The making of the terror myth

Psst... This is what real journalism looks like, challenging thoughts that puncture the pomposity of received myth.

(After 24 years of Dan Rather and his ilk, you can be forgiven for thinking that journalism is instead all about celebrity and patronizing the audience.)

The Power of Nightmares: The Rise of the Politics of Fear: "...During the three years in which the 'war on terror' has been waged, high-profile challenges to its assumptions have been rare. The sheer number of incidents and warnings connected or attributed to the war has left little room, it seems, for heretical thoughts. In this context, the central theme of The Power of Nightmares is riskily counter-intuitive and provocative. Much of the currently perceived threat from international terrorism, the series argues, 'is a fantasy that has been exaggerated and distorted by politicians. It is a dark illusion that has spread unquestioned through governments around the world, the security services, and the international media.' The series' explanation for this is even bolder: 'In an age when all the grand ideas have lost credibility, fear of a phantom enemy is all the politicians have left to maintain their power....'"

Translation: the 'War on Terror' = Vice Dick's wet dream.

Thanks to KFL for the link.

PS: Don't hold your breath waiting for any sort of similar public examination of the 'fear factory' here in the US of A... Given the politics of the SCLM and their constant attention to their own self-interest (fear is good for ratings), that would take a miracle and 'the GOP has outlawed miracles.'