"Believe half of what you see, none of what you hear and less of what you read." Bias is everywhere; depending on where you sit your view will be different. The mountains are majestic from the ground, but minutiae from the sky. War can be claimed as ‘just’, when you are the aggressor, but it is horror and grief if you are the victim. For every news story there is a behind the scenes story. For every press release there is a motive. I am motivated to write this article because so many of my fellow citizens have become deaf to the realities we are living in and I want to know why? There is a desire behind every individual utterance. I am thirsty. I am hungry. I am cold. I am weary. I feel sorrow, pain and desperation. These are all human utterances which could be answered with compassion. Instead the world noise has become a cacophony of threats, fear and entertainment hysteria. Buy more, consume more, drink more, eat more and work more to satisfy the greed of the elite. This distractive noise drowns out the quiet noise of those in pain, suffering and oppressed. We do not hear, therefore we do not answer.

Propaganda campaigns have been going on for centuries, but never has the world been so inundated with mixed messages. Our ever evolving communications technology allows us to be saturated with voices, television, radio, magazines, newspapers, and billboards. Even clothing now screams at us from every direction. The subconscious mind is forced to constantly process this information, regardless of our desire to block it out. We are so weary from the noise, that we cannot hear the simplest plea for help. I sense that this distractive noise has created the perfect backdrop for psychological warfare to be introduced. Whether this was deliberate or simply opportunistic, it is working. While our minds are busy on overload we are not perceptive to the subtle messages being introduced. We are tired and unwilling to use what little energy we have left at the end of the day to try to interpret the messages.

In exploring the concept of Psychological Warfare I discovered this is a technique used to learn everything about your enemy and allies and use the information to manipulate them to your advantage. An excerpt from explains some of the details : "Used during peacetime, contingencies and declared war, these activities are not a form of force, but are force multipliers that use nonviolent means in often violent environments. Persuading rather than compelling physically, they rely on logic, fear, desire or other mental factors to promote specific emotions, attitudes or behaviors. The ultimate objective of U.S. military psychological operations is the dissemination of truthful information to foreign audiences in support of U.S. policy and national objectives to convince enemy, neutral, and friendly nations and forces to take action favorable to the United States and its allies." Now, please note that Psychological Operations as conducted by the US Military is the dissemination of "truthful" information, not propaganda which is categorized as "white, gray, or black". Now what is the difference between PSYOP and propaganda? A memorandum prepared by the Chief of Army Field Forces at Fort Monroe, Virginia in September of 1953 briefly explained the difference between "gray" propaganda, messages broadcast with the goal of "avoiding identification," and "black" propaganda, which involves "attribution to a source other than the true one." A more recent set of definitions, reportedly used by former CIA chief William Colby and cited in at least one commercial publication, calls truthfully-attributed and non- attributed messages "white" propaganda, whereas messages falsely attributed to a third party are considered "gray." The term "black propaganda" is reserved for those materials "planted by the United States but in such as way that it seems to be the product or even an internal document of the target group." In other words, "black propaganda" is nothing less than a form of intellectual and political subversion. Historically, the application of psychological operations in one form or another has proven to be almost as essential to the successful waging of war as the use of manpower and weaponry. However, in spite of psychological operations’ long history of successful employment, the potential for using the power of persuasion through psychological operations as a force multiplier to achieve national objectives with a minimum of destruction has been recognized by only the most perceptive of military leaders and statesmen. Furthermore, it has only been since World War II that PSYOP has come into its own as an effective weapon system."

