pen-l pen-l ------- Forwarded Message Follows ------- Date sent: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 15:07:17 -0700 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] From: Sid Shniad <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: SPINNING MAKES ME DIZZY Landau Pacifica April 21 1999 SPINNING MAKES ME DIZZY What to think amidst this verbal barrage against Yugoslavia's leader? AM radio talk show hostess Stephanie Miller compared Yugoslav President Slobodon Milosovic to Hitler. "I saw them loading poor ethnic Albanians onto trains, like Hitler did to Jews." She meant she saw it on TV, of course. Other commentators have also likened cleansing of ethnic Albanians to the Holocaust. President Clinton promised to protect ethnic Albanians, but instead his bombing campaign induced Milosovic to accelerate their removal. So, for clarity, I called, Donald Wag-the-Dog King, secret White House Spin Doctor for Operation Allied Force. Will we send US troops, I asked. "Troops," he screamed, "will go in when the media, which we feed, convinces the public that Milosovic's actions are akin to the Japanese bombing Pearl Harbor. But don't underestimate spin. Look how the public supports our bombing campaign. That's due to spin. Suppose that instead of accusing Milosovic of loading Ethnic Albanians onto deportation trains, we had said he was ousting fanatic Muslim fundamentalists? That would conjure images of PLO chief Arafat and terrorists like Osama Ben Laden. "Take the Kosovo Liberation Army. Suppose we had publicized the CIA's claim, just 3 years ago, that the KLA were Maoist terrorists and narco traffickers?" Not much public sentiment for backing people with those labels, I said. "So," he continued, "spinning makes yesterday's drug-dealing, red terrorist into today's freedom fighter, except in Afghanistan where yesterday's freedom fighter becomes today's fanatic Muslim terrorist. But let's not confuse the public with facts." But, I objected, is this spinning democratic? "Spinning the story shows us as upholders of democracy, freedom- lovers. Milosovic becomes the newest demon threatening our lives." Wait a sec, I said. Do you mean this campaign to save ethnic Albanians requires that we demonize yet another man? "How else to sell a war? Remember Sodom Hussein, formerly, Saddam. We turned our one time pal -- during his war with Iran in the 1980s -- into Satan with a few well-placed photos and stories. The media love it. Remember the Maine and the Kuwaiti babies thrown out of their incubators. Heh heh!" This is cynical beyond belief I said. "Hey, a few democracies have to keep order over less civilized nations. Our democracy demands spinning in the advanced info age. Our new story has Milosovic appointing only his cronies to high public office. Makes you hate him more, doesn't it?" You mean, I said, Milosovic appoints the Yugoslav equivalents of Webster Hubbell? "Hey, spinning is supposed to take your mind off Clinton's appointments and most other leaders' for that matter. Spinning makes you think the way we want you to." Well, I concluded, spinning isn't democratic and it doesn't convince me, but it sure makes me dizzy. Saul Landau is the Hugh O. LaBounty Chair of Interdisciplinary Applied Knowledge California State Polytechnic University, Pomona 3801 W. Temple Ave. Pomona, CA 91768 tel - 909-869-3115 fax - 909-869-4751
[PEN-L:5749] (Fwd) SPINNING MAKES ME DIZZY
ts99u-1.cc.umanitoba.ca [130.179.154.224] Thu, 22 Apr 1999 00:11:57 -0500