Rumsfeld Requests 24-hour Propaganda Machine

jasonditz writes "The BBC is reporting that US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is unhappy with the existing propaganda systems in place and insists that the US must create a 'more effective, 24-hour propaganda machine' or risk losing the battle for the minds of Muslims. In an era where we've already got government-created and funded media outlets and the Pentagon bribing Iraqi journalists to run favorable war stories, not to mention other departments paying journalists to endorse their positions, it begs the question, how much more can they possibly do?"

I would think it is obvious..

[QuantumG]

They need to install mind probes in the brain of every one of us. As well as receiving suggestive messages they also act as a tracking device. People will accept it because they get 2% off gasoline when they fill up and there's a shorter line at the airport for people who have been chipped.

Three words:

[Snarfangel]

Don't use cartoons.

God bless Aljazeera

[lixee]

Thanks god for the BBc, AlJazeera, Slashdot and other less biased media.

What question does it beg?

[maynard]

I'm kind of curious, because I didn't see any question in the write-up at all. Just a bunch of assertions. See: Begs The Question [wikipedia.org]...

already done

[sulli]

24 hour propaganda machine [foxnews.com]

Re:As an American Muslim I completely agree...

[QuantumG]

Hey! Those people have democracy now! Sure, they now live in a more restrictive military environment than they ever saw under Saddam, but it's a small price to pay right? Sure, it now appears that Muslim law will be enforced by the state and minorities and women will revert to their second class citizen status, but hey, they're free. Democracy cures all. You can't possibly be free living under a despot who restricts the majority's right to impose their will on the minority. Allah bless America for bringing Muslim law back to Iraq.

Re:Let me get this straight...

[Anonymous Coward]

Personally, I fall far to the left, yet I realize that if I were to only listen to, say Air America, I would be no better informed than those who only watch Fox News.

Air America is comedy, not news. I would hope you don't get your news solely from a comedy show.

At least Fox News, for all the bashing it takes, dares to present both sides of an issue.

Re:I would think it is obvious..

[dotpavan]

or all of them could go for hunting ;) [DONT forget to give a gun to Cheney]

Re:Let me get this straight...

[LurkerXXX]

Air America is comedy, not news. I would hope you don't get your news solely from a comedy show.

At least Fox News, for all the bashing it takes, dares to present both sides of an issue.

Now THAT folks, is comedy.

Re:So we're just not telling them the right stuff?

[mnmn]

Hmm.

I wonder why in the English language 'white' is always good and 'black' is quite bad. It must make the language of english-speaking black people quite ironic.

Such linguistics blacken the face of european languages. Such niggardly use of language should be stopped.

--

Your linguistic white knight.

Re:Three words:

[Anonymous Coward]

Think of those rioting muslims, as the lowest level of muslims. They are the brown trash. They are the economically poor, religiously fanatic, aggressive, cocky mob.
Thanks to the parent post, I'm now trying to shake out of my mind the image of a guy in traditional Arab garb sitting on the ground cross-legged and playing 'Dueling Banjos' on a sitar.

Fair and balanced

[kitzilla]

the US must create a 'more effective, 24-hour propaganda machine.'

What? FOX News went off the air?

Re:I would think it is obvious..

[Anonymous Coward]

We owe you one ;-)

As a lawyer for the government, I'd like to clarify the statement made by our client to point out that we do not in fact owe you anything.

Re:I would think it is obvious..

[sunwukong]

You're correct about everything except where the mind probes go -- our alien subcontractors will explain further ...

They already have one...

[Morden]

Doesn't Fox News run 24/7?

Cheney thought he was hunting Quayle

[Anonymous Coward]

why not arm Parliament and Clinton and send 'em out into the Bush.
Damn, that would freak the funk!

Re:I would think it is obvious..

[CatWrangler]

To be fair, you go to war with the Secretary of Defense you have, not the one you want or need, to paraphrase Rummy himself.

Re:I would think it is obvious..

[cheezedawg]

What makes you think that we thought that we would be out of the country by now? The fact is that we have achieved every goal that we have made, and we have done it on schedule and with huge public support.

Re:I would think it is obvious..

[TGK]

... which is a pitty. More Americans might start to care about the political process if they did.

That and a steel cage death match between John "Decorated Veteran" Kerry and George "AWOL From the Champaign Squadron" Bush would have been hysterical.

Re:I would think it is obvious..

[dangitman]

This is a confusing argument.

because you're not sure which guy is supposed to be the Hitler?