The engineering of consent is the very essence of the democratic process, the freedom to persuade and suggest.
Edward Bernays, 1955
In his 1928 book Propaganda, Edward Bernays, the architect of modern day public relations and marketing, argues that manipulation of public opinion is necessary to overcome chaos and conflict in society. It’s a strategy that his been implemented for centuries, but most notably during the last hundred years. Stalin, Hitler, Mao and Hussein found propaganda to be an extremely effective mechanism of control over their populations, as have modern-day governments of the Western world where “freedom of the press” and government transparency are supposed to be a key tenet of an open society. Continue reading “An Exercise In Propaganda: “Living On the Streets of Modern Day America””

Village Voice – by Ryan Devereaux
Cowboy Byte
Resistor in the Rockies – by Ironwill III
The Blaze – by Erica Ritz
The devastating sequester cuts are going to reduce manpower on the border, bringing new attention to border patrol technology. Apparently there is a plethora of machines ready to step up, or more precisely roll up, and take on the challenge – cameras, robots, drones, I guess the drones will be flying up. At any rate, this will all be free equipment…not.
The New American – by Joe Wolverton, II, J.D.
New York Daily News -by CHELSIA ROSE MARCIUS AND SHANE DIXON KAVANAUGH
Militant Libertarian – by William N. Grigg
Natural Society – by Anthony Gucciardi
The Daily Caller – by Nicholas Ballasy