Do Americans Get “The Truth”?
By Timothy V. Gatto
21 February, 2009
Countercurrents.org
The simple fact is that the truth is out there, but most Americans are just too lazy or too ignorant to find it. These days have been filled with “media” reports on Israel and the Palestinians and the conflict there. We have also have been barraged by this same “media” about the prospect of Israel attacking Iran. If a casual reader were to read all of the “mainstream media” reports on the Israeli/Palestinian and the Israel/Iranian events, one could conceivably come away with the mindset that Israel is a country that just wants to survive and is a “good and forthright ally of America”. In reality, this is nothing like the truth. The truth is what’s behind the motivations of our “good friend and ally, Israel”.
If any Americans wished to understand what motivated a nation to attack another nation, two things would usually come to the forefront. The first would be what is the history behind the conflict? The second would more than likely be what kind of government do the countries in conflict have? Here in America, this is a very important consideration. Most of Americans want to support a democratically elected government that treats its people with dignity and respect. We tend to frown on nations that are dictatorships that mistreat their people. The history of the conflict is usually very important to us. A nation that prefers force over negotiation, a nation that has been belligerent towards other nations is not usually favored by Americans.
Of course, the government of America has at times misrepresented the facts in order to sway its citizens into choosing to support a nation or a cause that the government feels is in its best interests. Sometimes powerful people have exerted pressure on the government to support one side or another in order to make a profit. In this day of instant information, some citizens believe that they have unfettered access to impartial, real-time information. This of course is pure fiction. Especially in the United States of all places, the “media” is generally incapable of reporting truthfully in matters that don’t generally follow the official government policy. A good case in point is the build-up to the war in Iraq. It was nearly impossible to find any information that wasn’t government-generated, and the information that was based on independent sources was usually ignored. This same scenario is alive and well when the “media” reports on Israel.
First of all, the government of Israel has become a bellicose, right-wing dominated organization that denies its Arab citizens the right to make policy or carry leadership positions. According to Stephen Lendman (Fascist Rule in Israel-ICH 20 Feb2009): “Under the law for Arabs and Jews, no candidate may challenge Israel's fundamental Jewish character or demand equal rights, privileges, and justice. The essential Zionist identity is inviolable. The law works only for Jews. Israeli Arabs have no rights. They're denied equal treatment and justice, even those elected to public office. Israel calls this democracy. South Africa called it apartheid. Nazi Germany called it fascism”.
The real news is out there for all Americans. The Real News Network (TRRN) is available on the internet for those that want their news in video format, and there are news sources like Information Clearinghouse and others that want the real truth. News today must be free of government subsidies or corporate control. The truth about Israel’s bellicose nature is quite evident from international news sources. We can’t as a nation use the bible as a source for the nature of Israel’s claims on foreign territory or use the holocaust as an excuse for Israel’s wholesale slaughter of Palestinians. While Israel claims it doesn’t want Iran to build nuclear weapons, Israel has hundreds and hasn’t even signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Why should Israel threaten war on a nation that has signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, when it finds itself a nuclear rogue state? The fact that Israel used white phosphorus against Palestinian non-combatants does not bode well for Israel’s future compliance with International Law. This kind of news is what should be on our “media”. Too bad you won’t find it there.
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