Films, football, beer, and above all, gambling filled up the horizon of their minds. To keep them in control was not difficult….” ― George Orwell, 1984
by Matt Agorist
As Americans train their attention to Super Bowl 51, massive life changing events are unfolding around them — and most people are entirely oblivious — mostly by design.
All week long, the rivalry between the Patriots and the Falcons has been plastered across televisions — and, in effect, across the minds of Americans. Super bowl, super bowl, super bowl — concern yourself with nothing else.
As Jim Quinn points out, when six mega-corporations who depend upon other mega-corporations, Wall Street banks and political parties for their revenue, control all of the news and information flowing to the masses, you have all the ingredients needed to control, influence and mold the opinions, tastes and ideas of the people.
This control and influence wielded over the minds of Americans perfectly explain why we, as a culture, are more concerned with Tom Brady and Matt Ryan than US officials exploiting us to spread war and empire.
Below, is a list of just five of the many stories barely registering as a blip on the minds of Americans as they are consumbed by the Super Bowl.
1. JUST DAYS AFTER DONALD TRUMP SIGNED AN EXECUTIVE ORDER ALLOWING DAPL TO CONTINUE, MASSIVE POLICE RAIDS WERE LAUNCHED AT CAMPS IN STANDING ROCK
Police and National Guard forces began raiding camps at Standing Rock Wednesday afternoon, not long after reports stated the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would be granting an easement necessary for completion of the Dakota Access Pipeline.
After police arrested dozens of water protectors and removed them from their camps, they went after the only tribal leader left who was opposing the DAPL, Chase Iron Eyes — who now faces felony instigating for doing nothing other than moving his camp to higher ground.
After the raid on the main camp, we reported that cops, with the blessing of the Tribal Council, invaded Sacred Stone, the camp located on private property belonging to LaDonna Tamakawastewin Allard. Police claim they were ‘assessing the land.’
Considering the raid performed Wednesday night on a newly erected camp meant to keep pipeline opposition going while avoiding the dangers of the spring snow melt, the only possible purpose of assessing private property would be reconnaissance for a future attempt by law enforcement to shut down Sacred Stone.
2. THE US IS PREPPING FOR WAR WITH IRAN
In spite of the fact that Iran hasn’t attacked another country in over two centuries, the neoconservative and neoliberal war hawks have been salivating over a potential invasion for more than a decade.
As news came of Iran dumping the US dollar, the Congress, under Obama, had quietly greased the skids to allow for an invasion.
Early last month, the US began preparing for potential conflict with Iran and quietly introduced H.J.Res.10 – Authorization of Use of Force Against Iran Resolution.
The resolution was given absolutely no media attention in spite of the fact that it “authorizes the President to use the U.S. Armed forces as necessary in order to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.”
While Trump ran on a platform of demilitarizing the Middle East and concentrating only on ISIS, he’s quickly showing his true intentions. Friday morning, the President’s first Tweet was a threat to Iran.
As we have reported, this war with Iran has been on the table well before Trump ever dreamed of becoming president.
3. THE SUPER RICH ARE PREPPING FOR A TOTAL COLLAPSE
It’s one thing for the tin foil wearing on head types of folks to prepare for doomsday, but it’s altogether another when the world’s wealthiest begin to prepare for the breakdown of civilization. But that’s exactly what some of the richest individuals are doing.
Upon news of potential world war and economic collapse, the super rich have begun doing what was previously referred to as ‘nutty.’
Fear appears to be the driving motivator for this new class of preppers to begin their chipmunk-style of hoarding supplies.
Coupled with those fears, appears to be a lack of faith in the economic structures of society, and an overall distrust of the government to protect its citizenry in such cases of societal uncertainties.
Those fears and concerns have given birth to a very real and growing movement of individuals and communities of preppers, all intent on doing the same thing: surviving.
4. DONALD TRUMP KILLED AN 8-YEAR-OLD GIRL IN YEMEN, THE SISTER OF A 16-YEAR-OLD BOY KILLED BY OBAMA
Following in his predecessor’s footsteps, reports from Yemen indicate that as many as 10 women and children were killed in a raid authorized by Donald Trump.
During this raid, the 8-year-old granddaughter of Nasser al-Awlaki, who was also the daughter of Anwar Awlaki was shot in the neck and died after suffering for two hours, according to Nasser al-Awlaki.
What makes the tragedy of this 8-year-old girl killed by Trump stand out, however, is the fact that Obama killed her older brother and her father — who were both US citizens — who were extrajudicially murdered without trial.
5. OVER A QUARTER OF A MILLION ROMANIANS DESCENDED ON PARLIAMENT TO STOP CORRUPT GOVERNMENT — AND THEY WERE SUCCESSFUL
On an uplifting and positive note, for the past week, hundreds of thousands of Romanians have turned out in record numbers to protest recent moves by their government that essentially legalized their own corruption.
As the Free Thought Project reported, the protests began when Romania’s leftist Social Democrat Party (PSD) issued the emergency decree which decriminalized cases of corruption involving less than 45k euros.
It essentially legalized the bribing of government officials, as long as it was under 45k euros.
Saturday, the Romanian government conceded to the massive protests and said it will withdraw the decree that would have decriminalized some corruption offenses.
Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu just said it would be repealed on Sunday.
“I do not want to divide Romania. It can’t be divided in two,” Mr. Grindeanu said in a televised statement. “We’ll hold an extraordinary meeting on Sunday to repeal the decree, withdraw, cancel it … and find a legal way to make sure it does not take effect.”
While there is certainly nothing wrong with watching football and the Super Bowl, complacency and ignorance should be resisted. A well-informed society is far less likely to descend into tyranny than one who cares more about a pigskin than their own skin.
“The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country.
“…We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of. This is a logical result of the way in which our democratic society is organized. Vast numbers of human beings must cooperate in this manner if they are to live together as a smoothly functioning society.
“…In almost every act of our daily lives, whether in the sphere of politics or business, in our social conduct or our ethical thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons…who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires which control the public mind.” — Edward Bernays – Propaganda – 1928
