The power of modern
mass media is truly astonishing. They can swing worldwide public opinion at
their will, like a pendulum that does their bidding, often against all reason
and against all logic. The other day I showed you (here in this article) how they made us all applaud
first the defeat of the Egyptian
Army, and then the triumph of the
Egyptian Army, in almost seamless succession. Which makes a fine example of
their sway over our defenceless minds.
But there is
of course much more of this sort of soft, velvet demagogy going on. So much more,
in fact, that I often wonder if Alfred B Mittington is the only person left on
earth who still thinks clearly, independently and courageously. Wanna take the
test? Come, take the test with me! Read the following burning questions, give
us an honest answer, and you’ll be surprised to what extent you yourself have
been brainwashed. Here goes:
I dislike
people who work for the CIA Agree / Disagree
Nobody should
take an oath of loyalty to a spy agency Agree / Disagree
Any man who
breaks his word of honour is loathsome Agree
/ Disagree
Edward
Snowden is a hero Agree
/ Disagree
See what I
mean? I have no doubt that each one of you enlightened folks and friends-of-mine
who answered the first three questions honestly gave me in answer a threesome
of resounding ‘Agree’s’. And yet each one of us – pushed by the modern mass
media, who adore and revere and applaud the fellow – also feels the urge to
agree with the last statement, which (must I point it out?) is at complete and
utter loggerheads with the previous ones.
For young
mister Snowden DID hire himself out to the CIA, dear reader. He DID sign a
contract with them of his own free will; he accepted their money; he took a
formal oath of loyalty; and he broke that oath when he thought that treason was
the more admirable course of action... As if he did not know beforehand whom he
was going to work for and was awfully shocked to learn what we all already knew for the last twenty years: that the intelligence
agencies of all modern states are
spying on us wherever and whenever they get the chance, making fine use of all
those digital gadgets we love to use without thinking!
Deeply
disappointed at the doings of his own government, Mr Snowden is now saying that
he was only an honest and innocent patriot who did not know what he was getting
into. I don’t believe a word of it. Was he really that dumb? Does the CIA
really hire people who are so incredibly stupid? Ay, if only! For in that case
we’d have nothing to fear from the American spy agencies! They must be packed
with dunces!
Unfortunately
that is not the case, and we do have a massive problem. But it is not a problem
that will be solved by second-rate whistle-blowers and their obsolete, passé
revelations…
Benedict Arnold's Oath of Loyalty... |
Is Mr Snowden
a hero? Does he deserve the Noble Peace Prize (no less!) and a statue next to
that of Mandela, Ghandi, King and Christ? Well, I do not think so. Rather than
a hero, I think young Mr Snowdon is a loser; a poor fellow who saw his chance at
some fame of the Wikileaks variety; who does not understand how ephemeral such stardom
is; who does not see that the only support he receives comes from notorious anti-American
adversaries, who will love him only as long as they can use him against his
motherland; and who does not seem to grasp either that after the first media sensation
of his revelations has faded (today’s Man
Bites Dog and Tree in Cat), he is
looking at 30 years in jail, or 50 years of running and hiding, without anybody
caring one iota for his fate or his destiny no more (not even you, dear reader,
who now feels his blood boil at Alfred B Mittington’s scandalous innuendo…)
How do I know
he is so very silly? Why: because of the most recent joke he’s pulled on us! He,
the grand champion of Constitutional Freedoms, the Robin Hood of Civic Rights
and Legality, the Thermopylae of People Power against the Oppressive State… he goes
and asks political asylum in Russia, of all unlikely places on the globe!!!!
Oh, of course
I fully agree with Mr Snowden’s choice! Yes I do! For Mr Putin’s Russia is an
example to us all! It is a fully functioning democracy that would never spy on own
citizens, or the nationals of foreign countries. It is a state of law that would
never trample human rights and constitutional privileges under the boots of its
secret services and spy agencies. It has always observed the strictest legality
in its dealings with the individual, and of course it never ever cracked down
on, or misbehaved towards, its own native whistle-blowers… (just scan this here article quickly).
That then is the
regime Mr Snowden runs to, for friendship and protection in his fight against State
Oppression…!
Mr Snowden is
a laugh and a parody of himself, who makes Benedict Arnold stand out as a sensible
man.
Benedict Arnold was both brave & intelligent. Despite his battle successes, he was passed over for promotion by the Continental Congress while other officers claimed credit for some of his accomplishments. Opponents in military and political circles brought charges of corruption or other malfeasance, but most often he was acquitted in formal inquiries. Congress investigated his accounts and found he was indebted to Congress after spending much of his own money on the war effort. Frustrated and bitter, Arnold decided to change sides in 1779.
ReplyDeleteAs you know, history is written by the victors & thus, his name is blacked.
Canadian historians have treated Arnold as a relatively minor figure. His difficult time in New Brunswick led historians to summarize it as full of "controversy, resentment, and legal entanglements", and that he was disliked by both Americans and Loyalists.
The historian Barry Wilson points out that Arnold's descendants ended up establishing deep roots in the country, becoming leading settlers not just in Upper Canada, but later in lands further west, where they established settlements in Saskatchewan. His descendants, most of all those of John Sage, who adopted the Arnold surname, are spread across Canada.
His long woollen British scarlet military jacket with a buff lining continues to be owned by descendants; as of 2001, it was held in Saskatchewan. It has reportedly been passed in each generation to the eldest male of the family.
He is buried here: http://www.stmarysbattersea.org.uk/Welcome.html
Cordially,
Perry
ReplyDeleteDear Perry,
Thank you for elaborating. Of course, I was merely looking for an eloquent parallel, and hit upon the stereotype belief around Benedict Arnold as the easiest illustration.
Yours, ABM