In the news
How good is the propaganda machine?
The wars started in response to September 11, 2001 in Afghanistan and Iraq cost America over $5 trillion, and claimed the lives of over 4 million people. Since 2022 the U.S. has spent close to $200 billion fighting wars in Russia, Gaza, and Iran ($12 billion in the first 6 days), and kidnapping Nicholas Maduro ($3 billion). Over that same amount of time over 2 million people have lost their lives in the U.S. sponsored conflicts (many of them children).
Conversely, the One Big Beautiful Bill cut funding over the next 10 years to Medicaid, by $800 billion, and SNAP, by $200 - $300 billion. It’s estimated that these cuts, meant to offset the cost of tax cuts and increased military spending, will result in 10 million people losing their health insurance, and will undoubtedly have a significant impact on a large portion of the 40 million people who reply on SNAP benefits to put food on the table.
The rescission of the Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding by the EPA is estimated to add 18 billion additional tons of greenhouse gas emissions to the air we breath over the next 30 years. In February the Defense Production Act was invoked to increase production of glyphosate, the pesticide known for causing cancer, which recently cost Bayer $7 billion. Both of these moves are predicted to dramatically increase the prevalence of chronic diseases.
More money for wars, less money and protection for U.S. citizens, and yet only 53% - 59% of Americans oppose war with Iran, and 41% - 43% of Americans approve of this Administration. So how good is the propaganda machine to convince 40% of the country that they agree with the current decisions being made and direction we’re heading? I’d say pretty good. Trillions of dollars and millions of lives, with no benefit to Americans, and a large percentage of the population want more. And I’m trying to understand why.
This time Iran has replaced Iraq as the tyrant and threat to global security that must go. Meanwhile the most threatening response we’ve seen out of Iran has been to launch missiles and drones while praying for contact, knowing full well that most of them would be (and have been) intercepted by U.S. and Israel missiles and drones. So clearly Iran is not a threat and never was. The threat is losing control of resources, oil, and the stranglehold on the region.
But the irony is that out of the rubble is where the real threats emerge. People who have lost everything, and are determined to hold someone accountable. Unfortunately, it’s usually not the people responsible for the destruction that are held accountable. It’s civilians. And that threat, in my opinion, is a far greater one than the country of Iran ever posed to the U.S. War doesn’t make problems go away, it amplifies and perpetuates them. And this time it feels like we’ve gone past the point of no return.
There was some hope that congress would rein in the military by passing a war powers resolution, but, predictably, it failed to get enough votes to pass. The vote in the Senate and in the House of Representatives was basically along party lines. Republicans voting against it and Democrats voting for it. But regardless of who voted yay or nay, none of them (with few exceptions) actually oppose the war on morals grounds, they just want to be involved in the action.
If they did oppose war than they would’ve stopped financial and military funding to Ukraine and Israel under Joe Biden, and pushed for peace instead, but they didn’t. Instead, most of them gave him their unwavering support.
So where do we go from here? We’re inundated daily with the world’s most powerful propaganda that feeds us the narrative that we’re the good guy, and if we don’t do it someone else will, and that if it’s not them, it us. And it’s bullshit, but it works. I know it does because I found myself in shock regularly at the things this country does, like kidnapping a foreign president, like attacking Iran, and my shock always amazes me. Because despite knowing the history of this country and the character of its politicians, I can’t believe what we’re doing. And that bewilderment is proof that I also believe the propaganda. That I too believe this country is the good guy.