To help the reader understand the concept of ‘Force Multiplier’ here is the best definition I have seen: “A force multiplier is a collection of related characteristics, other than weapons and force size, that make a military organization more effective in combat. A force multiplier may be generalship; tactical surprise; tactical mobility; command and control system; etc. The presence of a force multiplier creates synergy. The unit will be more effective than the mere sum of its weapons...” Dr. Louis Rene Beres, 'Israel, 'Palestine' and 'Correlation of Forces' In The Middle East http://www.milnet.com/beres/correlation.html

That explanation helped me to understand what Canadians are being subjected to. When Lisa LaFlamme reported for CTV news to Canada A.M.(Feb.06) that our troops were disappointed to hear that Canadians were not in favour of the Afghanistan mission, Canadians felt bad (as we would be expected to). She quoted one soldier as saying that ‘Canadians need to become more informed on the situation’. I agree. Where would we get the truth? Canadians support our troops because it is the right thing to do. We don’t want them putting their lives on the line for the sake of greed, for oil, for control of another country. We don’t want them to be subjected to a foreign country’s rules. We want our soldiers to represent our values. That is democracy! The February 2006 news story had the desired effect. By April Canadians were beginning to support the mission. When the country gets behind the mission, and the world sees us in such a light, we become part of the ‘force multiplier’. When Mr. Harper made comments on a bogus news story regarding Iran changing a law which would require Christians and Jews to wear identifiable labels on their clothing, (without ensuring the story was factual) he planted another seed. (Notice the subtle spoon feeding we are subjected to, similar to pre-Iraq, pre-Afghanistan language.)

This tactic was used before by President Bush as this quote explains …"at the very beginning of Desert Shield, just after Iraq invaded Kuwait, he referred to Saddam Hussein as being ‘just like Adolph Hitler’. For Americans and most of Europe that was an insulting comparison. However, looking at it through the eyes of an Iraqi soldier Adolph Hitler tried to exterminate all the Jews. Iraq has long hated Israel. Hitler drove out the British and French forces that had long occupied the Middle East. So with the right propaganda, the comparison could be interpreted that Saddam, like Hitler, hates Israel and wants to keep the western infidel influence from contaminating the Middle East. This would be a compliment not an insult" .

Given the information above and what we have been experiencing in the last 10-20 years, would it not be a fair observation to say that we, the people of the world, are the victims of psychological warfare? If the weapon of choice for corporate driven agendas is the tactic of psychological war, then we, the victims, ought to learn more about these choice weapons in order to combat the war being waged against humanity. If we cannot depend on our ‘mainstream’ media to be anything more than spin-masters, if we have no dependable source for ‘real’ news, truth, facts and accountability, then we ought to stop relying on it or consider it a source of entertainment, satire, or black comedy. If today’s national news media want our respect, they should be made to earn it by in-depth investigation and factual reporting. Money for newspapers, magazines and television does not come from readers or viewers, it comes from advertising. Advertising dollars are influencing the media. We are consumers of news influenced by hidden agendas. Would you pay for an advertisement if you knew that nobody would see it? Corporations count on the fact that the public trusts and expects media to report fact, even though many of us suspect it has a bias. Canadians need to stand up and reject these influences. Canadians must demand that media return to the ideals of objectivity, unbiased reporting, investigative journalism and responsible rather than sensational delivery. Corporate influence through advertising dollars and monopoly ownership must be removed from media. Freedom of the press has been stretched and twisted to mean, freedom to print or report in order to influence, rather than to inform. The recent public spectacle of Mr. Harper accusing the Ottawa press gallery of bias against him is an indication of the level of influence on the press in Canada. The press ought to be critical, questioning and challenging all levels of government on behalf of the people and democracy. It is their duty to act for the people, not as spokesperson for the government of the day, or any political party or corporate agenda!

If we blocked their avenue to our minds, we would become protected from the lies. If we sought out reliable sources for information and did not succumb to the fear tactics, they could not operate. Nations go to war for many reasons. Most are based in greed on one side or the other. People lay down their lives for their nation based on the information of its leaders. How do you incite people to be willing to take another’s life? It has been my observation that fear is the primary base. Humans must fear something or someone enough to learn to hate. Nobody can live in fear for an extended period; therefore, the hate takes over from the fear. Enough hate towards the ‘enemy’,(the one who you perceive is threatening your life, your family or your way of life) is enough to cause people to rise up against their fellow man. This is a complicated subject.

