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Link to original article on ruxted.ca
Big Lies
Canada is a free and open society in which everyone may criticize the government, politicians (in general), and public servants, including high profile, highly public figures like General Rick Hillier and unknown soldiers, too.
Amongst the critics is Stephen Staples of, inter alia, the Rideau Institute and Ceasefire.ca and marching in lock step is NDP defence critic Dawn Black. Black's acumen for military matters is reported to be an echo of Prof Michael Byers, who wanted to charge former defence minister Gordon O’Connor and General Hillier as war criminals.
Now these two worthies (Black and Staples) have obtained the ear of journalist Travis Lupick of the Georgia Straight who has turned their overstated worries into a one-sided promulgation of their, in our view, misleading spin.
Mr. Staples complains, repeatedly, that he was placed under surveillance by DND. What’s true is that a report was prepared on Staples – a highly public (dare we say publicity seeking?) critic of DND and the CF. Such reports are prepared on all the talking heads who are likely to be invited to appear on the same TV or radio panel as a senior DND bureaucrat or a senior military officer. All good PR departments do that for their clients and The Ruxted Group agrees with Lupick that DND has an able and well funded PR department.
Ms. Black is convinced that military members wrote President Karzai’s recent speech in Canada. DND acknowledged that it provided information, especially data about how much the Canadian PRT has accomplished in Afghanistan, to the Government of Afghanistan – just as every government department provides information and data to every foreign government when that foreign government’s leader is about to visit Canada. That isn’t merely PR; it’s competent diplomatic service.
But the kicker in Lupick’s article is this:
”… Staples argued that the DND's alleged writing of Karzai's speech was just one piece of a much larger strategy. He argued that what is going on in Canada is an Americanization of the government's handling of the media, and at the centre of it all is Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Rick Hillier … "It keeps me up at night, thinking about the impact that this war has had on the country," Staples said. He argued that Hillier was using the war in Afghanistan to help bring about a change in Canadian society, working toward a military-oriented culture.”
(Source: http://www.straight.com/article-113589/dnd-spins-war-u-s-8211-style )
The ‘big lie’ is the age-old tool of the propagandist and one of the best reminded us that if it is told often enough people will believe it.
As we have pointed out, a ‘new political narrative’ is out in the media. It is based on an unlikely and repeated stroke of lightning: that General Hillier is so smart and so persuasive that he bamboozled Prime Minister Paul Martin, Clerk of the Privy Council Alex Himmelfarb, Defence Minister Bill Graham and, we suppose, almost every politician and commentator (save, of course, Black, Byers and Staples) and turned Canadian policy on its head – all within a few weeks of being promoted into his current post. What arrant nonsense! What rubbish! It is a lie and we have called it that. To the extent there is an ongoing information operation (spin) being waged, it is the one against Rick Hillier with a view to undermining the combat mission in Afghanistan.
We do agree with Black on one issue: General Hillier has been the public face of Canada’s mission in Afghanistan and that, as we have said, is wrong. Neither the Minister of Defence nor the Chief of the Defence Staff should be explaining national policy to Canadians; that is the Prime Minister’s job and he has the bully pulpit in Ottawa, in the Parliament of Canada from which he can and must convince Canadians that our soldiers are fighting and occasionally dying in Afghanistan for good, valid, even noble reasons: for Canada and for Canadian values.
We also suspect that Stephen Staples is correct when, in Lupick’s words, he claims that “senior Liberals who were around at that time now "cringe" at what they got the country into.” That’s a shame because Prime Ministers Chrétien and Martin got us into a 'good war’: a just war which Canadians should be willing and proud to fight.
(Source: http://www.straight.com/article-113589/dnd-spins-war-u-s-8211-style )
Canadians must critically assess the nonsense, new narratives and downright lies which an increasingly desperate opposition (official and otherwise) toss onto the pavement. The Ruxted Group hopes that the new panel of eminent Canadians, headed by former Deputy Prime Minister John Manley will do what Prime Minister Harper has failed to do: persuade parliamentarians and Canadians at large of the undoubted worth and moral justification for the mission in Afghanistan which our soldiers are accomplishing which such skill, tenacity and courage.
