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Page 2 Continued Now the Regime tells us we are at war. Hear them…the United States is not simply seeking justice by finding those responsible for September 11. We are now going to have a long war--countless years perhaps--serving as the world police against terrorism—as we define it. It’s a sure bet the U.S. terrorist training camp, School of the Americas, will be safe from our attacks. Our protectors propagandize most convincingly. Men in smart suits and uniforms look so confident, speak so persuasively as they make their rounds to corporate-sponsored infotainment shows. Yet what are they talking about? Do we take the time to consider what they are saying and not saying, and why? Do we contemplate the implications of open-ended war as we gaze at one video montage after another? Images spliced carefully, to brand our collective memory: stars and stripes waving defiantly against the backdrop of smoky plumes rising from WTC remain. Shell-shocked humans emerging miraculously from a shroud of debris. Strangers weeping together, embracing to comfort one another. Slow motion after slow motion of the jet making contact, the fiery burst against the clear blue sky. Carefully crafted montages designed to commemorate the victims and rally "true" patriots, simultaneously. Airtime with discussions of why would have muddied the our pristine waters. The media was masterful in its juxtaposition of man’s inhumanity to man countered with the primal responses that fuel such atrocities. Every network scurried to get live interviews with survivors and victims’ families as well as expert testimony from military hawks and opportunistic politicians. The results were carefully woven into hour after hour of words and images of ravaged victims sandwiched between iron-jawed generals and lackluster "leaders" proclaiming that this was war, damn it! We must kill the enemy! Tiny little voices whispered but were fading fast: Who is the enemy? Why did they do this? Don’t we want to know details before we retaliate? What about justice? Forget justice! We want blood! Whose blood? Who cares! Kill! Kill Muslim Americans! Kill Americans that look Arab! Bomb those Muslims! Nuke those Arabs! Arabs, Muslims—all the same, right? We think it’s bin Laden. We want his blood! If not his, then those who live in his part of the world. Anyone who does not join us in our bloodlust is fair game, too! Go ahead, make the cowboy’s day! Kill or be killed! Smile America…you’re on actuality TV! Welcome to the Home of the Brave New World. # # # This commentary was written a few weeks afer September 11, 2001. Two years later the American Public is just becoming aware of the sad, deadly truth it revealed. About the Author: S.L. McKay is a writer and social and civil justice advocate. Degreed in Political Science with emphasis on Theory and Broadcast & Cinematic Arts, she has written and produced print, broadcast and web materials for the public and private sectors for nearly twenty years. Her book "Active Reaction" is due out soon. Contact: amliberal@yahoo.com |
| Home of the Brave New World by S.L. McKay |