America, the Chinese, and Propaganda
 
 

A few days ago the Pentagon released a report to the newspapers in this country, in which it is claimed that the Chinese have been exploring 'alternative' methods of warfare against the United States.  The contents of this report, in the form of edited, out-of-context transmissions by the Chinese, are very instructive, since they reveal the hand that the Bush administration wants to play.  Only two elements were included in this report.  First, that the intercepted transmissions occurred in 1999; second, that the alternative methods described have to do with media propaganda.

These two elements are important for the Bush administration, first because Bush does not want to be blamed for starting the cold war in which we now languish.  The date of this sinister plot by the Chinese fixes blame on the inattentive Clinton administration.  But much more worrisome is the second element about propaganda.  I'm sure the Pentagon could put together a hundred interesting transmissions from the Chinese - a world power which can't even keep our spy planes off its shores - but they chose the one about propaganda.  Why?

I think the reason is obvious.  Because propaganda is words.  Speech.  The Chinese do not have to do anything, and the Administration can turn them into a sinister evil nation bent on our destruction.  And not only the Chinese.  Do you remember, history buffs, what happens next?  Speech thus made so evil that it seeks to overthrow the government, and so frighteningly powerful that it could do so, can be identified with all sorts of American citizens - perhaps most importantly, with journalists.

And this is what worries me.  The Administration has just concocted a weapon (the propaganda bomb) aimed at the U.S., which they can use to discredit journalists who report unfavorable news.  They may even know what that news would be; for instance "people in China don't want to overthrow the U.S.".  But it seems to me that they would not need to discredit the free press unless they want the freedom to circumvent the rules of tolerance and the peaceful use of power which the good people of America normally expect of their leaders.

Now, the fact that the Pentagon report was released now, while many in this country deny we are yet in a cold war, and that it contained only these two elements designed to strengthen the Administration's hand, makes it clear to me that this is itself U.S. propaganda.  Since it is effective and well-placed propaganda, the kind which incites prejudice, I'd say it is the work of the old cold war politicians who have crowded through the door wedged open by Bush, the politicians who have always proved so adept at this kind of game.

So before you start to cringe about how stupid we were not to take notice of the Chinese and their continuing attempts to overthrow the U.S., consider a couple important items.

First, there is no chance that the Chinese can control Americans through our media.  They do not have the money.  Second, as long as we continued with our open channels to Russia, China was not any threat at all.  It was Bush who cut American help for the retirement of Russia's nukes, not Clinton.  It was the Bush administration which cut humanitarian aid to a mortally wounded country which had tried to take the path of a democracy, calling them a 'third-world country', not Clinton.

And it was the Bush administration which put China in a position of power, by sending Russia to their door, and eroding support for the U.S. across the globe with his authoritarian methods of controlling wealth (read: American corporate interest which profits from lax pollution/emission standards).

In four months, Bush has made the world a much more dangerous place for Americans.  Last year I could have traveled to Russia as a tourist with a reasonable amount of security.  This year I could not.  The Clinton administration proved that we could be a strong nation at peace, by building support for our humanitarian efforts across the globe.  For 8 years we fostered that new support.  Now we are in a cold war with China, Russia and whomever else wants to join in against the hawks in power here, with support only from other brutal authoritarians like Israel.  Now again we are in a war of propaganda, where tolerance is traitorous.

The Chinese are bent on our destruction.  They want to use our media to control us.  This is so stupid as to be laughable.  Haven't you heard it all before?  Don't you remember history?  Please don't fall for it again.

Please.
 

April 25, 2001