Monday 17 April 2017

Wag The Dog Perception Changing


 


The strike against Syria was called 'Trump's wag the dog moment' which comes from an awesome movie made in 1997. The whole wag the dog thing comes from an expression  Why does the dog wag its tail? Because a dog is smarter than its tail...  If the tail were smarter, it would wag the dog.

It's all about the tail wagging the dog in other words keeping you distracted from the truth.


Not about any president in particular because it's about the spin and bullshit rather than a political attack or satire. It mirrored real life events in the past as well as the future. The movie president did something inappropriate with a Firefly girl (the fictional equivalent of a Girl Scout) and a spin doctor was brought in to make it better as there was an election just days away. Weeks after the movie release the Clinton and Lewinsky sex scandal came out.  



De Niro is brought in and immediately stalls for time because an extended trip in China buys him another couple of days and it's all about filling days and getting past the election. 



He tells the room of advisers that the president's delay certainly has nothing to do with the B-3 Bomber so definitely don't be leaking that.  



They are a bit slow to catch on. De Niro just made up a fictional bomber and a possible distraction story on the spot. 



[Kim jong un may have nukes and can strike at the US we have to do something]

North Korea might have nukes ... I didn't know there was a law against it.  They cannot either now or in the near future strike at the US. Their subs are old from the 60's and have a range of 300 miles, a missile assuming they were able to launch one could have up to 600 miles at the very most.

The worry is really for South Korea and Japan, our wealthy allies. To make a strike more palpable to the world and the American people they have to talk in terms of Americans under threat so then they talk about NK striking the US or against the numerous US bases ... lets hope they don't target the black site in Thailand known as Detention Site Green cos how can the CIA ignore human rights if the black sites are blown up ... no they can't use one of the 21 prison ships they use to get around pesky laws. 

The reason why Trump flip flopped with NATO is Article 5. If an ally gets attacked we back them up. Trump is getting ready to strike NK and the Chinese manipulated him to that point. 

[lets hope Kim jong un doesn't use those new ICBM's he kindly put on show for us in his recent parade or fill up rockets with Sarin as President Abe mentioned] 


De Niro just hopes that the news of the B-3 Bomber being leaked doesn't mess up its testing because it has to be ready for the crisis. 

 You have to make other things back the story up so they send a General to talk with Boeing and make sure that news gets out. 

Tidbits to the reporters to make them work for you. Like the ratings hungry Rachel Maddow who teased that she had Trump's tax returns but had nothing news worthy.

Leaks have long been used to get a fake story out. Recently a memo from General Mattis about plans to board Iranian boats in international waters was leaked. Mattis is hawkish about Iran, this is well known but getting that out there suggests that the US isn't all just talk.


Make sure you have your own Sean Spicer to deny things in order to make people even more suspicious.


Trump complains about leaks and suddenly a couple of pages of his tax returns with no damning news on them and stamped with 'clients copy' comes out ... that a news cycle taken up about a nothing news story.  So yeah, he leaks his own stuff. 

You think he tweets to keep the public informed? The whole wire tapping thing was a massive pile of bullshit but it came from the president so of course it had to be investigated even though it wasn't true.  


While on a plane to enlist the help of a Movie producer (Dustin Hoffman) De Niro talks about the concept of distraction and says it's nothing new.  





No time to shout BEIRUT! like Conservatives have been shouting BENGHAZI! ... and that was only with 4 dead. Reagan had 10 embassies attacked, 318 deaths including one ambassador but who remembers that? 
Bush had 13 attacks, 66 dead. Obama had 2 attacks with just the 4 at Benghazi dead. Not to belittle the tragic deaths for 4 men but shame on those shouting Benghazi and demanding justice while ignoring the 384 deaths. 

De Niro points out that while no one remembers the wars but they do remember the slogans.   "We remember the slogans, we can't even remember the fucking wars. You know why? That's show business. That's why we're here. Naked girl covered in Napalm. 'V for Victory'. Five Marines raising the flag, Mt. Suribachi. You remember the picture 50 years from now, you'll have forgotten the war. The Gulf War, smart bomb falling down a chimney. 2500 missions a day, 100 days. ONE video of ONE bomb."   

Remember the Maine!  ... Tippecanoe and Tyler Too! ... 54-40-Or Fight! 



He suggests a war. Well not a real one, just the appearance of one. He randomly says "Albania" when asked What have they done to us? he replies "What have they done FOR us? What do you know about them?" ... nothing ..."See? They keep to themselves. Shifty. Untrustable."



The producer makes a set with green screen to show Albania and how we must save the people such as this young Albania gurl running away from the rape squads with her kitten. Tracey in the video was told she could never put this on her resume.

A little like Trump fighting for gassed children. Ivanka suggested he did it, not because it was right but because it would help them to look better.


