Orwell wrote Bush's script

Orwell wrote Bush's script

Ryan Blethen / Seattle Times | February 18 2006

The resemblance grows between the Bush administration and the
sinister, monolithic political party INGSOC, from George Orwell's
novel "1984," with every twisted and evasive defense for the violation
of American civil rights.

Bush and Co.'s battle against terrorism has turned into a power grab
and a war on Americans. Fear and contorted language are the weapons of
choice.

The administration's assertive actions after 9/11 might have made
sense in the raw aftermath of nearly 3,000 dead. With time and
distance comes perspective. Those new presidential controls awarded to
help ensure the safety of Americans now look more like the political
clubs wielded by INGSOC.

Orwell might have got the year wrong, but his nightmarish vision of a
super-nation at perpetual war, dominated by a government only
concerned about control and party preservation, could gain purchase in
2006.

I hear more of Newspeak, the restrictive language created by INGSOC,
with every presidential explanation as to why the government feels
compelled to spy on Americans. Orwell wrote that the idea of Newspeak
was to restrict the language to the point that people would have to
think in the limited language of the party.

In true INGSOC fashion, the administration has used Bushspeak to spin
a story broken by The New York Times about a domestic-spying program
run by the National Security Agency and approved by executive order
soon after 9/11 into a necessary program needed to weed out the deeply
integrated terrorists living next door.

The timing was curious when, last week, Bush revealed that a terrorist
plot was thwarted in 2002. Bush talked about the plot the same day
stories surfaced about the doubts a secret surveillance court judge
had about the legality of domestic spying. Of course, an
administration spokesperson danced around the question of whether the
NSA program was involved in stopping the terrorist plot.

The use of powerful and well-placed words and images worked for
INGSOC. Its slogan ? war is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is
strength ? fits like a truncheon in the cradle of shattered bone with
Bush's recent State of the Union address:

War is peace

"There is no peace in retreat."

Freedom is slavery

"The terrorist surveillance program has helped prevent terrorist
attacks. It remains essential to the security of America."

Ignorance is strength

"... We have benefited from responsible criticism and counsel offered
by members of Congress of both parties ... Yet, there is a difference
between responsible criticism that aims for success, and defeatism
that refuses to acknowledge anything but failure."

Political doublespeak is nothing new, but has become a real threat to
democracy in the hands of this administration. Bush has taken
communication strategy to new heights, said David Domke, associate
professor of communications at the University of Washington.

"This administration has become preeminent in crafting messages for
political gain," Domke said.

The Republicans have made no secret about what they will run on this
year. A recent Pew poll showed that Americans believe the Democrats
could lead the nation better on every issue except national security.
Bush aide Karl Rove has given speeches about national security and the
president skips across the nation talking about the importance of
spying on Americans to keep us safe.

This strategy works only if the electorate is fearful that a hostile
world is ready to overrun America. Bush's fear-mongering resembles a
version of INGSOC's Two Minutes (of) Hate, in which party members
watch a video of legions of the enemy army marching behind a bleating
political enemy.

American democracy has buckled under the weight of Americans voting
scared, a weak press diluted because of consolidation by mega-public
companies, and no real political alternative.

It does not matter that the administration and, by extension, the
Republican Party are only doing what is needed to hold on in November
and again in the 2008 presidential election. Their actions are
beginning to eclipse our civil rights, potentially reducing freedom to
a dim flicker.



.

Relevant Pages

  • President weakens espionage oversight
    ... The Bush administration ... about Americans and then hand the data to the NSA, ... But Bush authorized the CIA to ... Congress enacted a law requiring warrants for all wiretaps on ...
    (sci.military.naval)
  • Polls Show Many Americans are Simply Dumber Than Bush
    ... terrorism will explode, and American civil ... information are far larger threats to Americans ... why Bush is getting away with impeachable offenses. ... a disinformation agency for the Bush administration. ...
    (soc.culture.cuba)
  • Re: Orwell wrote Bushs script
    ... sinister, monolithic political party INGSOC, from George Orwell's ... Bush and Co.'s battle against terrorism has turned into a power grab ... help ensure the safety of Americans now look more like the political ... the administration has used Bushspeak to spin ...
    (rec.radio.shortwave)
  • Re: Orwell wrote Bushs script
    ... sinister, monolithic political party INGSOC, from George Orwell's ... Bush and Co.'s battle against terrorism has turned into a power grab ... help ensure the safety of Americans now look more like the political ... the administration has used Bushspeak to spin ...
    (rec.radio.shortwave)
  • Reprise: Fascist America, in 10 easy steps
    ... From Hitler to Pinochet and beyond, history shows there are certain ... initiated today in the United States by the Bush administration. ... they are also a group that fascists typically "coordinate" ...
    (alt.politics)