Last night my lovely wife and I watched the film Kill the Messenger. It had been on my list for some time but we'd never gotten around to watching it.
From the book of knowledge
It is based on the book of the same name by Nick Schou and the book Dark Alliance by Gary Webb. The film stars Jeremy Renner, who also produced the film. The film was released on October 10, 2014, and depicts a reporter's suppressed attempts to cover the CIA involvement and secret support of large scale cocaine sales to fund the Nicaraguan Contras.
I have been familiar with the story but never read either of the books. What hit me after watching the movie was the fact that despite the many times that the absolute evil of the state is exposed, we do not see significant change. It is pretty depressing to come to the conclusion that even when the US government's lies and evil is exposed it continues to go on largely unabated. As far as I know little of consequence happened due to Gary Webb's brave work.
It reminded me of Edward Snowden's revelations. I believe they have had a larger impact but still not nearly the impact I had hoped for. In the film they do a good job of showing some of the many tactics used when someone starts exposing the state for what it is. First they change the focus of the allegations making them harder to believe or harder to prove. They overstate the case. In Webb's case the media pushed a narrative (pushed by the CIA) that Webb was saying the CIA targeted the black community with crack cocaine. Actually Webb discovered that the CIA used drugs to fund their operations. He didn't claim the CIA was directly selling drugs to blacks. See the difference. What happened was a consequence of the CIA's action but unlikely the goal. But this framing makes Webb sound more extreme.
This happened with Snowden and also during the Covid19 pandemic. Its a tactic that works on the masses. Make your opponents sound unreasonable. Make them toxic. The second tactic they point out is attacking the messenger. They go after the person and find flaws. Highlight them and do character assassination. Never mind that most of the "leaders" in most democracies are full of similar character flaws and mistakes. That is never brought up in this context.
The third tactic that jumped out at me was the divide and conquer strategy. The CIA actions that are the subject of this film happened under Reagan, a Republican. So of course his opponents show much interest and John Kerry investigated it. The common thread I see here is that these types of things are bi-partisan. If you don't believe me you aren't paying attention or you have been indoctrinated into the matrix. The CIA is a permanent fixture in US government like many tentacles of the state yet when something like this is exposed it quickly becomes consumed by party politics. I get it. I don't think it is a conspiracy, it is simple game theory. Politicians simply want power and will use anything to win over their opponents. The result however is that the real root issues are never solved. The CIA is not reformed or dismantled. Real change doesn't happen because real consequences never occur. I don't think the filmmakers intend to make this point but it struck me. If you study the history of the CIA you will see that they have a long track record of this type of behavior. If it is a strategy, its genius. Get the public focused on party politics on the puppets, not the real power centers.
The final tactic that saw expressed was on the black community. It is possible that the CIA intentionally wanted to push crack into these communities. I just haven't seen that demonstrated. In truth, it doesn't matter. The real issue is that the CIA didn't care. The ends justify the means. The consequences of the CIA's actions led to massive death and destruction in places like Los Angeles. It makes me sick as I write this. For what? To fund fighters in a foreign conflict? Please. In the film they show various "leaders" in the black community from that time. It seems obvious to me that these people while they are speaking many truths seem to be doing so for their own profit just as the politicians do. Some of them were politicians. Did they actually put their necks on the line and keep pushing for change? I would argue no. They focused on the CIA's tactic. They sold the distortion that Webb was clamming the CIA targeted their communities.
Now, this all left me feeling depressed. Many believe that if we could just expose the evils of the world that would be enough. It isn't sadly. The masses do not have the attention span nor the desire to question their programming. That's my experience at least having talked with many friends and family over the years. I've been aware and a follower of politics since my early years as a pre-teen. I was and still am a nerd. I have a fairly long memory and it still to this day blows my mind how little people seem to notice. How they seem to not notice that politicians always promise things they can't or won't deliver. Yet they still seem to believe in democracy and their team. They are blind to the manipulation. To the repeated failures. To the repeated exposures of the truth.
So, I am sitting there feeling down about all this. Talking to my wife about it and then I remembered bitcoin exists. And I told her, this is one reason why bitcoin is hopeful for me. The state has much of its power due to its ability to print money. Taking that power from them alone will not affect the change we want but it is a huge start. It would limit the ability to wage these wars that kill so many people. It would limit their reckless spending and force them to steal in more obvious ways. Ways that will piss more people off. So bitcoin is hopeful.
