We explore real-life reformation here in this informed, online community.
During World War I, Edward L. Bernays had worked with the Committee on Public Information to “sell” the war to the public. In 1928, he published his book Propaganda, in which we can read this statement on the subject:
"Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute
an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our
country."
The systematic psychological manipulation of society, begun with the evils of the Great War, has continued non-stop, and it has escalated to the point that we are now subject to full spectrum, continuous psychological operations.
Eighty-one years after the publication of Bernays’ book, Chris Hedges wrote the following:
"A public that can no longer distinguish between truth and fiction is
left to interpret reality through illusion. Random facts or obscure
bits of data and trivia are used either to bolster illusion and give
it credibility, or discarded if they interfere with the message . . .
When opinions cannot be distinguished from facts, when there
is no universal standard to determine truth in law, in science,
in scholarship, or in reporting the events of the day, when the
most valued skill is the ability to entertain, the world becomes
a place where lies become true, where people can believe what
they want to believe. This is the real danger of pseudo-events and
pseudo-events are far more pernicious than stereotypes. They
do not explain reality, as stereotypes attempt to, but replace
reality. Pseudo-events redefine reality by the parameters set
by their creators. These creators, who make massive profits
selling illusions, have a vested interest in maintaining the power
structures they control."
David Webb
The “Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom” was a law passed by the Virginia General Assembly in 1786 that protected the rights of its citizens to worship as they chose.
The bill was originally drafted by Thomas Jefferson in 1779. Some years after the passage of the Statute, Jefferson wrote that during the earlier debate in the General Assembly there had been an effort to limit the protection to Christians. However, this effort was defeated, showing that, as Jefferson noted, “it’s protection of opinion was meant to be universal.” He wrote:
Where the preamble declares that coercion is a departure from the plan of the holy author of our religion, an amendment was proposed, by inserting the word “Jesus Christ,” so that it should read “a departure from the plan of Jesus Christ, the holy author of our religion” the insertion was rejected by a great majority, in proof that they meant to comprehend, within the mantle of it’s [sic] protection, the Jew and the ...
In the face of reality, and in the presence of those who know the details of the destructive proxy war, the narrative of the media is worse than ludicrous:
Ukraine can win the war with just a little more American money and a few more guns.
Trump: “So I asked Orbán if Ukraine could defeat Russia.
"He looked at me as if I had said something very stupid. And he said that Russia is a huge country. They fight, that’s what they do. China beats you with trade; Russia beats you with war."
Having read the writings and speeches of Orban, I would imagine there was much more to Orban's answer. I think Orban would have reminded Trump of Putin's historic intent: defend Russian national security interests in way that would prove to Zelensky that an offensive and provocative war could never succeed. Ukraine had provoked and invaded Russia. Russia was determined to defend herself.
This Zelensky realized by day five, and was eager to get to the negotiating table to stop the ...
