BEST WEAPON OF THE WAR? THE MEDIA. AND IT COULD BE OURS...
By Tom AdkinsNewsWithViews.comDid you see those jet fighters on CNN? How about the B-52 contrails acrossthe Afghan sky on Fox News Channel? Or that 100-yard crater from a Daisy-cutter? Saw that Tuesday on MSNBC. Impressive! That's some display of soil-your-pants military might. However, those bombs, planes, tanks and gadgets are America's second-best weapons in the war against terrorism. What is the most frightening, powerful weapon in the United States arsenal? Our media.
You mean those anti-war, anti-conservative, anti-American left wing bootlickers like Katie Couric, Ted Turner and Bryant Gumble? Not exactly.
Let's examine the battlefield. It's not some patch of dirt in an unpronounceable country. It's actually inside the hearts and minds of the world's citizens. Today, anti-American propaganda is spread unopposed throughout the Arab media and much of the world. It's time to start a heavy duty counter-attack. The Bush administration wisely sent the first American media envoy to appear on Al Jazeera, Qatar's world-wide Arab satellite channel. Smart move, but not enough. Instead, we should start TV networks in every country via satellite, cable, internet and radio. We must assemble a marketing team trained in local languages and customs of every nation on Earth. Entertainers. Writers. Pundits. We're talking salesmen, not statesmen.
We'll have locally produced political news shows featuring those sniping pundits, and a few Jerry Springer/Rikki Lake in-your-face gutter shows. Can you see two Mullah's shrieking at each other? "You are an American imperialist!!!" "No, YOU are a murdering infidel blasphemer!!!" Chairs fly, towels get tossed…it would sell.
And commercials. Lots of commercials. We'll give away millions of satellite dishes and cheap TV's, and take our case to the world every day. Especially the Muslim world. We better. Al Jazeera starts broadcasting in English this March.
The American media is the best sales force in the world. We can sell anything. Wondering why Muslim men blow themselves to smithereens on the silly promise of 70 virgins in heaven? That's nothing. In 30 seconds, American advertisers convince men they'll be in heaven with 70 virgins if they spend $65,000 on a sports car. Women believe their perfume will snare Mr. Right. Kids play $300 basketball games on their computer, and fork over $100 to see Brittany Spears pretend to sing. Heck, 20 million Americans bought a "Pet Rock".
Listen, folks…Arabs are destitute. They have less than nothing. Selling America to Muslims should be easy as asking frat boys to date Pamela Anderson. Say, Achmad…when was the last time a raving Imam blew himself up for YOU??? It won't take long. Soon, the world will realize American capitalist freedom is a heck of a lot better than eating tree bark and burning cow dung in a cave.
From Sun Tzu to Clinton, every leader in history knows media propoganda wins wars. During the 60's and 70's, the Soviet Union funded the liberal movement and every anti-war group imaginable. As the American public lost its taste for Vietnam, liberals stormed the cultural towers and controlled the media for 35 years, seducing three American generations. America got revenge, however. Radio Free Europe promised the wonder of American freedom, and MTV sold it. The Soviet citizens lost faith in communism. A little Reagan political muscle and, poof! No more Soviet Union.
Just as liberals used Vietnam to seize the media, the same opportunity has fallen into conservative laps. The Left is vulnerable. The America Right can crush their socialist Utopian dreams by mounting a take-no-prisoners assault. Terms like "Treasonous", Un-American", and "Traitor" should be used in every sentence. After all, polls show nobody agrees with Dan Rather, Dick Gephart or Tom Daschle except the typical NPR audience. And we know how small THAT is. Conservatives can give high profile liberals a hard kick in the pants. Presented live on your favorite network. whenever possible.
Fortunately, Congress is about to pass the Radio Free Afghanistan act, recreating the old icon of the Cold War. But there are 45 nations to go. Across the world, in every country, an aggressive media campaign offers an easier American victory. Conservatives can snatch the political playing field away from Democrats, and give the world George W. Bush, the American President who crushed terrorism. What a legacy!
1974 was a watershed for the American Liberal. For conservatives, 2001 is our chance. Against enemies within and without, media control is critical to win both fronts of the war. How delicious would it be if we can turn the liberals favorite weapon against them?
© Tom Adkins, All Rights Reserved
Tom Adkins is the executive publisher of www.CommonConservative.com He is a frequent contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Insight Magazine, The Hill, and numerous national papers, including the Washington Times. Tom is a frequent guest on Fox News, including Beyond the News, John Gibson’s weekend show, and Fox Live. He’s appeared on Politically Incorrect, Talkback Live (DC-VA area), CN-8, Philly After Midnight and Sunday Live (WPVI Philadelphia), along with countless radio interviews. e-mail TomAdkinsCC@AOL.com