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Congressmen Seek To Lift Propaganda Ban

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posted on May, 20 2012 @ 07:35 PM
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Congressmen Seek To Lift Propaganda Ban


www.buzzfeed.com

An amendment that would legalize the use of propaganda on American audiences is being inserted into the latest defense authorization bill, BuzzFeed has learned.

The amendment would “strike the current ban on domestic dissemination” of propaganda material produced by the State Department and the Pentagon, according to the summary of the law at the House Rules Committee's official website.

(visit the link for the full news article)


+4 more 
posted on May, 20 2012 @ 07:35 PM
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Well, I think most of us know the government is already influencing public opinion in all sorts of ways, but this new proposal would really pull out all the stops.

The article goes on to say:


The new law would give sweeping powers to the State Department and Pentagon to push television, radio, newspaper, and social media onto the U.S. public. “It removes the protection for Americans,” says a Pentagon official who is concerned about the law. “It removes oversight from the people who want to put out this information. There are no checks and balances. No one knows if the information is accurate, partially accurate, or entirely false.”


It is illegal to target Americans with Propaganda based on the Smith-Mundt Act of 1948 and Foreign Relations Authorization Act of 1987. The new measure seeks to overturn these laws.

The new bill is troubling also because there is little debate about it (unlike the two acts mentioned above); it is being quietly and discreetly rammed through congress while the rest of the country is busy doing...well, whatever it is they are doing. Arguing about Gay Marriage, I guess. Fiddling while Rome burns.

All this comes just as the Pentagon is ramping up its information warfare capabilities, throwing unprecidented money and sophistication into efforts to sway public opinion. The internet and social networks will be targeted with new force. The article specifically mentions the rolling out of "sock puppets," or what people around these parts tend to call "shilling." Get ready to see a whole lot more of it, and more sophisticated shilling techniques, too. All kinds of psych warfare chops will be brought to bear on the issues at hand.

Do you want the government conducing an "information war" on you, and all that entails, whout even the figleaf of legal restraint?

I know I don't.

www.buzzfeed.com
(visit the link for the full news article)


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posted on May, 20 2012 @ 08:25 PM
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I think it has been that way for a long time now, they are just now getting around to putting it in writing.


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posted on May, 20 2012 @ 08:38 PM
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reply to post by TKDRL
 


The problem with it, in my opinion, is that it legalizes government-sanctioned lying. Yeah, they've always lied. Now they can do it freely, openly, and proudly. Moreover, they can earmark huge budgets to bring to bear on the issue of how to influence public opinion.

It's basically a declaration of open psychological warfare on the populace.



posted on May, 20 2012 @ 08:41 PM
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Congressmen Seek To Lift Propaganda Ban
www.buzzfeed.com...



The new law would give sweeping powers to the State Department and Pentagon to push television, radio, newspaper, and social media onto the U.S. public. “It removes the protection for Americans,” says a Pentagon official who is concerned about the law. “It removes oversight from the people who want to put out this information. There are no checks and balances. No one knows if the information is accurate, partially accurate, or entirely false.”

According to this official, “senior public affairs” officers within the Department of Defense want to “get rid” of Smith-Mundt and other restrictions because it prevents information activities designed to prop up unpopular policies—like the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.




The Pentagon spends some $4 billion a year to sway public opinion already, and it was recently revealed by USA Today the DoD spent $202 million on information operations in Iraq and Afghanistan last year.

In an apparent retaliation to the USA Today investigation, the two reporters working on the story appear to have been targeted by Pentagon contractors, who created fake Facebook pages and Twitter accounts in an attempt to discredit them.


The politicians did not like when the military was using propaganda on them but now they want to use it on the American public even more than they already do. $4 billion a year to sway public opinion already. How much more are they wanting to do?

Heres the story where they used propaganda on U S Politicians.

Another Runaway General: Army Deploys Psy-Ops on U.S. Senators
www.rollingstone.com...



The U.S. Army illegally ordered a team of soldiers specializing in "psychological operations" to manipulate visiting American senators into providing more troops and funding for the war, Rolling Stone has learned – and when an officer tried to stop the operation, he was railroaded by military investigators.

The Runaway General: The Rolling Stone Profile of Stanley McChrystal That Changed History

The orders came from the command of Lt. Gen. William Caldwell, a three-star general in charge of training Afghan troops – the linchpin of U.S. strategy in the war. Over a four-month period last year, a military cell devoted to what is known as "information operations" at Camp Eggers in Kabul was repeatedly pressured to target visiting senators and other VIPs who met with Caldwell. When the unit resisted the order, arguing that it violated U.S. laws prohibiting the use of propaganda against American citizens, it was subjected to a campaign of retaliation.


