>>Last night I watched the first of a 3 episode series (at least as presented here) by the BBC titled "The Power of Nightmares - the Rise of the Politics of Fear".
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>>If you get the chance, be SURE to see it!
>>
>>I've only seen the first episode, but if the other two are anywhere near as informative as the first then it really is a series that you cannot afford to pass on.
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>>I seriously doubt that Americans will ever see it on "regular" (including cable) TV, but there should be a good chance that it will appear on PBS (if not already).
>>
>>Here the next two episodes are scheduled for tonight and tomorrow night on "CBC Newsworld" at 2200hr (Toronto time).
>
>Hello Jim,
>
>Short resume please. Why is it so interesting?

I was deliberately avoiding that, but here's what I found interesting:

1) The "cabal" does exist, guiding American foreign policy based on the neo-con ideas espoused by luminary from University of Chicago.

2) The fundamental issue for the neo-cons (and also the basis of Islamic fundamentalism too, oddly) is that Americans have become too hedonistic and self-absorbed. The neo-cons are quite sure that this lead to the destruction of America as a power. The Islamic Fundamentalists simply wish to prevent the same spreading to Islamic countries and decaying them.
In other words "liberalism" has the inevitable outcome of self-destruction.
The neo-cons have been told to preach a "national issue" - even if they don't personally believe it - to save America!

3) The CIA planted 'stories' in the 70s+ that terrorism was all controlled by the USSR. Some smart author independently found these stories and put them together and published a book proving same. A newly appointed CIA Director read the book and made addressing USSR's terrorist connections job#1. When he was told that the book was a summation of the black propoganda spread by the CIA, and nothing more, he said that was crap. In other words, the CIA used its own propaganda to set its agenda to tilt at windmills in their own minds.

4) The neo-cons assessed intelligence information with logic like the following to "prove" things:
a) We looked for Soviet submarine detection methods as we estimate most practical.
b) We didn't find any such thing.
c) Therefore they must have something even more ominous of which we are totally unaware.
d) Therefore there is even more of a threat than we thought!!!

5) Items 3 & 4 were used to convince President Reagan to start the policy of covert support of anti-communism efforts throughout the world.

6) The neo-cons refused a request by the USSR to help them get out of Afghanistan because they saw the USSR as about to lose anyway and were sure that the "freedom fighters" would get control of the country and make it democratic.

All-in-all an interesting "connecting of the dots", backed up by people who participated, to show that both the neo-cons and the Islamic Fundamentalists have the same objective - to save "their people" from themselves. The neo-cons want power throughout the world while the fndamentalist Islamists seem to want religious control of Muslim countries.

As far as the west is concerned, as I understand it so far, **WE** are being manipulated to keep us from doing what we might want to do (promote peace, eliminate weapons, feed everybody, save the environment, etc. etc.) because that would mean loss of power by the U.S.

10PM tonight on CBC Newsworld, Denis. BE THERE!