Brainwashing Now!

What was once known as “Democracy Now!,” Amy Goodman’s “progressive” news outlet has adopted a different role. The program’s focus appears to be trumpeting the establishment’s propaganda.

Last Wednesday’s program is a model for how far Amy has drifted from “independent” news reporting. Is the fact that George Soros, “progressive” billionaire and the Ford Foundation, plus several other foundations are now heavy financial contributors to her program a factor in what she reports, how she reports it, and what she chooses not to report?

I watched Amy’s “Brainwashing” Now. One of her guests was Dr. Zaher Sahloul, founder of the American Relief Coalition for Syria and senior adviser and former president of the Syrian American Medical Society.

Juan Gonzalez opened the interview by quoting the N.Y. Times, a newspaper known for its “reliable” and “truthful” reporting and now evidently a news source for “Brainwashing” Now. The Times reports, “In the latest escalation of the war in Syria, Russia has begun launching airstrikes from Iranian air bases.”

I find it interesting but not surprising that the Times puts Russia, Iran, and Assad together. This follows the script that has been prominent for months, if not years, . . . demonizing Russia (Putin), Iran, and Assad and creating a climate of hate against them as well as fear of them.

In his description of what is occurring in Syria, Dr. Sahloul stated, “The Russians are having fun bombing the civilians of Aleppo.” There was no doubt in his mind that the humanitarian crisis in Aleppo was due to the actions of Russia and Assad’s Syrian Army. To frame it as ‘Russia having fun bombing Aleppo” is to assume that is indiscriminately and purposefully, along with Assad, killing Syrians.

Dr. Sahloul went on to describe how Assad was purposefully sending his helicopters into Aleppo to drop barrel bombs on the people. “Barrel bombs are an invention of the Syrian regime. It’s a very cheap way to manufacture weapons of mass destruction. these are barrels that—big barrels stuffed with TNT, half a ton of TNT, and shrapnels, metal shrapnels. And they come in all kind of sizes and shapes. And they’re thrown from helicopters on urban areas, on hospitals, on blocks, on civilian neighborhoods, on fruit markets, on schools.”

What the good doctor and Amy neglect to discuss is the context for the bombing if, in fact, it is Russia actually doing the bombing. The U.S. has been known to float misinformation out to the public creating an anti-Russia and anti-Assad atmosphere.

There is a war going on and the Syrian Army, with Russia’s support is trying to regain control of Aleppo which until recently was an ISIS stronghold. Unfortunately, fighting and bombing are guaranteed to result in the deaths of harmless, innocent civilians. To assume that Putin and Assad are targeting these people, is ludicrous. For Amy Goodman not to challenge Dr. Sahloul’s comments tells us a lot about her role.

We also ought not forget that until Russia, at Assad’s invitation, joined the Syrian army last September, the terrorists and mercenaries, not rebels, (ISIS, al Qaeda, al Nusra, etc) were running free killing, stealing, and terrorizing the Syrian people. It was Russia that undertook the serious job of fighting these terrorists while the U.S. stood passively for over a year allowing and often supporting the actions of the so-called “moderates.”

Before we can understand any event, we must determine who benefits from that event. In August 2013, Syria was struck by rockets containing sarin, a deadly chemical. Almost immediately, the U.S. was holding Assad and his army responsible for the gassing and killing of hundreds of civilians.

Prior to that day, President Obama made clear that any use of chemicals by Assad would result in the U.S. sending troops into Syria (Obama’s red line in the sand). Now, the moment of truth . . . did Assad use chemicals against his own people and would the U.S. enter the fighting in Syria?

However, there was mounting evidence that it was not Assad’s troops that used sarin, but rather the “moderates” that the U.S. was supporting. When we ask, “who benefits,” clearly Assad would not want to provoke the U.S. into sending troops to fight his army . . . but the “rebels” or mercenaries would. It was eventually determined that Assad had nothing to do with the use of sarin gas.

So, let us return to the bombing of Aleppo’s civilians. How would the Syrian army or Russia, or Iran benefit? On the other hand, one can see how it would serve the agenda of the terrorists that the U.S. is supporting if they can blame Assad and Russia for this inflammatory event where they are targeting Aleppo civilians.

Of course, we can also see the outrage of U.S. government and military officials as hypocritical when, in fact, hundreds, if not thousands of innocent civilians have been killed by Obomber’s drone attacks in several sovereign states in the Middle East.

When members of the progressive community refer to news coverage from Fox “News,” CNN, and MSNBC, we tend to sneer and ridicule. We know that their job is to broadcast the official narrative, misinform us, or, if necessary, lie to us.

But, with Amy Goodman it’s different . . . she is seen as one of us and her reporting supposedly is informative and independent. Amy used to introduce her show with the comment that she is the “Exception to the Rulers.”

It is noticeable that Amy no longer opens her news coverage with that little throwaway line. WHY? Is she no longer the exception to the rulers? Is she now a spokesperson for the rulers, many of whom financially support “Brainwashing Now”?

It is her standing in the progressive community that makes her more dangerous than Fox “News.” We know what to expect from Fox and we do not take their news coverage seriously. But Amy has leverage and offers enough worthwhile, accurate coverage of events to allow us to trust that all her coverage is accurate and true.

However, her reporting is lacking or biased when it comes to issues concerning Russia, Putin, Assad, Libya, Ukraine, NATO and US military expansion into eastern Europe and along Russia’s borders.

She is no longer an independent or an exception to the rulers. BEWARE!!

The truth of the matter is, there is no truth. It’s all political theater.

Dave Alpert has masters degrees in social work, educational administration, and psychology. He spent his career working with troubled inner city adolescents.