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posted on May, 20 2012 @ 08:49 PM
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The bi-partisan amendment is sponsored by Rep. Mac Thornberry from Texas and Rep. Adam Smith from Washington State.



In a little noticed press release earlier in the week — buried beneath the other high-profile issues in the $642 billion defense bill, including indefinite detention and a prohibition on gay marriage at military installations — Thornberry warned that in the Internet age, the current law “ties the hands of America’s diplomatic officials, military, and others by inhibiting our ability to effectively communicate in a credible way.”



The bill's supporters say the informational material used overseas to influence foreign audiences is too good to not use at home, and that new techniques are needed to help fight Al-Qaeda, a borderless enemy whose own propaganda reaches Americans online.


I'm sad to say Thornberry is from my home state. I don't understand (because this reasoning is total BS) how the current law inhibits "'diplomatic officials', military and others ability to effectively communiate in a credible way." Can he get any more ambiguous?

History is repeating itself. Traitors occupy and have corrupted too much of the system. So enraging. Why do I feel politicians are just trying to start a revolution? And OF COURSE they use Al-CIAeda as an excuse... who woulda thought, they would use their own frankenstein to push their 'solution' onto us?

What a perfect war... the war on terror... no borders... the government is allowed to go anywhere as the battlefield is now the entire world... even your own kitchen.


edit on 20-5-2012 by six67seven because: (no reason given)

edit on 20-5-2012 by six67seven because: (no reason given)

edit on 20-5-2012 by six67seven because: (no reason given)



posted on May, 20 2012 @ 08:49 PM
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Achoo fascism.
2nd.



posted on May, 20 2012 @ 08:51 PM
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So much for transparent Government.



posted on May, 20 2012 @ 11:35 PM
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Well then we will also have a platform as well. Fb is a two sided street. With enough "likes" you can sway public opinion.



posted on May, 20 2012 @ 11:37 PM
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reply to post by silent thunder
 


What are they going to do? Lengthen the day an hour so FOX news and CNN can run a little longer?

Seriously though.. this would be bad news because we already see stupid people buying up all the propaganda in the news. It's pretty clear they would by the government mandated propaganda just the same. I wonder if we would see conflicts in the corporate based propaganda spewed from the media and the propaganda from the government. I would guess they would be the same since they are owned by the same corporations, but who knows?



posted on May, 20 2012 @ 11:46 PM
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reply to post by silent thunder
 


Too many things happening in too short of a time span. Something is really in the works. I would say they are preparing for a revolution. I am not one to usually jump to big conclusions, but it's all too weird. I would say this is to legalize the campaign against the Americans they will be detaining under the new NDAA. Propaganda against what the government may deem domestic terrorists. No one will care why Americans are locked up if there is enough propaganda out there against them.



posted on May, 21 2012 @ 12:24 AM
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There's a pattern, here.

Every time I hear about fascist, repressive, or anti-Constitutional legislation being supported for use against the public, said support comes from the Legislative Branch.

Every time I hear about said fascist legislation being shown any resistance or mitigation at all, however, said resistance comes from the Judicial Branch.


+5 more 
posted on May, 21 2012 @ 12:47 AM
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Originally posted by silent thunder
reply to post by TKDRL
 


The problem with it, in my opinion, is that it legalizes government-sanctioned lying. Yeah, they've always lied. Now they can do it freely, openly, and proudly. Moreover, they can earmark huge budgets to bring to bear on the issue of how to influence public opinion.

It's basically a declaration of open psychological warfare on the populace.


Because the Constitution never expressly, nor even implicitly prohibited the federal government from lying, they, of course, view this as a Constitutional right to do so...to lie. This is why Feds Embrace Lying in Response to Public Records Request. This is why the federal government lied about the debt crises. This is why the call the Federal Reserve a bank. This is why they have continually lied about American wars, why they continually lie about the national debt, why they lie, and lie, and lie, and lie, because they can.



posted on May, 21 2012 @ 02:07 AM
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What is our continent coming to? Fascism?

Of course the MSM partakes in blatant (although subtle to the sheep) propaganda already, making it legal will open the floodgates to a whole new level.

Nobody will know what the truth is at all!

There is a full blown information war brewing and sites like this will (while already infiltrated by disinfo gov't shills) will be a somewhat last bastion of free press.

God help us all.



posted on May, 21 2012 @ 02:17 AM
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reply to post by silent thunder

Since I knew that Voice of America is one of the official sources of U.S. propaganda for International (not domestic) consumption, I looked it up.

Voice of America
Voice of America (VOA) is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG).



