basis. If you will be clearer as to how the meaning of your first comment was changed after I did a few additions to the entry, I will be glad to delete any comments you feel misrepresent your understanding of the post.
If you are talking about any of the Cat Stevens article modifications, go to the comment section on that blog and let me know what the problem is, and I will correct it.
Posted by: Charles | September 24, 2004 12:28 PM
nobidmc:
I admit I did have to look it up to see if it was real or not. Guess I'm not in "touch with the real world"... (Me and the 200 other people who forwarded it to me as the "real deal")... If it was that clear to you, perhaps you should start your own hoax site. I will subscribe.
Posted by: Charles | September 24, 2004 1:14 PM
Charles:
I need pictures to read, no need to delete comments. B
Posted by: memory man | September 24, 2004 1:19 PM
Memory Man,
That's just Charles "not so" Subtle way of censoring. The comments didn't fit his world view and I guess he was overwhelmed by them (the comments). I still love him anyway,and would charge hell with a Bucket of Water for him:-)
Posted by: Danny | September 24, 2004 5:50 PM
Just as I abhor the moral depravity of our nation with pop-culture, safe-sex, abortion, idolatry, witchcraft... so if you don't wake-up, that's your problem. Heard of Jesus? The Last Judgment? My URLs gotta lotta tips2help: Make a decent confession, preferably at a Catholic church --- If you can't see the vast, self-evident-reality of Heaven and Hell after this Finite Existence, may God Almighty have mercy on your indelible soul.
Posted by: NarrowPath | October 11, 2004 12:16 AM