The Pentagon has
developed a comprehensive strategy for taking over the Internet and controlling
the free flow of information. The plan appears in a recently declassified
document, �The Information Operations Roadmap,� which was provided under the
FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) and revealed in an article by the BBC.
The Pentagon sees
the Internet in terms of a military adversary that poses a vital threat to its
stated mission of global domination. This explains the confrontational language
in the document which speaks of �fighting the net�; implying that the Internet
is the equivalent of �an enemy weapons system."
The
Defense Dept. places a high value on controlling information. The new program
illustrates their determination to establish the parameters of free speech.
The
Pentagon sees information as essential in manipulating public perceptions and,
thus, a crucial tool in eliciting support for unpopular policies. The recent
revelations of the military placing propaganda in the foreign press demonstrate
the importance that is given to co-opting public opinion.
Information-warfare
is used to create an impenetrable cloud around the activities of government so
that decisions can be made without dissent. The smokescreen of deception that
encompasses the Bush administration has less to do with prevaricating
politicians than it does with a clearly articulated policy of obfuscation. �The Information Operations Roadmap� is solely
intended to undermine the principle of an informed citizenry.
The
Pentagon�s focus on the Internet tells
us a great deal about the mainstream media (MSM) and its connection to the
political establishment.
Why, for example,
would the Pentagon see the Internet as a greater threat than the mainstream
media, where an estimated 75 percent of Americans get their news?
The reason is
clear; because the MSM is already a fully-integrated part of the
corporate-system providing a 24-hour per day streaming of business-friendly
news. Today�s MSM operates as a de facto franchise of the Pentagon, a reliable
and sophisticated propagandist for Washington�s wars of aggression and
political subterfuge.
The Internet, on
the other hand, is the last bastion of American democracy; a virtual world
where reliable information moves instantly from person to person without
passing through the corporate filter. Online visitors can get a clear picture
of their governments� depredations with a click of the mouse. This is the liberalization
of the news, an open source of mind-expanding information that elevates citizen
awareness of complex issues and threatens the status quo.
The Pentagon
program is just one facet of a broader culture of deception; a pervasive ethos
of dishonesty that envelopes all aspects of the Bush White House. The
�Strategic Intelligence� Dept is a division of the Defense establishment that
is entirely devoted to concealing, distorting, omitting and manipulating the
truth.
In what way is
�strategic intelligence� different from plain intelligence?
It is information
that is shaped in a way that meets the needs of a particular group. In other
words, it is not the truth at all, but a fabrication, a fiction, a lie.
Strategic
intelligence is an oxymoron; a tidy bit of Orwellian doublespeak that reflects
the deeply rooted cynicism of its authors.
The Internet is a
logical target for the Pentagon�s electronic warfare. Already the Downing
Street memos, Bush�s bombing-threats against Al Jazeera, the fraudulent 2004
elections, and the leveling of Falluja, have disrupted the smooth execution of
Bush�s wars. It is understandable that Rumsfeld & Co. would seek to
transform this potential enemy into an ally, much as it has done with the MSM.
The Pentagon�s
plans for engaging in �virtual warfare� are impressive. As the BBC notes: �The operations described in the document include a
surprising range of military activities: public affairs officers who brief
journalists, psychological operations troops who try to manipulate the thoughts
and beliefs of an enemy, computer network attack specialists who seek to
destroy enemy networks.�
The enemy, of
course, is you, dear reader, or anyone who refuses to accept their role as a
witless cog in the New World Order. Seizing the Internet is a prudent way of
controlling every piece of information that one experiences from cradle to
grave; all necessary for an orderly police state.
The Information
Operations Roadmap (IOR) recommends that psychological operations (Psyops) �should consider a range of technologies to disseminate
propaganda in enemy territory: unmanned aerial vehicles, 'miniaturized,
scatterable public address systems,' wireless devices, cellular phones and the
Internet.� No idea is too costly or too far-fetched that it escapes the serious
consideration of the Pentagon chieftains.
The War Dept. is
planning to insert itself into every area of the Internet from blogs to chat
rooms, from leftist web sites to editorial commentary. The objective is to
challenge any tidbit of information that appears on the web that may counter
the official narrative; the fairytale of benign American intervention to
promote democracy and human rights across the planet.
The IOR aspires to "provide maximum control of the entire electromagnetic
spectrum" and develop the capability to "disrupt or destroy the full
spectrum of globally emerging communications systems, sensors, and weapons
systems dependent on the electromagnetic spectrum". (BBC)
Full
Spectrum Dominance.
The ultimate goal
of the Pentagon is to create an Internet paradigm that corresponds to the
corporate mainstream model, devoid of imagination or divergent points of view.
They envision an Internet that is increasingly restricted by the gluttonous
influence of industry and its vast �tapestry of lies.�
The Internet is the
modern day marketplace of ideas, an invaluable resource for human curiosity and
organized resistance. It provides a direct link between the explosive power of
ideas and engaged citizen involvement. (a.k.a. participatory democracy)
The Pentagon is
laying the groundwork for privatizing the Internet so the information
revolution can be transformed into an information tyranny, extending to all
areas of communications and serving the exclusive interests of a few
well-heeled American plutocrats.
(Note:
The Associated Press reported on Feb. 13, �The government concluded its 'Cyber
Storm' war game Friday, its biggest-ever exercise to test how it would respond
to devastating attacks over the Internet from anti-globalization activists, underground
hackers and bloggers.
Bloggers?
Participants
confirmed parts of the worldwide simulation challenged government officials and
industry executives to respond to deliberate misinformation campaigns and
activist calls by Internet bloggers, online diarists whose "web logs"
include political rantings and musings about current events.�
�Misinformation
campaigns?� �Political rantings?� �Musings about current events?�
The
administration�s resolve to foreclose on free speech has never been stronger and
continues apace.
Mike Whitney lives in
Washington state. He
can be reached at: fergiewhitney@msn.com.