VOA-Broadcasting Board of Governors
The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), a bipartisan panel of eight private citizens appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the U.S. Senate (the U.S. Secretary of State is an ex officio member of the Board), is the oversight body for official U.S. international broadcasts by both federal agencies and government-funded corporations.

So with the laws prohibiting propaganda use against citizens changed, the only oversight will be by a small board of political appointees and the Secretary of State (currently Hillary Clinton). And the citizen tax-payers get to pay for it. And once the Official U.S. Paid Government Reporters are on the job, you can bet that the need for independent journalist access to public officials will disappear.

"Good Morning U.S.A.:
today, Voice of America is on the scene to cover the latest executive orders signed into law to protect you ...."

Edit to add:

The plan has been in the works since October 13, 2011.

BBG Announces New Strategic Plan
BBG’s 2012-2016 strategic plan aims to make BBG the world’s leading international news agency by 2016, focused on both mission and impact, and targeting a 50 million worldwide audience gain. Titled “Impact through Innovation and Integration,” the plan calls for the establishment of a global news network and development of new delivery and anti-circumvention technologies. It also recommends streamlining management, evaluation of the possible consolidation of the three grantee networks into one organization, exploring possible de-federalization of the federal agency components, ending language duplication, modernizing distribution mechanisms to reflect the media audiences prefer, and repealing the ban on domestic dissemination of BBG programs contained in the 1948 Smith-Mundt Act.

That definitely sounds like directly competing with non-government international news outlets. Move over CNN!

Anti-circumvention means being able to broadcast into areas against the wishes of people living in the areas.
edit on 21-5-2012 by pthena because: (no reason given)



posted on May, 21 2012 @ 02:51 AM
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reply to post by silent thunder
 


This is just completely disgusting. Although they are already masters of propaganda without needing it to be legal, this will just give them the foundations required for taking the deception to the next level.

This is all happening because they know people are starting to ditch mainstream news sources and they are learning too much from the internet... thus they have two main goals:

* screw over the internet (CISPA achieved that)
* make it legal to propagandize their citizens

The people in charge are lying, psychopathic, delusional, treacherous, control freak, scum bags...
edit on 21-5-2012 by ChaoticOrder because: (no reason given)



posted on May, 21 2012 @ 03:01 AM
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There are 238 criminals in congress, I expect this will have no problem in becomming law.

But as I said before, just because the government says something is right and just does not make it so.



posted on May, 21 2012 @ 03:13 AM
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Communist Goals (1963) Congressional Record--Appendix, pp. A34-A35 January 10, 1963

15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States.
 
16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.
 
17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks.

21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures.

24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press.
 
25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.
 
26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy."
 
27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity, which does not need a "religious crutch."
 
28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state."
 
www.rense.com...

This move is simply formalising what's been allowed to occur in every western nation of Christendom. If you cannot see that society's beliefs, in the absence of faithfulness and obedience to God, are indoctrinated through every form of media, then you will not understand the time in which you've been created to live. The question that all need to examine is why and how the descendants of Christian grandparents and great-grandparents have been made Godless through something as seemingly innocuous as media. The answer is simple - you are what you eat. Your mind becomes a slave to either this world or God. How to break it? Ask the Lord. The above was just fifty years ago, and all has been accomplished by propaganda and indoctrination. That should scare the living daylights out of sensible people, yet the love of the world is too strong for most to act upon the truth. Understand the time in which you live, understand how others made you believe what you do, understand how others got you to fight for wickedness as a "right" instead of a "wrong". The truth hurts, but God is there to heal and to save. The first step comes when He allows you to start seeing propaganda, which leads you to start questioning the origins of your own beliefs... and to those who learned to value and love truth, those very same will finally understand what it means when you read "God is truth".



posted on May, 21 2012 @ 03:43 AM
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Now why would a Government with no ill intentions even need the use of propaganda? I think that's the question people need to be asking here. If the police dressed up in full riot gear, tsa sexually assaulting citizens, endless wars, or the poison in the water and food wasn't enough to get you thinking, surely openly brainwashing the public should make that little light bulb turn on?



posted on May, 21 2012 @ 04:00 AM
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Originally posted by Jagermeister
Now why would a Government with no ill intentions even need the use of propaganda? I think that's the question people need to be asking here. If the police dressed up in full riot gear, tsa sexually assaulting citizens, endless wars, or the poison in the water and food wasn't enough to get you thinking, surely openly brainwashing the public should make that little light bulb turn on?


One of the most truly shocking things about our march off the cliff has been how difficult that little lightbulb really is to turn on for so many - and still more shocking, how many argue passionately that everything is fine and couldn't be better -- even in places like ATS. I expect a few prime examples will be joining us right here in this thread before all that much longer.




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