"The selling of the Iraq War to the American public was an exploitation of mass gullibility. Current circumstances give little or no hope that the public response would be much different to the selling of some future untoward war."
Paul Pillar, Selling the Iraq War: Gullibility and Mass Hysteria, March 15, 2023
"If you do not stand firm in the faith, you will not stand at all.”
Isaiah 7:9
"The voice of the people expresses the mind of the people, and that mind is made up for it by the group leaders in whom it believes and by those persons who understand the manipulation of public opinion. It is composed of inherited prejudices and symbols and clichés and verbal formulas supplied to them by the leaders."
Edward Bernays, Propaganda, 1928
"People do not wake up one morning and decide to become monsters that will be reviled by all civilized people throughout history. They go down that path one small step at a time, one seemingly harmless and practical decision after another. They are being reasonable, practical, realistic— merely repeating the stories and slogans that 'everyone knows.' We live in a truly cynical age."
Jesse, It Can't Happen Here: Pride, Power, Exceptionalism, 8 May 2017
"When a nation threatens another nation the people of the latter forget their factionalism, their local antagonisms, their political differences, their suspicions of each other, their religious hostilities, and band together as one unit. Leaders know that, and that is why so many of them whip up wars during periods of national crisis, or when the people become discontented and angry. The leaders stigmatize the enemy with every vice they can think of, every evil and human depravity. Attacking another nation, then, acts as a sort of catharsis, temporarily, on men’s fear of their immediate neighbors. This is the explanation of all wars, all racial and religious hatreds, all massacres, and all attempts at genocide."
Taylor Caldwell, The Devil's Advocate, 1952
"Words can be like tiny bits of arsenic: they are swallowed unnoticed and seem to have no effect, but after a while the toxic effect is there."
Victor Klemperer, I Will Bear Witness To the Bitter End: 1933-1945
It was a 'risk on' day today.
The Dollar rose.
The VIX fell.
Stocks finished higher after a big gap up open, compliments of Alphabet.
Gold was up a bit, and silver was lower.
The first victim in any period of war is the truth.
This time is no different.
We had what I hope is our last hard freeze last night.
So Daisy and I took an afternoon jaunt over to the Great Swamp Greenhouses, which are just southeast of our 'hood.
They are in the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. As you may recall that is where the second cylinder fell in the radio version of War of the Worlds.
Daisy had some good sniffing opportunities while I was planning out some buys for the vegetable garden.
Even though we are miles away up in the hills, we get an abundance of critters from there, and especially in the winter. And an abundance of birds. It is also home to The Raptor Trust.
Spring is in the air. A tonic for the prevailing hysteria and avalanche of lies and unproven claims.
Have a pleasant weekend.
