SELLING TORTURE TO AMERICA - THE MAD-MEN DID WELL

Promotion of smoking half a century ago by the "smart" people [Mad-men] of Madison Avenue, who knew the truth, led to countless deaths. Advertising and its twin, public relations, became a way of deceiving on a scale imagined by those who had read Freud and applied mass psychology to anything from cigarettes to politics. Just as the Marlboro Man was virility itself, so politicians could be branded, packaged, and sold.

It is 100 days since Barack Obama was elected president of the United States. The "Obama brand" has since been named Advertising Ages "marketer of the year for 2008," easily beating Apple. Deploying the Internet and a slogan plagiarized from the Latino union organizer Caesar Chavez Si se puede! "yes, we can," the "mass-level, automated technological community" marketed its brand to victory in a country desperate to be rid of George W. Bush.

No one knew what the new brand actually stood for. So accomplished was the advertising a record $75 million was spent on TV commercials alone that many Americans actually believed Obama shared their opposition to Bushs wars. In fact, he had repeatedly backed Bushs warmongering and its congressional funding. Many Americans also believed he was the heir to Martin Luther Kings legacy of anti-colonialism. Yet if Obama had a theme at all, apart from the vacuous "change you can believe in," it was the renewal of America as a dominant, avaricious bully. "We will be the most powerful!" he declared.

In his first 100 days, Obama has excused torture, opposed habeas corpus, and demanded more secret government. He has kept Bushs gulag intact and at least 17,000 prisoners beyond the reach of justice. On April 24, his lawyers won an appeal that ruled Guantanamo prisoners were not "persons" and therefore had no right not to be tortured. His national intelligence director, Adm. Dennis Blair, says he believes torture works. One of his senior officials in Latin America is accused of covering up the torture of an American nun in Guatemala; another is a Pinochet apologist. As Daniel Ellsberg has pointed out, America experienced a military coup under Bush, whose secretary of "defense," Robert Gates, along with the same warmaking officials, have been retained by Obama.

All over the world, Americas violent assault on innocent people, directly or by agents, has been stepped up. During the recent massacre in Gaza, reports Seymour Hersh, "the Obama team let it be known that it would not object to the planned resupply of smart bombs and other high-tech ordnance that was already flowing to Israel" and being used to slaughter mostly women and children. In Pakistan, the number of civilians killed by American missiles called drones has more than doubled since Obama took office.

In Afghanistan, the U.S. "strategy" of killing Pashtun tribespeople (the "Taliban") has been extended by Obama to give the Pentagon time to build a series of permanent bases right across the devastated country where, says Secretary Gates, the U.S. military will remain indefinitely. Obamas policy, one unchanged since the Cold War, is to intimidate Russia and China, now an imperial rival. He is proceeding with Bushs provocation of placing missiles on Russias western border, lying that they are a counter to Iran, which he accuses, absurdly, of posing "a real threat" to Europe and the U.S. On April 5, in Prague, he made a speech reported as "anti-nuclear." It was nothing of the kind. Under the Pentagons Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW) program, the U.S. is building new "tactical" nuclear weapons designed to blur the distinction between nuclear and conventional war.

Perhaps the biggest lie the equivalent of smoking is good for you is Obamas announcement that the U.S. is leaving Iraq, the country it has reduced to a river of blood. According to unabashed U.S. Army planners, as many as 70,000 troops will remain "for the next 15 to 20 years." On April 25, his secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, alluded to this. It is not surprising that the polls are showing that a growing number of Americans believe they have been suckered especially as the nations economy has been entrusted to the same fraudsters who destroyed it. Lawrence Summers, Obamas principal economic adviser, is throwing $3 trillion at the same banks that paid him more than $8 million last year, including $135,000 for one speech. Change you can believe in.

Much of the American establishment loathed Bush and Cheney for exposing, and threatening, the onward march of Americas "grand design," as Henry Kissinger, war criminal and now Obama adviser, calls it. In advertising terms, Bush was a "brand collapse," whereas Obama, with his toothpaste-advertisement smile and righteous clichés, is a godsend. At a stroke, he has seen off serious domestic dissent to war, and he brings tears to the eyes, from Washington to Whitehall. He is the BBCs man, and CNNs man, and Murdochs man, and Wall Streets man, and the CIAs man. The madmen did well.

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[SheikhShajo510]

rape never happened? theres videos of them doin nasty stuff to not onlythe prisoners, but rapin a girl 17 times a day. so if thats america then its full of homo pedophiles with small dicks tryin to feel powerful

[malikahsan1990]

fuck America.

[ekilla1337]

american dont be sorry just wait what we gonna to ur wifes and childreen the will no longest know what is the tastyeof water but only cum just wait

[obiscygma]

I'm amused by people who claim to be such "free-thinkers" - they say they rely on "facts", and they form their OWN opinions - they don't just swallow what others try to feed them - UNLESS it's something bad about the government - then they instantly buy the whole thing, hook-line-and-sinker. "Well, it MUST be true, it's on Youtube, and the Govt is EVIL. That's proof enough"

Throwing words around like torture, gestapo, tyranny, nazis. Gimme a break.

Damn fools... Damn Ignorant maleable fools.

[ENDUSANOW]

for every 10 protesters, you must have 20 snipers around ready to take out (that is right kill) any government representatives who disrupt a peaceful protest & do violence or arrest them for exercising their civil and human rights. the message will be very clear to criminal psychopath nazi (national socialists) fascists traitors who sell us & our country out; the message will be clear to criminals who hijacked our government & our life. god damn the USA it has been evil bait & switch from start.

[ENDUSANOW]

end usa now.

[deadreck024]

you cannot judge all Americans from these pictures lets not forget how many people in America protest these actions.I agree this is disgraceful but its not done by me or anyone i know its done by an extreme government that is out of control.Those fucking gestapo gorillas are the bastards.

[geofftek]

what a sick cuntry

[msmelancholy1]

i'm literally shaking and physically sick after watching this. I'm so fricken angry.

[obeahuk]

AIDS. AMERICANS IN DEEP SHIT

[shorray]

Americunts

[planesareawsome]

i hate the goverment