Two big thumbs up. Saw a great 3-part DVD through Netfix: The Power Of Nightmares. The films compare the rise of the Neo-Conservative movement in the United States and the radical Islamist movement, making comparisons on their origins and claiming similarities between the two.
Great insights into how politicians no longer sell dreams, but nightmares, of what the imagined future will be.
Neo-cons push for power and authority through exaggerated and distorted enemies and threats. They try to "protect" us from enemies we can't see or understand. The Bush Administration warned of sleeper cells, WMD, al Qaeda networks in 60 countries, dirty bombs and the loss of our way of life. All these are things that did not happen and will not happen.
Also came across something the neo-cons call the Precautionary Principle: Not having evidence is not a reason for not taking action.
That's a triple negative! Changes "what if" to "what is" and in the hands of Rumsfeld, Cheney, Perle and Wolfowitz it was tremendously dangerous. You can attack anyone, torture anyone, spy on anyone or pretty much do whatever you want with that specious reasoning.
Add this DVD to your queue.
Reference: The Power Of Nightmares Wiki Page
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