I did not watch the TV movie devoted to the subject of the heroic Jessica Lynch, but not for the reasons you might expect from a college student, such as laziness or not owning a TV. Actually, the reason why I did not watch the movie was because I, frankly, refused to watch it.
To me it reeked of the American military’s propaganda, an attempt on the part of the government and the news media to justify our entry into Iraq.
The story itself has all the makings of a typical propaganda film of the type perfected by Hitler’s cronies, and, like those films, I am sure it neglected to mention a few crucial facts that most Americans aren’t aware of – for example, that she was kept in a civilian hospital where there were no Iraqi soldiers present.
Of course, the headline “Special Forces Operatives Infiltrate Unguarded Hospital and Rescue Soldier from Terrified Medical Staff” doesn’t exactly sound glorious and heroic. “We Protect Our Own” and “Leave No Man Behind” definitely sound better, albeit less complete.
I find it convenient that this TV movie should premiere just when the military is having its hardest time in Iraq, and the American public is really starting to doubt the necessity of our going there in the first place. There’s nothing like a good piece of propaganda to make you turn your mind away from all the pieces of evidence that scream to the effect we shouldn’t have invaded Iraq in the first place – like no evidence of nuclear or biological weapons, for starters. To me, this movie symbolizes the last act of a desperate man, scrambling wildly to rationalize a series of totally unnecessary acts of violence and diplomatic isolation.
Speaking of American propaganda, I would like to respond briefly to recent Republican propaganda. To begin, the allegations of many party members that the Democratic Party is dying in the face of “The Truth of Bush” is wholly false.
This is an attempt on their part to cover up their anxiety regarding renewed strength in Democratic politics, as represented by Howard Dean. And while I congratulate the Republican Party on their success in the recent elections, I would like to point out, however, that the South does not represent the whole of our country.
I am sure I am not the only one to notice the trend towards Southern presidencies and candidacies in the last 15 years or so. It seems that not only does the President have to be a white man, it also has to be a white man from the South.
I think this is unnecessary, and it should be possible for a candidate to be someone from outside of this very limited group.
I believe that the Republican Party is suffering from a distinct case of anxiety. Not only has their war been going badly, but they have lost a number of their commentators to scandals and the like, such as Rush Limbaugh. I think the Republicans, in their anxiety, have begun to resort to dirtier tactics in their speeches, such as name calling.
As I learned in elementary school, a person resorts to name calling only when they’ve run out of constructive facts to counter their opponent’s arguments. I think we should keep the anxiety of the Republicans in mind when we listen to their next press release.
Newmark can be reached at mnewmark@campustimes.org.
