On Fri, 16 Apr 1999, Carl Remick wrote:
> As I expected, the NATO debacle in the Balkans is continuing to unfold
> along the lines of the Vietnam War. Once again, I believe, the antiwar
> movement's best tactic is to destroy the warmongers' credibility among
> the public at large.
Maybe you're right, Carl. But I have the depressing feeling they've learned from Vietnam. They deny it when the first reports hit, and then admit it a day later, when it's old news, complete, as you point out, with gory details. And then move on. With their own rumors, they do it in reverse: trumpet outrageous claims in an ominous voice, and then -- when people turn up alive, for instance -- say that it's tough to get information in wartime.
If they would only deny things longer, stonewall, refuse comment on outrageous lies, credibility could really take a fall. But they don't do that anymore. They just keep spinning. They've preserved the most effective features of the big lie (constant repetition). But, by making it a constantly churning procession of slightly different stories, it's less attackable than it used to be. They constantly admit they were wrong, which is the biggest lie of all, since it implies inadvertance. But it's hell to pin down.
We haven't learned a thing about humanitarian aid, conflict resolution or even how to wage war. But we do seem to have improved our propaganda techniques.
Michael
__________________________________________________________________________ Michael Pollak................New York City..............mpollak at panix.com