We’ll look at an example of Propaganda committed by Cal Thomas recently. Thomas wrote an opinion piece blessing two of the major traits of our growing unAmerican authoritarianism: 1) Wiretaps in violation of law, and 2) Torture.

(The balance of my entry will not discuss the torture controversy. Thomas and many many wingers seem to approve as our nation is being transformed into something sinister, a type of authoritarian repressive torturing nation, with its own secret prisons, which is a type of nation we have historically fought to destroy - but I digress).

The balance of this entry today is about the propaganda ploy used by Thomas when he discussed the wiretap law and the President’s supposed need to violate the law. Thomas lied by omission, and hence hoped to create a new truth or at least influence the uninformed. I call this propaganda.

Thomas’s lie-by-omission was regarding a major facet of his wiretap argument, and if he had revealed the truth then his argument would have failed, and hence his lie was an important lie, a “material” lie.

—–

Here’s a quick test of your knowledge of facts: (Assume the President is truthful when he declared that he ONLY wiretapped those in the USA who received phone calls from abroad from those associated with known terrorists): Is it true or false that the FISA Wiretap Statute would allow the President to conduct a wiretap immediately of a US person who got a call from a foreign terrorist, without advance approval from a judge, and then, WITHIN 72 HOURS, request that a judge approve the wiretap?

Of course the answer is TRUE. It’s absolutely true. If the government deems it necessary, it can immediately wiretap Americans who are receiving calls from foreign terrorists, and get permission a few days later. Those who follow the news know this by now.

So, how in the Hell is it possible that the esteemed Cal Thomas would conveniently forget that the FISA allows for warrantless immediate wiretaps? See the opinion piece excerpted below for Thomas’s puzzling bit of memory loss.

The answer is that Cal Thomas did NOT forget. He’s too smart for that, and the wiretap issue too much in the forefront of the public mind for him to forget one of the central factual issues in the debate.

Cal Thomas’s opinion piece is a propaganda piece, a piece of “truthiness” (term coined by Stephen Colbert), where he inserted a bit of truth but then spun off into fantasyland to support his political agenda, ignoring and “real truth” that stood in his way.

Thomas SO trusts Bush that he will corrupt himself into dishonesty in order to support Bush’s position on wiretaps. Is this a form of hero worship? Does the right wing have an almost religious faith in Bush’s trustworthiness? Has a cult of personality arisen around Bush, as evidenced by Thomas?

I wish there were someone in the popular media, who was credible to the Right Wing, who would stand up and challenge right wing propaganda as unAmerican, and help the wingers return to the reality based community - We need them back, because our nation is headed down the wrong path.

Wichita Eagle | 12/21/2005 | CAL THOMAS: ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO BACK ON TERROR

CAL THOMAS: ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO BACK ON TERROR

[snip]
When another attack comes, will those senators whose concern for civil liberties trumps the saving of lives step forward to acknowledge their role in weakening America?

Those relatively few who were spied on and had their cell phones monitored must have demonstrated their intention to aid in another terrorist attack on U.S. soil. Waiting for a judge to give permission to monitor a suspect’s cell phone often takes too long. Before a court order can be obtained, the terrorist suspect can disconnect or change numbers, and the trail quickly grows cold. [THIS is the lie because it fails to mention the allowable 72 hour post-wiretap period in which to get a warrant]

The law — especially the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act — has lagged behind the technological innovation and cunning of our enemies. The president did what he swore he would do in his oath of office: protect this country and its citizens from all enemies, foreign and domestic.

The second step back from victory came in a bill by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., to ban “cruel, inhumane and degrading” treatment of prisoners in American custody. The major flaw in McCain’s thinking is the belief that what we do affects what the other side does, and that if we will be “humane” to them, they won’t blow us to smithereens. That is dangerous wishful thinking, and there is no evidence to support it.

[snip]