The Nightmare Power

In one sense, of course, Curtis himself is part of the al-Qaida industry. The Power of Nightmares began as an investigation of something else, the rise of modern American conservatism. Curtis was interested in Leo Strauss, a political philosopher at the university of Chicago in the 50s who rejected the liberalism of postwar America as amoral and who thought that the country could be rescued by a revived belief in America's unique role to battle evil in the world. Strauss's certainty and his emphasis on the use of grand myths as a higher form of political propaganda created a group of influential disciples such as Paul Wolfowitz, now the US deputy defence secretary. They came to prominence by talking up the Russian threat during the cold war and have applied a similar strategy in the war on terror.

As Curtis traced the rise of the "Straussians", he came to a conclusion that would form the basis for The Power of Nightmares. Straussian conservatism had a previously unsuspected amount in common with Islamism: from origins in the 50s, to a formative belief that liberalism was the enemy, to an actual period of Islamist-Straussian collaboration against the Soviet Union during the war in Afghanistan in the 80s (both movements have proved adept at finding new foes to keep them going). Although the Islamists and the Straussians have fallen out since then, as the attacks on America in 2001 graphically demonstrated, they are in another way, Curtis concludes, collaborating still: in sustaining the "fantasy" of the war on terror.

There are terrorists. That is a fact. They are most usually ethnic minorities who have been abused by the states in which they reside. A few good examples are the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka, the Palestinians, the IRA (Irish Republican Army), Basque militants and certain Islamic-Indo militant groups.

These non-state groups use acts of terror (percieved or real) to get the attention of their much more powerful statist oppressors. It is the option of desperation. The reasons for their desperation varies and they use these methods to force solutions where otherwise they would be completely ignored.

With the end of the cold war, the USA is roundly described as the world's sole remaining superpower and found itself to be lacking an external enemy. That is an anathema to the military industrial complex and to machiavellian politicians who feed off of the industry of war. Without a legitimate external enemy, there is no justification for the existence of such mammoth budgets.

Enter "al Qaeda."

Trace its rise. Al Qaeda took center stage as the Soviet threat receded. Coincidence? Absolutely not. It's far too obvious for anyone paying attention. Al Qaeda was created/funded by elements in the US CIA and its Pakistani ISI counterparts. Osama was none other than our agent in Afghanistan; our proxy warrior against the Soviets.

The USA and by extension, the western world, now has its new, entrenched boogyman. OPERATION NORTHWOODS 9-11 seared into the minds of Americans the most deep-seated fears imaginable. The Straussian NeoCon devils who are behind that heinous act of high treason are using the fear and percieved need for vengeance that attack engendered to lead us into accepting a never-ending war. In their view: war is peace.

It doesn't get more twisted than that.

The article I source is British. It is about a documentary TV series on this very subject. I encourage everyone to check it out. It's past time for us to realize a nightmare has been passed onto us and its time to wake up from it before the coup is complete.
www.guardian.co.uk...

You'll hardly get a whisper regarding your topic, but i'm hearing ya

I've come to realize that people on ATS don't deny ignorance, they're just selective about it.

I hearya. I've noticed a lot of folks don't go near an actual essay written, or extended points. It's sad. This is their life!

Good Post, and yes it's amazing how few replies you get from the neo's on topics that actually dwell in reality. Most GOP supporters suffer from what i call selective comprehension. Anything that goes against the foundations of nationalism and the official story lines fed to them is just beyond their grasp. They will argue all day about jane fonda, but they won't even post a reply to a depleted uranium thread or our president's shady connections. Most neocons don't remember the eighties, which is too bad really because apparently the rest of the world does. We created, or funded, or armed and supplied or simply manipulated every single threat we now face from the islamic world. Selective comprehension and repressed memory make for a bad politcal platform IMO.

Originally posted by syntaxer
people on ATS don't deny ignorance, they're just selective about it.

heheh....

Ah, yes. Operation Northwoods. One of my favorite declassified documents. It saddens me to know that the American people don't read declassified documents. If they did, they'd probably start to wake up to the fact that the government is corrupt and doesn't care about the American people anymore.

BTW, did you know Bin Ladens own several stocks here in the U.S. including Nortel and Coca Cola?

they are in denial, their brains are so overly saturated with propaganda laced media these ideas seem extra terrestrial. the amount of compeling evidence supporting your claims ECK is imposible to ignore and difficult to refute. a little research goes a long way

Originally posted by syntaxer
You'll hardly get a whisper regarding your topic, but i'm hearing ya

I've come to realize that people on ATS don't deny ignorance, they're just selective about it.

Very true. You read is everyday in ATS posts. These guys choose what they'll keep an open mind about and what they won't.

Usually a shady connection stays in the dark,

I posted a topic in the Politics & Scandals section regarding a huge huge developing story involving the Carlyle group and the Saudi Royal family.

Probably the world's greatest scam/con taking place right now! A bunch of views and only 1 reply.

ATS new slogan should say, "ATS - Select Your Ignorance"

Excellent points, one and all.

For anyone who has not seen OPERATION NORTHWOODS, I highly recommend it. You cannot read the document and see 9-11 in the same way ever again.

