I commented yesterday in a thread under the diary by Bluesteel ("Please no more conspiracy theories")that this present "red alert" is absolute complete and utter bullshit.
I asked in one comment what purpose this "alert" serves for most Americans going about their chores in their day to day lives? The only answer I could come up with is that it only serves to instill fear and inspire blind obedience to BushCo and the powers that be.
Aside from those who are flying or who work at airports it is not necessary, and as others have pointed out actually SERVES the so-called terrorists by doing their jobs for them; i.e, instilling fear and anxiety -- that's what "terrorists" do!
Seeing that nobody has specifically addressed the meaning of these terror alerts in a diary I thought I would. I am quite angry about this so forgive me if I go on a rant.
Yesterday while Secretary of Homeland Security Micheal Chertoff was being interviewed by Chris Matthews on MSNBC, the headline read: TARGET AMERICA : TERROR IN THE SKY.
Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but this supposed plot to blow up 10 airplanes was foiled. It was thwarted. So, isn'it incorrect to speak of "terror in the sky." The supposed terrorists were apprehended before they got on any plane/s. How is that "terror in the sky?" Maybe MSNBC could accurately say "planned terror thwarted on the ground", but not "terror in the sky!" It is very misleading.
But then again, this whole media campaign is ridiculous and has been racheted up to create the maximum amount of fear and panic in the American public.
Others have pointed out here that the time of the news was very politically convenient for Bush and company, and indeed it was. It has been pointed out that our administration knew of this supposed plot well before the news released it. I won't comment further on these issues as they have already been explored in depth.
What I want to talk about is the calculated and manipulative way that the image makers in the Bush administration and the MSM have attempted to stir our most primal survival instincts by appealing to basic human emotions and responses. The color RED is a very powerful one. Aside from representing the Republican Party (Red States, etc.) it is symbolic of blood, and is therefore associated with PAIN,DEATH and SUFFERING. It is also associated with the HEART, and is therefore prevalent on symbols of Valentines Day and is used to denote LOVE and other forms of PASSION, including erotic ones. This mixing and co-mingling of base fears and passions is very powerful on a subconscious level.
Of course RED is also the color of STOP signs and STOP LIGHTS. It is a color representing a COMMAND NOT TO DO SOMETHING or to cease doing something. It is a WARNING COLOR. When something is going wrong we speak of "RED LIGHTS GOING OFF". All sorts of sirens and warning signals are red. This is all very significant. Remember, the powers that be could just as easily have chose ORANGE. They did not. They chose RED.
Red is also a color of our flag, Old Glory. It thus connotes PATRIOTISM and feelings of LOYALTY. If we are good Americans they we respond to the color red by
1) obeying. Make sure to stop at that stop light or stop sign. This implication is that we must STOP the terrorists by any means possible.
2) being afraid. Just as when we cut ourselves and see our own blood we should panic and rush to "stop" the bleeding. And it is our government who will help us. It is they that will stop the bleeding and assuage our fear by instituting security policies to rescue us.
3)being patriotic.A big part of being patriotic is "joining." We generally don't think of patriotic in isolation, although there are of course patriotic acts. We usually express our patriotism by singing songs (like the National Anthem) and rallying together. Naturally, in this case we are supposed to "rally together" against our mortal enemies in the "War on Terror."
George Orwell was more brilliant and insightful than we had previously imagined. Most of his insights into political "doublespeak" and the way the goverment uses language to manipulate can be seen around all around us every day. Bush likes to talk about our duty to spread "democracy." Well, if I was a poor denizen of a Third World country I'd be pretty terrified if I heard reports that America was bringing "democracy" to my country. I could well expect carpet bombing, a ground invasion, military occupation which instigates civil war, embargos, exploitation of my lands natural resources, and other forms of economic terrorism. As Putin recently responded to Bush at the G8 summit; "I certainly wouldn't want the kind of democracy that Iraq has."
The "Red Alert" and the racheting up of fear is just another way for this administration to unsure public support for current and future criminal military actions around the globe.
Headlines like TERROR IN THE SKY are meant to impact us on our deepest unconscious levels. We have to analyze this language to really understand what it is about.
Cheney, Bush and Rumsfeld also frequently use PROJECTION as a device. It is in fact one of their most precious devices of maniupulation. The relevant definition of projection is that a person or group "attribute their own undesirable characteristics onto others." In the case of Bushco the constantly project their own malignant characteristics onto foreign countries and other races and religions. By labelling others as "terrorists" very few will stop to ask if THEY are really TERRORISTS. By constantly being on the offensive they shield themselves from these piercing insights.
I think it is time that we start calling a Spade a Spade. The real terrorists are right here in America. You know their names; George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld.
So, I do think fear is warranted. I just think that most Americans direct their fear at the wrong people. The real terrorists we need to fear and fight are within our borders. They are running things.