In order to kill, people also have to believe that their enemy is inferior or sub-human In order to make them accept this inaccurate information, media bombards us with images that glorify war and desensitize us from the humanity being destroyed. When Canada was a colony of Britain and Britain was an empire we were obligated to fight wars on her behalf. Britain is no longer an empire and Canada is no longer a colony. We are a sovereign nation, although we do not act like one The propaganda we are being fed has created an unnatural link between Canada and the U.S. administration. There is a very strong campaign being used to make us believe we are the same, and an even stronger one to ensure any dissent from the party line is seen as anti-Americanism. We are fighting for freedom, democracy and the protection of North America, we are told, “So be quiet and let us do it our way!”. Our PM has begun to use the same language as the U.S. President. We hear ‘God Bless Canada’ at the end of speeches as well as the ‘we must fight them over there’ slogan. We are given to believe that we must support our friends as they build a new empire. We must kill ‘over there’ so that they will not kill us ‘over here’. Nobody asks the question, “Why would they want to kill us over here? What has Canada done to them that they would want revenge? What is Canada doing that threatens their lives, their way of life, their families?” As Canada loses more of its nation to foreign investors, loses more of its control over its military through the Plan for a New American Century, loses the ability to protect its natural resources due to unfair trade deals like NAFTA and gives up its ability to stand for peaceful initiatives and allows herself to become fully under the control of corporate rule, we can expect more people around the world to hate us! The psychological war we are victims of attempts to reprogram us to think as a unit, rather than as a sovereign country.

We have heard that our role as peacekeepers is a myth. Perhaps it is a myth in light of our recent history of joining our friends as they invade, occupy and export ‘democracy’ around the globe. I never knew that democracy was an export product. In fact my history tells me that real democracy must come from the people and can never be successfully imposed on a nation. Propaganda tells us we can export democracy, freedom and a better way of life. Propaganda does not allow us to consider that freedom does not come at the end of a gun barrel. We are losing our country through new agreements, which the Canadian media is virtually ignoring, but Canadians are kept busy with media noise. We have multinational corporations making policy, pushing to remove our borders, endorsing plans like Atlantica, and the media stays mute. Why isn’t the media asking why Canadian troops are under U.S. command? What sovereign nation would allow such a decision? Rather, they are playing the other noise. The mantra of this era, ‘With us or Against Us’, ‘Fighting Evil over There’, ‘Exporting Democracy’, ‘They Hate Us Because of Our Freedoms’ and of course the over played, ‘Make NO Mistake’ . We heard the mantra before the invasion of Afghanistan and the bombing of innocent people while they pursued their creation, the still illusive Bin Laden. After they tired of that pursuit, they created the Weapons of Mass Destruction mantra, (never mind it was all lies) they still invaded and bombed Iraq in the pursuit of another one of their creations, Saddam Hussein. Now we are listening to a new but familiar song, Iran has WMD (Nuclear Weapons) and so….this time Canada will be on the team, the infamous ‘Coalition of the Willing’. Let us also remember that Canada also possesses WMD. Should anyone express any doubt about just how big a threat these people are, we can be sure to hear, ‘remember 911’. That being said, ‘do not remember that 911 was never satisfactorily investigated, that the bin Laden family was escorted out of the U.S. before they could be questioned or any of the other facts surrounding this issue’ Anyone questioning or doubting the official 911 story, will be discounted immediately by media and others as a ‘conspiracy theorist’, regardless of whether you believe it was a ‘conspiracy’. Do not remember that the U.S. placed Saddam in Iraq or that they trained Ossama. Forget the Iran Contra Affair. Remember what we tell you to remember nothing more!