What do you think? I was a teen when these events happened. I'm curious what I've missed and maybe if I got some things wrong. I remember this story being published and I also remember Webb's death which is a whole other story.
I read your post and remembered that it's Martin Luther King day.
Today it's his birth that's celebrated. The day that hope died for many was his assassination.
King was assassinated exactly one year to the day after delivering his 'Beyond Vietnam' speech. From that day he might have been seen very differently from before - and might have been seen to have gone beyond what was acceptable in some people's eyes...
Today, in South Africa, a country freed with a linger memory of apartheid, they feel the pain of apartheid elsewhere and pursue justice and reconciliation. They file suit and march.
Truth, justice and reconciliation has to prevail - or else we might get caught in another world war.
The extreme of shying away from the pain of others isn't a solution - nor is being consumed by the pain of others - we can't stand it and get destroyed. For me a middle way has to be sought.
Bitcoin is a tool, but through growth and tending it can indeed help with the right motivations.
However, I'd like to think we are getting there.
It'd be good to find ways for this hope never to be killed.
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Truth, justice and reconciliation has to prevail - or else we might get caught in another world war.
Yes, when we resort to violence we have lost. King's legacy to me is his advocacy of peaceful resistance. Having the guts to deal with the consequences but not shedding blood.
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✌️
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To a certain extent, we are all living in a Matrix. And Bitcoin is the asset that gives us the courage n confidence to rip the blindfold off our faces and live a life unencumbered by such falsehoods
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The consequences of the CIA's actions led to massive death and destruction in places like Los Angeles. It makes me sick as I write this. For what? To fund fighters in a foreign conflict?
This is America!
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33 sats \ 0 replies \ @0fje0 15 Jan
Haven't heard of Kill the Messenger but will add it to my list, thanks.
I've lost count of the number of times this has helped me deal with the often depressing "state of affairs" in our world:
and then I remembered bitcoin exists
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Thank you for this detailed piece. I appreciate it. I haven't seen the film but have put it on the list for viewing when we next have the time.
I agree about the party politics distractions and limited hangout psyops. It's definitely a huge tactic.
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Definitely have to watch this now, thank you.
CHAOS: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties was an eye-opening book for me, a millennial. Even if you're not interested in the Manson murders, Tom O'Neill goes on about the CIA programs (COINTEL PRO, CHAOS) and how much they did and got away with.
Many believe that if we could just expose the evils of the world that would be enough. It isn't sadly.
I agree, it's not enough, but I do think we will reach a critical mass eventually where the strength of the good will outnumber the strength of the evil.
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I do as well, but we must take tools out of the hands of these evil men. Bitcoin is one of these tools we can use.
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270 sats \ 1 reply \ @brave 16 Jan
This was have been a great watching experience, my first notion of kill the messenger scenario from any movie came from "The 300 Spartans" but it is a digress from this story. The CIA has always sponsored some of the most inhuman crimes in history and always seem to get away with it.
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Highly recommend reading Legacy of Ashes.
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Standard playbook - and with each passing event which is uncovered with no repercussions, they make less and less effort to conceal future operations. The people have no power as the divide and conquer strategy is so effective.
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I do think more people are seeing the pattern but it takes time to get past the blue/red team psyop
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I found this video pretty good. Its just a list really of different tactics used in propaganda:
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0 sats \ 4 replies \ @fm 16 Jan
CIA involvement and secret support of large scale cocaine sales to fund the Nicaraguan Contras
I wonder what they are using today... Funny that NSA was pushing digital money 15 years before that Satosh Nakamoto (read Central intelligence) came to play.. I wonder...
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Widely suspected they still use drugs to fund their operations.
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0 sats \ 2 replies \ @fm 16 Jan
They pushed crypto 10 to 15 years prior to nakamoto... But no surprise if they keep several sources of income..
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NSA and CIA are different agencies. Often at war with each other for funding. No clue what the NSA is doing. Never heard of any dark money funding with them.
However the CIA does have an investment arm that has supported many social media platforms.
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @fm 16 Jan
Never heard of any dark money funding with them.
Guess thats not publicized..
However the CIA does have an investment arm that has supported many social media platforms.
It does.. Arent they who funded FuckBook and made CuckZuck donate most of the money back ?
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I recently read Trance-Formation of America
They ran the cocaine through the country music scene.
Cathy's book mentions a lot of people and she's got a gag order about some things she to national security.
Check her out.
She was a slave for the CIA.
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Solid write up and thoughts I hadn’t considered! Nice job, keep going!
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