Some milnet.ca members thoughts on the Georgia Straight article
Big Lies
Canada is a free and open society in which everyone may criticize the government, politicians (in general), and public servants, including high profile, highly public figures like General Rick Hillier and unknown soldiers, too.
Amongst the critics is Stephen Staples of, inter alia, the Rideau Institute and Ceasefire.ca and marching in lock step is NDP defence critic Dawn Black. Black's acumen for military matters is reported to be an echo of Prof Michael Byers, who wanted to charge former defence minister Gordon O’Connor and General Hillier as war criminals.
Now these two worthies (Black and Staples) have obtained the ear of journalist Travis Lupick of the Georgia Straight who has turned their overstated worries into a one-sided promulgation of their, in our view, misleading spin.
Mr. Staples complains, repeatedly, that he was placed under surveillance by DND. What’s true is that a report was prepared on Staples – a highly public (dare we say publicity seeking?) critic of DND and the CF. Such reports are prepared on all the talking heads who are likely to be invited to appear on the same TV or radio panel as a senior DND bureaucrat or a senior military officer. All good PR departments do that for their clients and The Ruxted Group agrees with Lupick that DND has an able and well funded PR department.
Ms. Black is convinced that military members wrote President Karzai’s recent speech in Canada. DND acknowledged that it provided information, especially data about how much the Canadian PRT has accomplished in Afghanistan, to the Government of Afghanistan – just as every government department provides information and data to every foreign government when that foreign government’s leader is about to visit Canada. That isn’t merely PR; it’s competent diplomatic service.
But the kicker in Lupick’s article is this:
”… Staples argued that the DND's alleged writing of Karzai's speech was just one piece of a much larger strategy. He argued that what is going on in Canada is an Americanization of the government's handling of the media, and at the centre of it all is Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Rick Hillier … "It keeps me up at night, thinking about the impact that this war has had on the country," Staples said. He argued that Hillier was using the war in Afghanistan to help bring about a change in Canadian society, working toward a military-oriented culture.”
(Source: http://www.straight.com/article-113589/dnd-spins-war-u-s-8211-style )
The ‘big lie’ is the age-old tool of the propagandist and one of the best reminded us that if it is told often enough people will believe it.
As we have pointed out, a ‘new political narrative’ is out in the media. It is based on an unlikely and repeated stroke of lightning: that General Hillier is so smart and so persuasive that he bamboozled Prime Minister Paul Martin, Clerk of the Privy Council Alex Himmelfarb, Defence Minister Bill Graham and, we suppose, almost every politician and commentator (save, of course, Black, Byers and Staples) and turned Canadian policy on its head – all within a few weeks of being promoted into his current post. What arrant nonsense! What rubbish! It is a lie and we have called it that. To the extent there is an ongoing information operation (spin) being waged, it is the one against Rick Hillier with a view to undermining the combat mission in Afghanistan.
We do agree with Black on one issue: General Hillier has been the public face of Canada’s mission in Afghanistan and that, as we have said, is wrong. Neither the Minister of Defence nor the Chief of the Defence Staff should be explaining national policy to Canadians; that is the Prime Minister’s job and he has the bully pulpit in Ottawa, in the Parliament of Canada from which he can and must convince Canadians that our soldiers are fighting and occasionally dying in Afghanistan for good, valid, even noble reasons: for Canada and for Canadian values.
We also suspect that Stephen Staples is correct when, in Lupick’s words, he claims that “senior Liberals who were around at that time now "cringe" at what they got the country into.” That’s a shame because Prime Ministers Chrétien and Martin got us into a 'good war’: a just war which Canadians should be willing and proud to fight.
(Source: http://www.straight.com/article-113589/dnd-spins-war-u-s-8211-style )
Canadians must critically assess the nonsense, new narratives and downright lies which an increasingly desperate opposition (official and otherwise) toss onto the pavement. The Ruxted Group hopes that the new panel of eminent Canadians, headed by former Deputy Prime Minister John Manley will do what Prime Minister Harper has failed to do: persuade parliamentarians and Canadians at large of the undoubted worth and moral justification for the mission in Afghanistan which our soldiers are accomplishing which such skill, tenacity and courage.
Some milnet.ca members thoughts on the Georgia Straight article