If anyone should express distaste over mopping up the mess that the U.S. has made in these countries, we are also reminded; ‘that the people need our help’, ‘that these are desperate innocent people who are being oppressed by a brutal regime and we are their savior’ and that ‘we must export democracy’ and most importantly, ‘that we must support our new best friends’ We are not told or allowed to discuss that the mess was made by the U.S. or that the people we need to help now are in this state because of the invasions, the bombings the destruction of their country by the U.S. When our youth lose their lives fighting for this mission, we as a country, will try to downplay the loss and not lower our Canadian flags in Ottawa, nor will you see their bodies coming home in a box. We are supporting our friends’ decision to do the same for their fallen soldiers. We are being denied the ability to express our grief, abhorrence and dissatisfaction for these unacceptable decisions by our government. This, too, is a form of psychological warfare. Keeping the people in the dark is unacceptable in a democracy.

So many of my fellow citizens have become deaf to the realities we are living in and this has motivated me to explore why. I believe I have found the answer. We are victims of a very clever form of psychological warfare. We do not hear about the real threats to Canada. We are without a doubt being programmed to think the thoughts that empower them to wage war. We need to think the thoughts that empower us to wage peace!

Combating this program won’t we easy. The next time you hear about the new superior best friend whom our elected officials are waging war along with, also consider the damage inflicted on this country. Think about -‘Softwood lumber’ or the ‘BSE border closer’ that nearly crippled our farmers. If that doesn’t bother you, think about the fact that Mr. Martin signed us on to the Plan for a New American Century, which means Canada will subordinate itself to the U.S.A. (Plan for 2010). Think about whether you should have been consulted, or at the very least told about the agreement. Mr. Harper seems quite willing to speed that along, with or without the people’s consent. When you hear about government accountability, think about Mr. Emerson, the key Liberal who helped bring the plan for 2010 into existence and, although he is considered to be betraying the people of his riding, sits as a Conservative Cabinet Minister. Is the press reporting this information? When you hear that we are fighting ‘them’ so they don’t come over here and fight us, ask yourself why they would want to fight us in the first place? Rather than accept the rhetoric of war, we must demand facts.

As Canadians are lulled into the blessed sleep of weary travelers under the influence of the noise makers, our country is being dismantled. We have unfair trade deals, and agreements that place our military at the command of the U.S. to wage war at their pleasure Our resources are being sold for cheap, our labour force is being eroded, our water is under threat, our rights and freedoms are being undermined, our social programs are being sacrificed and our debt increases as we sleep! If the first casualty of war is truth, then the first step to victory must be restoring it! If we continue to be apathetic, or accept our ignorance as the bliss it is, without considering that our ignorance is empowering those who oppress others and eventually ourselves, we are by default participants. If we are free then we must act as such. We must demand freedom of the press. We must combat the psychological war being waged against us. If we have any social conscience left in this country, we owe it to the people of this planet to awaken, advocate and act responsibly.

Catherine Whelan Costen, Canadian Action Party President
www.canadianactionparty.ca
cathpublish@wildroseinternet.ca Ph: 403-660-0449

Canadian Action Party/ Parti Action Canadienne; Leader, Constance (Connie) Fogal
E-mail:conniefogal@telus.net


Catherine Whelan Costen, CAP President & Communications Director 403-684-3514 or 403-660-0449 Fax: 403-684-3464
www.CanadianActionParty.ca
cathpublish@wildroseinternet.ca
'If I stand for my country today...will my country be here to stand for me tomorrow?'

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Symbolic Terror Target: Who Exactly is Manipulating Our Emotions? And Why

Subject: [Cap_contacts] Symbolic Terror Target: Who Exactly is Manipulating Our Emotions? And Why?
Date: Sat, 10 Jun 2006 19:50:14 -0600
From: info@falstaff.canadianactionparty.ca

by Mary-Sue Haliburton
ew723@ncf.ca

Headlines about an alleged plot to destroy the Peace Tower probably have a lot of people in Canada upset and scared. To attack the tower of Parliament Hill would obviously be highly symbolic. But because it's really only symbolism that is involved, I have to wonder who would really want to do that. Why expend such effort on this particular target?

