It has already been a week since the elections. Life got back to its “usual social-democratic pace” – even after an election thriller as it was sold by the media. The percentages of the two big parties (to be correct, there were three) went up and down like febrile curves – 38.1-38.9-38.5 … in the end, the old government will be the new one and Mr. Stoiber can go “back home to the Bavarian Reich”. Mr. Schröder had a narrow escape and missed the tree which the FDP (Free Liberals) hit head-on with their Guido-Mobil. Mr. Westerwelle wants to reduce the insurance damages a bit and tries to give the car keys to Mr. Möllemann all of a sudden. Mrs. Däubler-Gmelin says aloud (in fact, not really aloud, but nevertheless it could be read in newspapers all over the world the following day) to thirty metal unionists what many Germans, Americans, British etc. etc. have already had in their minds or even whispered silently. Most countries outside of the Western World have already known for many decades what it means if the USA want to take care personally of World Peace (also see “Hint”-Mail No. 9 – American Foreign Affairs). Well, “as it is common in politics”, they had to sacrifice a person for such an action. Old approved method: In case of a conflict create an artificial one and you don’t have to take care of the actual one!
And more and more even the official media support the new course of the Chancellor. That Germany obviously seems to get detached from the USA can be evaluated as a positive sign on principle. Nevertheless it seems quite surprising that even the SPIEGEL publishes articles which would not have been printed only two months ago (http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,215831,00.html - only in German). In the commentary “US goovernment tinkers at a new conspiracy theory” (http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,215702,00.html - only in German) they even mention the badd word “conspiracy theory”! I guess, in half a year’s time the “investigative” SPIEGEL team will be awarded some prize for that – at least they would be much faster than STERN or FOCUS (the other two famous German weekly journals).

Well, what led to that turn which had had its genesis shortly after September 11^th 2001 but which was artfully scotched again and again since then. Why do the big newspapers change their minds more and more often? I assume, that many will raise pleas just like “There have been critical statements from time to time before.” On principle that is true, but the turn (however it will look like) had to be given blessings “from above” in order to be announced officially. I think, that there is not much difference towards old GDR times. But I have the feeling, that one knew then much earlier when and how one got fooled. I assume the problem is that it is not befitting to ask resp. be allowed to ask “Why?”. Today this is the same as it was then.  

But back to the topic „Public Relations“:
I’d like to add some remarks regarding the media coverage of the German elections. Did anyone watch the reports a bit more closely? For example, on Focus TV (channel PRO7) you could follow the emotional stages of the neighbouring family of the Stoibers. Oh, how they got excited … as the lead of CDU/CSU shrank and shrank, they had to show the cute daughter of the neighbours stating: “Well, Mr. Stoibers has always been a winner for me.” Next scene: Munich, October Fest – half a dozen Bavarians and a round dozen of tankards on their table “Well, we are Christians and we voted for Stoiber.” Well then, PR method recognised? J … Ask people who actually have nothing to do with the topic. And much more better, ask people with more than 1 ‰ alcohol in their blood. Well, whether this was supposed to be positive or negative PR that was too deep for me.

In the last e-mail regarding the topic “Media & Propaganda” I mentioned the names of some big PR firms and since the Iraq War can be started only with the help of a well elaborated PR machinery (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-418110,00.html) we may most probably anticipate lots of “new hints” regarding the “„Al-Kaida-Bin-Laden-Nuclear-Weapons-Saddam-Terror“-connection. The following article may also be quite interesting (http://www.message-online.de/arch0199/91kunc.htm - in German only), for one can also find thhe names of some PR firms. This essay with the title “How they create foe images” can be started at best with a quotation from Bismarck, which you will also find within this article: “There will never be as many lies as there are before elections, during war or after hunting.”

They mainly refer to the three main foci regarding the manipulation of war coverage:

• oral or written (linguistical) belittlement;

• creation of foe images by Propaganda and Public Relations;

• military necessity of lies during times of war.

The article shows how and by what means the masses will be won for waging wars and how this worked in the past (and still today, of course). One of the worst crimes is the murder of babies. This “trick” (that does NOT mean that such crimes haven’t happened) was already used during the Turk Wars more than 300 years ago. The following paragraph describes the PR work of the firm Hill & Knowlton:
“In October 1990 the PR firm staged the appearance of 15year old Nayyirah for the hearing (Congressional Human Right's Caucus), who reported tearfully of barbarities of the Iraqis. She said that she had seen Iraqi soldiers tearing newborn babies out of their incubators leaving them to die on the cold ground. Hill & Knowlton managed that the movie shot by them and including this statement was broadcasted by 700 TV channels. Only on October 10, 1990, 53 million Americans saw it. Neither the congress members nor the public knew at that time that Nayirah was the daughter of the Kuwaiti ambassador. Scott M. Cutlip comments: »Once more the press served as patsies for the public relations staged event.« (1994, S. 771) This perfectly staged statement, which was quoted by Präsident Bush, raised the public opinion. (Kunczik 1997a, S. 277ff)“

For the adequate PR for the wars in the former Yugoslavia the PR-firm Ruder-Finn was responsible – and also this time “reported atrocities” (extremely barbaric killings of women and children) were used to justify those wars. And no-one is safe from lies and factoids: “Being asked whether this [e.g. the reported killings of pregnant women] was a matter of records, Scharping [German Minister of Defence at that time] answered: »I will pass such information only if two or three witnesses have reported it independently from each other.« (Spiegel, 26. April 1999)“

Surely, it is no secret that media and so-called “Public Relations” have such an influence on the masses that we can hardly imagine its dimensions. In the end we know the same after a message as we knew before it. The only difference is that we assume afterwards that we are in the know then. Of course, anyone of us likes to believe in “something” finally and that exactly this is being hogged does everyone know who has already been in touch with the PR and commercial branch. What will be hidden in the end is the truth or moreover the many little truths behind the stories and which may change the whole image completely.

Have a nice, sunny day. Yours, Michael. 

You can also forward this e-mail to people you know – I don’t mind that at all.

PS: Besides, the first „Hint“-e-mails can be found on www.oocities.org/michwink/911.html (updating is in progress). Thanks to Yahoo!