27 Mar 15
Propaganda, then and now:
In August of 1942, Paramount Pictures released a feature film entitled, “Wake Island”
It starred Brian Donlevy. A supporting role, played by a young and previously unknown William Bendix, propelled him into subsequent stardom.
These were the “dark days” of WWII, and Paramount willingly “supported the War effort,” and in so doing, perpetuated a lie that was not generally known until the early 1950s.
The US Marine garrison on Wake Island was attacked by Japanese shortly after the Pearl Harbor bombing. Japanese attackers, expecting an easy conquest, ran into a buzz saw! Wake Island defenders heroically fought-off several assaults, inflicting major losses on the Japanese task force, including sinking a Japanese ship!
However, the outcome was never in doubt! The isolated Americans could not hold out.
An American task force was steaming toward Wake Island to relieve beleaguered defenders, but it was called back, because commanders feared an ambush. When word of the pull-back reached Marines aboard ship, they came close to staging a mutiny!
Wake Island was called, and still is in some quarters, the “Alamo of the Pacific,” implying that audacious defenders died fighting, to the last man. And, that is exactly what the movie portrayed, in gruesome detail! And, that was the false story believed by the American Public until a decade after the War ended.
Only later was the truth revealed. Surviving Wake Island defenders officially surrendered to the Japanese and were taken captive. Some survived subsequent captivity and were ultimately repatriotated. Local civilians and civilian contractors did not fare as well. They were all summarily executed, mostly via beheading.
The fact of surrender was changed to the fantasy of “fighting to the last man”
The War was used to “justify” keeping the truth from Americans, and Hollywood was only too happy go go along!
The pattern is set!
Fast forward:
Today, we are told by far less honorable politicians, who still enjoy Hollywood’s steadfast loyalty (so long as they’re promoting leftist causes) that there is a dramatic “increase in mass shootings,” complete with phoney “data” to support the false claim. “Gun control” is used to “justify” such outright lying.
With a straight face, Yemen, Iraq, and Syria are touted as “success stories” With “success” like this, Heaven save us from “failure!”
A pending nuclear “deal” with Iran, which is little more than complete capitulation on our part, is described by our so-called Secretary of State as “the best we can expect.” and we’re all “expected” to believe it!
A deserter, indeed a collaborator, is described as “serving with honor and distinction.” We’re all supposed to be blind, and deaf too! I’m sure Hollywood is, even now, working on a film where this disgrace to his nation is depicted as “saving his platoon!”
To liberals, in and out of politics, lying is always “justified,” so long as it advances the leftist agenda. Truth, when it reveals their incompetence, naivety, and criminality, needs to be hidden, and members of the “media,” disgracing their profession, knowingly perpetuate the fraud,
“Propaganda,” hardly the exclusive province of the Soviets, has evolved from fanciful movies into “official” statistics, data, and “statements,” as the media, Hollywood, mouthpieces, even professing “scientists” buy into, and knowingly advance, lies, so long as they think they’re going to get a kick-back.
When we need respectable, truthful heroes, men and women of righteous character, we have seedy, sleazy liars, and a host of willing, corrupt, and equally sleazy, “enablers!
Lying was not good then, and it is not good today!
Our blessed Republic is committing suicide, by choice!
“Character is much easier kept than ‘recovered.’”
Thomas Paine
/John