These quotes should be read sequentially.
Herman Goering on how people can always be brought to the bidding of their leaders.
"Why of course the people don't want war … But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country."
--Hermann Goering, President of the Reichstag, Nazi Party, and Luftwaffe Commander in Chief The quote (dated April 18, 1946) appears in the book 'Nuremberg Diary' (Farrar, Straus & Co 1947), by Gustave Gilbert (an Allied appointed psychologist). Gilbert visited daily with Goering and his associates in their cells, afterwards making notes and ultimately writing the book about these conversations.
Our government telling us we are being attacked:
"Americans are asking, 'Who attacked our country?'"
"Terrorists attacked a symbol of American prosperity"
"An attack on one is an attack on all."
"freedom itself is under attack"
"Americans are asking, 'Why do they hate us?' ... They hate our freedoms: our freedom of religion, our freedom of speech, our freedom to vote and assemble and disagree with each other."
"Our nation has been put on notice, we're not immune from attack."
"He will lead, oversee and coordinate a comprehensive national strategy to safeguard our country against terrorism and respond to any attacks that may come."
--George W. Bush, Sept. 20, 2001 President Bush's address to a joint session of Congress and the nation. George Bush used the word 'attack' eight times in this address.
"We are being attacked because of who we are. We are global, and we stand for democracy, freedom and an open society."
--Madeleine Albright, former US secretary of State, September 13, 2001 Madeleine Albright is the former US secretary of State. She spoke with NPQ editor Nathan Gardels in Washington on Thursday, Sept. 13.
This is what Tom Daschel (R-VA) said that got him denounced by our government for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger:
"We haven't found bin Laden ... We haven't made any real progress in many of the other areas involving the key elements of al Qaeda. They continue to be as great a threat today as they were a year and a half ago. So by what measure can we say this has been successful so far?"
--Tom Daschel, November 14th, 2002
"[Tom Daschel's] divisive comments have the effect of giving aid and comfort to our enemies by allowing them to exploit divisions in our country."
--Tom Davis (R-VA), Head of the National Republican Campaign Committe Tom Davis's comments on Tom Daschle's critique of the war effort.
"It looks like his patriotism has gone the way of his majority ... I just hope this rhetoric of fear doesn't consume the minority leader. It could prove not only disastrous for his party - once again - but the nation."
--Mark Foley (R-Fla.) Mark Foley's comments on Tom Daschle's critique of the war effort.
"How dare Senator Daschle criticize President Bush while we are fighting our war on terrorism ... He should not be trying to divide our country while we are united."
--Trent Lott, (R-Miss), Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott's comments on Tom Daschle's critique of the war effort.
"have decided to declare war on President George W. Bush's handling of the war against terrorists,"
--Rich Galen Pundit and former Gingrich press secretary commenting on Tom Daschle's critique of the war effort.
"the sudden disintegration of loyalty and bipartisanship vis-a-vis the war on terror."
--Peter Jennings Peter Jennings suggestion in an ABC News.com e-mail of what Tom Daschle's critique of the war effort represents.
This is what Peter Arnett said that got him denounced by our government for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger:
"Now America is reappraising the battlefield, delaying the war against Iraq, maybe a week and rewriting the war plan. The first plan has failed because of Iraqi resistance. Now they are trying to write another plan... So our reports about civilian casualties here, about the resistance of the Iraqi forces, are going back to the United States. It helps those who oppose the war when you challenge the policy to develop their arguments."
--Peter Arnett , March 31, 2003 in an interview to state-run Iraq TV
"I think [Peter Arnett] should be brought back and tried as a traitor to the United States of America, for his aiding and abetting the Iraqi government during a war"
"I think Mr. Arnett should be met at the border and arrested should he come back to America."
--Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., Tuesday, April 1, 2003 Sen. Jim Bunning said this of Peter Arnett the 1966 Pulitzer Prize winning journalist who granted an interview to state-run Iraq TV on March 31, 2003
"On January 25 the White House said Peter Arnett was used as a tool for Iraqi disinformation, while CNN received a letter from 34 Members of Congress accusing Arnett of unpatriotic journalism."
--Quoted from Wikipedia, April 12, 2003
A word from the author,
He is blessed by a common mindset of the people he leads... a mindset that allows him to convincingly deliver his view of the world and its people on his own countrymen in order to achieve his personal goals. The leadership uses the media to exploit the population in their time of national grief and xenophobia. Grief, fear and ignorance are so irresistibly attractive to despots that the only information fed to the media decreases peoples knowledge and increases their fear.
People are being ruled and controlled through fear tactics. Propaganda shows images of the country standing tall and then sends people cowering into their basements for fear of another attack. The country waves the flag while it covers its eyes and ears to the real threat to the country.
I am I talking about George Bush’s administration and the American people or Hitler’s administration the German people?
People fear what they don’t understand. What American do you know personally who knows or cares anything about the Middle East, their culture, food, music, politics, society, religion, or way of life? What percent of your information comes from the American media? Do you believe it? Why is there such a disparity between what is reported in the European and American press?
The world agrees that Nazi’s mislead the German people by an organized propaganda campaign. None of us believe we are gullible. Most people don’t think their government would lie to them. The Germans didn’t think they were being manipulated. They also didn’t think they were gullible or that their government was lying to them.
This is happening right here, right now. History is repeating itself.
--Michael J. Bramante