WHAT VETERANS TODAY TELLS THE WORLD: DEFINING AMERICA
By Gordon Duff STAFF WRITER
VETERANS TODAY
Most of the world defines America by CNN, Fox News and TV shows depicting crime and violence. The messages we send the world, be it isolationism and hate from Rush Limbaugh or our news, always slanted, first to the right, now to the left, undermines something vital to us. We may not all travel the world, but know this, good or bad, America is all this planet has for leadership.
Everywhere I go, people look to us, Americans, as the greatest source of hope in the world, even after our years of failure and deceit. Its time we started using the truth instead of the manufactured lies we have tried to shove down the world’s throat too long.
Lying to people who know better is a serious mistake. Assuming everyone in the world is stupid has been a huge failing for our military and governent over the past 8 years and has cost America greatly. People around the world, even those who we believe hate us, look to America more than most realize. When America fails, it destroys the hope of billions around the world who, in their hearts, look to and admire America even when saying so publicly would be dangerous for them.
One American voice gaining a cult following around the world is VETERANS TODAY. With a general tendency toward dissent and real freedom of expression, we have created a voice that many outside the US have told me tells them more good things about America than anything in corporate media. The best part of this is that VETERANS TODAY is a free and open forum. Only disagreement can keep it free.
Americans have forgotten how to talk to each other, how to disagree, discuss and work together in a useful and sensible manner to fix problems and not fix blame. Corporate media, feeding on fear for profit and funded by special interests, generally war lobby and big polluters but not immune from pressure from the more and more powerful "left" has drowned out real debate with its stench.
Even the internet is overloaded with hundreds of corporate "blogs" that even use Department of Defense funding to try to viralize propaganda and outright lies. There are few outrageous accusations from our recent presidential campaign that aren’t repeated, word for word, on endless "cookie cutter" internet sites, all tracked down to "front groups" for DC public relations firms representing everything from the Coal industry to the government of Sudan.
The "15 minutes" for this kind of communications is over. We, Americans along with our friends and maybe our enemies too, are going to have to fight it out, learn who we really are and start raising the bar on the sharing of ideas. The 8 years spent glorifying the moronic and attacking intelligence as elitism has to go.
Look at how cleaning the smart people out of our military and government has worked out for us. Nuff sed.
Frighteningly, nearly every bit of news we get thru conventional sources is groomed for some purpose other than keeping people informed. Whether we are talking taxes or global warming, the spin and lies goes on forever. Lying is one of the few growth industries in America. I strongly suggest that all….all go to www.prwatch.org and sign up for the newsletter.
At the same time, please continue comments and submissions of articles here and support the growth of www.veteranstoday.com as a shameless commercial website.
We are going to have alot to talk about with the thieving Democrats replacing the Neocon Fascists in power.
With the war in Iraq officially ending, we hope, the real war, Afghanistan, confronts us. We can’t talk our way out of it but maybe, just maybe, we can come together as a nation in something we believe in. Maybe we can also start a real dialog on how to really support the troops, the real troops, not the "Perfumed Princes of the Pentagon" who see war as a game where they win no matter how a war goes or who dies.
Living in a country "bigger than life" known, right or wrong, for military adventures, street crime or as the most beautiful and exciting nation on Earth, focuses more attention on us than anyone guesses. No other country, no matter how much money they make or how tall their buildings, will ever represent what America does.
America is about ideas. The time has come to rebuild the ideas that define who we are. 8 years of spin, pundits, propaganda, "Support the Troops" and "palling with terrorists" rhetoric has to end. Small hearted people ready to sell our lives and freedom for a handfull of change have hogged our attention long enough.
Gordon Duff is a Marine Vietnam veteran and regular contributor on political and social issues.
Gordon Duff posted articles on VT from 2008 to 2022. He is a Marine combat veteran of the Vietnam War. A disabled veteran, he worked on veterans and POW issues for decades.
Gordon is an accredited diplomat and is generally accepted as one of the top global intelligence specialists. He manages the world’s largest private intelligence organization and regularly consults with governments challenged by security issues.
Duff has traveled extensively, is published around the world, and is a regular guest on TV and radio in more than “several” countries. He is also a trained chef, wine enthusiast, avid motorcyclist, and gunsmith specializing in historical weapons and restoration. Business experience and interests are in energy and defense technology.
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