That structure has no function in government. Unlike the office towers of Bay Street, this gothic stone structure houses no financial power which could affect national or world affairs. Almost no one works in there except a few security guards and tourist guides. Basically, it's a glorified bell tower. The carilloneur (Gordon Slater, if he hasn't retired yet) pushes on a huge keyboard with his fists, making the bells gong or chime out his arrangements of music.

The only other function of the Peace Tower is as a repository for tributes to fallen soldiers. So, if the memorial chamber were to be destroyed, the military-emotional button would be pushed. Other than this symbolic importance, felling this old stone tower is not likely to be as dramatic or effective a target as the WTC (at least as the media took advantage of the footage shown). And maybe it doesn't really have to be knocked down physically if people get freaked out enough just contemplating the idea.

News reports about a this plot could function as a trial balloon to test public reactivity.

It's natural to assume that such an action would have some objectives, social and perhaps military. Given the type of building it is, we might try to guess what those objectives would be.

The feeling associated with these news reports is that the purpose of destroying the Peace Tower would be psychological manipulation of public and foreign policy. No rubble would fall on real power brokers who could be doing something to harm a putative "enemy" -- some country or organization that would be seeking revenge, or to trigger a retaliative action, or whatever this might be. To this type of "terror attack" the usual retaliative response is military. Or at least the dominant political theories demand military responses with no proof of guilt disclosed to the public.

We are supposed to trust their word.

So if a building with no real function in government or the economy (other than emotion and symbolism) gets demolished, the purpose would seem to be to psych out Canadians and get us to react emotionally. Where have we seen that tactic put to work lately? In imitation of the WTC destruction, this alleged Peace Tower demolition plot might have a similar or associated purpose: to bring Canadians into line with American behaviour. We'd be called on to "support our troops" unquestioningly in reaction to an attack on the memory of our fallen soldiers.

Since they died believing that their sacrifice in the "great war" would help to end all wars, the fallen soldiers themselves might be turning in their graves at this war-mongering. They didn't want to see any continuation of what they had to endure. Instead, the insanity seems to spread and escalate as weapons become more fearful and "depleted uranium" dust blights the lives of both enemy and friend.

A further effect of publicity for the "foiled terror plot" would be to demonize any Canadians who question the allegedly "terrorist" attack itself. Any Canadians who continue to disagree with the deployment of Canadian soldiers under U.S. command in Afghanistan, and who object to future deployments of Canadians into Arab nations -- all without any proof being brought forward that this is justified -- will tend to be tarred with the same brush.

Who would benefit from such a symbolic action?

With the reasons suggested above as the likely psychological and military objectives, it's difficult to believe that any "Muslim fanatics" or "Arab terror cells" would be seeking an outcome that would increase public support in Canada for the war activities in Afghanistan. At least, mature and thoughtful Muslims who are thinking logically would not go down that path.

Nothing reported since this initial announcement has changed this impression of pre-planning and set-up. This is not to say that youths who are easily led into being trapped by a sting operation won't have any responsibility for their words and behaviour. But when allegations are used as headlines, will we ever be able to sort out facts from hype? Under those conditions, could a trial outcome be fair?

When evidence about alleged terrorist operations is kept secret, we may never know what was really going on. The timing and front- page publicity for this alleged terror plot against the Peace Tower and in central Ontario appears to set the stage for the previously-scheduled secret trials of five Muslim men which were known to be taking place the weekend following this terrorism- fest in the news.

It would take very little innuendo to make people look like enemy collaborators for supporting a fair trial for these suspects. We should keep asking questions, and seeking ways to de-fuse the "terror" imperatives -- which are to scare people into giving up civil rights and legal protection -- and which are infecting both sides. Only full disclosure and open discussion of various options for negotiated settlements will bring about an end to the violence.

Secrecy and loss of human rights do not make us safer.

Contact info:
Mary-Sue Haliburton
ew723@ncf.ca

CANADIAN ACTION PARTY/PARTI ACTION CANADIENNE
LEADER, CONSTANCE (Connie) FOGAL
www.canadianactionparty.ca

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