Propangda - The Popular Delusion.

Mike McRoberts interviewed Bill Hodge, who once sat as a judge. He said that if he were advising Edward Snowden, that he would advise him to do what Daniel Ellsberg did when he released the Pentagon Papers.  Ellsberg stuck around to answer the charges, he turned him self into the police and was released on a bond until trial allowing him to prepare his case for court which ultimately led to his acquittal.

After the experience of Bradley Manning it seems unlikely Snowden would receive such fair treatment. Even if exonerated, who would put their hand up to spend a couple of years in lockup stark bollock naked with the light on 24/7 as your custodian attempts to break your mind with psy-ops techniques.

Even Daniel Ellsberg says Edward Snowden was smart to skip town so to speak.  Things have changed since the days of the Pentagon papers. The mechanisms of the US government are driven by more paranoia and are rather more aggressive and punitive in the way that they deal with dissenters.



Revealing war crime it has been noted is not espionage nor is it treason. Yet this is the language used against Bradley Manning and Edward Snowden. While there are claims that his releases have resulted potential even actual loss of life no evidence has been presented that supports such claims. Even Bill Hodge admitted with out prompting that he had no evidence to back the claim that he made immediately beforehand.  This smells of a smear. Make the geek look twisted so the public will hate him too, we don't want any heroes getting in the way.

The propaganda machine must be running at full tick or something close to it. The flood of propaganda has been likened to The Matrix. Morpheus puts it well

"The Matrix is a system, Neo. That system is our enemy. But when you're inside, you look around, what do you see? Businessmen, teachers, lawyers, carpenters. The very minds of the people we are trying to save. But until we do, these people are still a part of that system and that makes them our enemy. You have to understand, most of these people are not ready to be unplugged. And many of them are so inert, so hopelessly dependent on the system that they will fight to protect it."

Most people only experience what the system allows them to see, and it is not in their best interests. Even now they are being propaganda to acclimatise them to the idea of slam Iran down for it's putative nuclear program. Certainly, many in mass media will qualify as the "the enemy" as they continue to repeat smears and liables against those who put everything on the line to defend democracy from those who have sworn to up hold it while chipping away at it when our backs are turned. How did we get so many foxes in our hen house?

See also
   Propaganda "Deconstructing Edward Bernays" Smells Like Human Spirit with Dr Jerry Kroth, Prof Emeritus @ Santa Clara
  Three60 Aug 4 2013 - TV3