[PEN-L:5749] (Fwd) SPINNING MAKES ME DIZZY

[ts99u-1.cc.umanitoba.ca [130.179.154.224]]

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