In his new expos� of the National Security Agency entitled Body of Secrets, author James Bamford highlights a set of proposals on Cuba by the Joint Chiefs of Staff codenamed OPERATION NORTHWOODS. This document, titled �Justification for U.S. Military Intervention in Cuba� was provided by the JCS to Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara on March 13, 1962, as the key component of Northwoods. Written in response to a request from the Chief of the Cuba Project, Col. Edward Lansdale, the Top Secret memorandum describes U.S. plans to covertly engineer various pretexts that would justify a U.S. invasion of Cuba. These proposals - part of a secret anti-Castro program known as Operation Mongoose - included staging the assassinations of Cubans living in the United States, developing a fake �Communist Cuban terror campaign in the Miami area, in other Florida cities and even in Washington,� including �sink[ing] a boatload of Cuban refugees (real or simulated),� faking a Cuban airforce attack on a civilian jetliner, and concocting a �Remember the Maine� incident by blowing up a U.S. ship in Cuban waters and then blaming the incident on Cuban sabotage. Bamford himself writes that Operation Northwoods �may be the most corrupt plan ever created by the U.S. government.�
www.gwu.edu...

I guess the reason the Neo Conned stay away from these meaty issues/debates is because they know there is no defending thier positions.

Originally posted by EastCoastKid
I guess the reason the Neo Conned stay away from these meaty issues/debates is because they know there is no defending thier positions.

Of course! Operation Northwoods is a perfect "factual" example of how the U.S. government is perfectly capable of pulling off a 9-11.

There has never been a more powerful example.

Can you believe one of our neo-conned ATS members actually tried to claim that it was from an unreliable source? That was the most lame & laughable assertion I've ever seen here.

Originally posted by sweatmonicaIdo
Very true. You read is everyday in ATS posts. These guys choose what they'll keep an open mind about and what they won't.

HOW DARE the people here make up their own mind

Thank god we have people like yall to tell us what to believe

Isnt that the point of this entire place?

A place for people to make up their OWN mind about what they believe and what they dont?

[edit on 15-10-2004 by Amuk]

Amuk, you sound a bit scorned.

What is your opinion regarding the subject of this thread?

No one here is against folks making up their own minds. They only commented that so many have their minds shut as tight as a clam. It's true. Neo Cons, especially, will not bend no matter how much proof is offered them. It's Bushian to the nth degree. Pure monkey see monkey do.

They would be a lot betetr off making up their minds here than sitting in fornt of their televsion sets thinking coporate sponsored media is giving them all the pertinent information they need to make informed decisions.

Yep. I remember back when I heard that most young people now get their news from John Stewart's the Daily Show. I thought, "Great. This is what it's coming to now." But ya know what? I'm watchin' it now myself, b/c network news and cable news is a f***ing joke. Pure propaganda Bu#. Stewart's show is the truth, albeit shrouded in twisted humour. It's Bushian in that it is truth in the reverse.

BOYCOTT TV NEWS! WATCH JOHN STEWART!

And pay close attention to the MESS-O-POTAMIA segments. They're a hoot.

Originally posted by EastCoastKid
Yep. I remember back when I heard that most young people now get their news from John Stewart's the Daily Show. I thought, "Great. This is what it's coming to now." But ya know what? I'm watchin' it now myself, b/c network news and cable news is a f***ing joke. Pure propaganda Bu#. Stewart's show is the truth, albeit shrouded in twisted humour. It's Bushian in that it is truth in the reverse.

BOYCOTT TV NEWS! WATCH JOHN STEWART!

And pay close attention to the MESS-O-POTAMIA segments. They're a hoot.

I loved that clip from the Daily Show "George W. Bush: Because he says so."

There should be one that says "The Neo-Cons: Because they say so."

[edit on 15-10-2004 by mrmulder]

Originally posted by mrmulder


There should be one that says "The Neo-Cons: Because they say so."

[edit on 15-10-2004 by mrmulder]

That should definitely be their mantra.

Originally posted by EastCoastKid
Amuk, you sound a bit scorned.

What is your opinion regarding the subject of this thread?

No not scorned it just sounded like to me that yall were saying if we didnt believe it we were all a bunch of idiots or something along them lines.

As far as the subject of this thread.....do I believe it? dont know

Do I doubt the US government is willing to do terrable things to get what it wants? Not a bit.

I dont really see a big conspericy here though, I think Osama, like Sadam is a tool that has outlived its usefullness. Its not nothing that our government AND EVERY OTHER GOVERNMENT ON EARTH hasnt done a thousand times.

Just like 911. Do I think WE did it? No I dont

Do I think parts of the Government knew it was gonna happen and looked the other way? And then used it for grabing more power?Thats a little different I wouldnt doubt that.

I just dont buy into the world-wide conspericy thing I think our Government is too inept to pull it off.

On top of that you have to admit our polices in the mid-east has caused us to make a lot of enmies there and to say ALL of them are CIA agents is IMO rather foolish

[edit on 15-10-2004 by Amuk]

Originally posted by Amuk
I think our Government is too inept to pull it off.

Well, I think Operation Northwoods is a perfect example that they can pull it off. Of course, that's my opinion.