New York Mayor Bill de Blasio held up a picture of a dead Syrian child to shame Chris Christie who rejected allowing Syrian refugees (especially orphans under the age of 5) into New Jersey. 


Without acknowledging the irony, ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley held up pictures of dead gassed children in Syria to justify the US bombing an unimportant landing strip.

The US has already compassionately put a hold on the Syrian refugee program. That makes this dog and pony show even more distasteful.

Like a girl and her kitty hit them in the feels huh ... while the un-trendy and not of use deaths get ignored. 


Then you have to have a Live Aid type song too. 

There comes a time, in the course of human events... when a threat must be answered... with courage and strength... Our forefathers earned ... The right to be free. Now it's time... To guard their dream.

We guard ... Our American borders ... We guard the American dream ... We guard our right, to fight for democracy ... And keep our country free. We guard our American spirit ... We guard the American dream. 

   
Then the movie also had this one. 
 
"American girls and American guys ... We'll always stand up and salute ... We'll always recognize
When we see Old Glory flying ... There's a lot of men dead .... So we can sleep in peace at night when we lay down our head." 

Oh wait, this is an actual song. One of the many that came out after 9/11.  My favorite being Iraq and Roll ... You think the 1997 movie was being corny and dumb until you realise it's very close to reality. 


Patriots, especially those that have never served but do the most shouting for war tend to bug the fuck out of Old Knudsen.  The people that make the decision to go to war should A. have been to war and B. have a child that is serving in the military ... not draft dodging loud mouths whose life experience has been in a pampered elitist bubble.   


In the movie a rival presidential candidate with the backing of the CIA took the wind from De Niro's sails and declared the war over. Don't you hate it when the Intel community get political? ... yeah I'm looking at you FBI. 

They still had days to the election and didn't want the sex scandal in the news so they made up a US soldier that had been left behind in Albania. The fictional Albanian terrorists released a photo and in it had the secret morse code message 'courage mom'  ... a soldier that loves his mom, I think I'm tearing up.


Like the crew of the USS Pueblo captured by the North Koreans in 1968. Displayed for propaganda the crew had one person in each photo designated to show the middle finger. The North Koreans questioned it and believed it when the sailors said it was a Hawaiian good luck sign. The North Koreans sure didn't get any brighter over the years. 


In the movie the soldier picked to be the captured hero was called Sgt Schumann ... old shoe. So De Niro and Hoffman throw shoes over trees and cables and soon it catches on. The public buy into it and run with it. 
They even invented the unit that Schumann had served in, the 3-0-3.  

These days people sell ribbons and t-shirts or just change their social media profile pic if they can't be arsed but want to show their friends they care because it's what the sheep do. 

To really tug at their heart strings they had a song. 

I can tell the way you're feelin mom ... a million miles away. I know that I've been on your mind. And in your thoughts today. So pray for me, the way you do. Quote, the 37th Psalm. I'll do the same in his great name... And you have courage mom.   

Written and sung by Merle Haggard. 


It turned out that the special program they got Schumann from was really prison, he had raped a nun. Pretty fucked in the head Hoffman tried to explain it was because of Albania obviously.


They couldn't really go public with him but after a series of unfortunate events Schumann was killed by a hick with a shotgun.  
 

Bringing Schumann home was described as a tease. It would happen just after the election. Like a voting pact. Elect me and you'll get Sgt Schumann the next day. They got him back but as a dead war hero.
Nothing makes civvies more proud than dead soldiers ... they love em. Thank you for your service and hey lets use homeless vets as a pawn to avoid bringing in refugees. Civvies are big with the military talk.

The movie had some 303 soldiers and a flag draped casket. A parody of the Green Beret song was played.    

We're gathered here. With a cross to bear. The bravest men ... Anywhere. That this great land ... Will remain free. God bless the men ... Of the 3-0-3. Side by side. We know no fear. Our minds are sharp. Our eyes are clear.  In the air, on land ...  Or on the sea.  We're the fightin men ... of the 3-0-3.

Written by Huey Lewis.

Your prize for getting this far

Old Knudsen understand spin and how difficult it has become in separating fact from fiction. Wag the Dog is a mind altering must see film that is funny because it's true. The public has been and is being manipulated. Like how I was told that Syria was a pile of rubble but someone who has just seen those bomb pictures when in reality there is plenty of Syria that still needs to be bombed. 

People used to think that we in Belfast during the Troubles were dodging bombs and IRA snipers everyday ... it wasn't everyday. 

Perception is all which is why Trump is failing with the optics. Those golfing pics and gold covered walls of Mar a Lago will be his down fall. Like how Old Knudsen knows that after you've read this post the biggest take away from it will be how the fuck can he suck his own dick and does he swallow? ... does it make him ghey?    

 


  
 

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